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What would immediately make you interested in a mascara?
I don’t know if there are any characteristics about a mascara that would make me immediately jump up and pay attention.
— Christine
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I’m not a mascara hoarder. I kind of buy when I run out so I’d say necessity. And then I only buy higher end when there’s a major sales event like Nordstrom’s buy 2, get 1 free. I likeep my mascara blacker than black and I don’t like it to crumble, migrate, smear etc but most don’t. I don’t know if I’m ever like oh my goodness I have to try with mascara. Loreal Lash Paradise and Too Faced Better Than Sex were pretty over hyped and I was just meh with both of them!
Mascara is hard. The ads are all hyperbolic and have little to do with the reality of how they perform. Yet, s.t. key points aren’t specified. Had to get a mini troublemaker, to see if it actually is tubing. Most mascaras are a 4/5, or at least perform fairly well, at first. But none ever quite reach HG. Hence, we keep searching. At least, with mascara, they are usually adequate, unlike other products.
I selected my 3 favorites because people I trust recommended them. All 3 products came my way due to very high praise. And, then praise by others just kept piling on top of the initial praise. Some people love to try different mascaras. I’m not one of them. But, they can critique a mascara like they’re reading from an encyclopedia on mascara. They know what mascara fulfills what need. They know all the pros and cons. It can get very detailed. I think the hardest part is knowing what you want from a mascara. Then, listen carefully to the knowledge base. Those people who love mascara are out there with great advice. (Just filter out those with a sales pitch. That doesn’t count.)
any that are waterproof! since i have pathetically short asian lashes that can’t hold a curl without wp mascara.
What mascara do you like?
My lashes are like yours.
I have to curl my lashes twice! Regular curler before and a heated curler after.
I have to apply mascara immediately after the 1st curl.
A makeup dream is to find a non-waterproof mascara that would hold my curl.
And by “curl” I mean the lashes should look like I tried to use a lash curler.
I have the same issue – I’ve tried using so many curling specific mascaras and they all disappoint me. I keep going back to Wet n Wild Max Volume Waterproof (the non-waterproof one isn’t the same!!!) so I doubt that helps you but it works like nothing else on me. 🙁
The next time I travel, I’ll keep an eye out for the WnW mascara. Is it at all lengthening? Is it clumpy?
i use the Heroine Make wp mascara which is from japan.
the worst thing is that because my lashes are so short, everytime i try to curl my lashes after putting on eyeliner, the curler lifts off the liner! if i wait to put on eyeliner after i curl, the lashes droop. cant win! lol
I feel your pain, Sister!
Nothing. They all promise the world yet are just plain mascara. Some are easier to remove than others; that’s the only real difference IMO.
Nothing really. I have my drugstore favorites and stick to them.
If I could find one available in the US via Amazon Prime that holds a curl, lengthens, is waterproof, and is inexpensive, I would be thrilled. Currently the only mascara that works for me is from Japan (Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make Long and Curl Super Waterproof).
I’m mascara picky because I have double lashes (genetic mutation) that are long, thick, and curly. Which sounds like a brag but they also can become ingrown and cause issues. Plus it makes mascara a PITA. Most formulas aren’t made for longer lashes, obviously, and my eyelids are quite oily. So I prefer tubing mascara as it won’t run all over my face or get in my eyes and generally look for formulas that offer separation/fanning over lengthening/thickening. I also like glossy formulas as those don’t flake very easily (Clinique makes a great glossy finish option). I also like colored mascara that actually shows up (NYX, MAC) no matter how dark your lashes are.
My favorites include: Besame Cake Mascara, Fairydrops, Clinique Glossy, Blinc, Chanel Inimitable Intense, etc
I tend to find that drugstore mascaras work better than the more expensive ones. My favorite is one of the oldest mascaras still around, the Maybelline great lash with the green and pink packaging and the original brush. I think the brush is the most important thing to me in a mascara, everything else is just hype. It’s one of those things you really don’t need to splurge on!
I totally agree! I just don’t see the point of spending a lot of money on HE mascara.
I wore Great Lash for many, many years, occasionally trying other drugstore mascaras on a whim, but always going back to Great Lash. A couple years ago I found a new favorite: Cover Girl Clump Crusher. The curved brush took a bit of getting used to, but I learned how it can be used backwards and forwards for different effects, and now I love it.
A non-waterproof or regular mascara that can hold a curl. Maybe a curling mascara? (but then I’d be skeptical of the ingredients). I like curling my lashes as part of my morning routine, but if I wear regular mascara – especially a wetter formula – I lose the curl within minutes. I have to wear waterproof to hold the curl and while I love the effect, taking it off adds about 10 minutes overall to my skincare routine at night. I feel like I have to do a whole separate eye makeup cleansing on top of general makeup removal and skincare. So if there were a non-waterproof mascara that could hold a curl, I’m in.
Also a growth mascara. I know there are some out there, but they are close to $100 and I think that’s unreasonable. I use Rodan &Fields Lash Boost at night and LOVE the effect (warning: itchy eyes for me, and I didn’t see results until about week 5 1/2. I use every 2 nights now for maintenance and don’t have a problem with the itchiness anymore.). I wish there was a way to come up with a milder growth serum and you could just use the mascara daily. I wouldn’t care if it took longer, I’d eventually get the results I wanted. I wouldn’t mind a higher price point, but not close to $100.
Pearl, I use an organic castor oil on my lashes nightly, Aura Cacia Pure Essential Oils. No itching, no irritation. My lashes have grown in this past month thicker, longer and when I remove my mascara at day’s end, almost no lash loss, either! To differentiate; I’ve tried the generic castor oil from Walmart, it did help with growth, but it irritated my eyes. This new one that I bought at my local Sprout’s does NOT irritate or burn at all! As an added plus, my lashes look great now even without mascara!
I use a q-tip to apply it, mostly at the roots, moving it upwards like a mascara. I do this at bedtime.
Thank you Nancy T! I just ordered off of Amazon!
Nancy, thanks so much for this piece of advice. I’ve been trying to figure this whole thing out. I just ordered the castor oil you recommended.
I’m with you about your 1st paragraph.
Side note:
Biphase eye makeup removers work well for me. I hold the pad on my lash line for 20 seconds, shift the pad to get a clean spot and reapply for 20 seconds. At most I put the pad on 3x.
My go-to eye makeup remover is The Body Shop biphase remover.
The Paula’s Choice one is a fraction better but is more expensive.
Also, you can save more by during the TBS 3-for-3 sales. 😀
I’ll check those out – thank you BooBoo!
Hi, did you find a non wp mascara that holds a curl? I have never found such a thing in my life so I just stick with waterproof ones.
I haven’t yet, unfortunately.
I can’t remember the last time I bought black mascara because I have so many free samples. I have a mental list of ones to try but I never run out.
I prefer traditional nylon bristles over the newer, rubbery ones. Nylon bristles do a much better job in separating and lengthening my lashes. I also prefer traditional brush shapes as opposed to more innovative options that are oddly shaped. L’Oreal Voluminous is an HG!
Easy to remove with a wash off facial cleanser, no smearing under my eyes as the day wears on and a natural look rather than the “false lash effect”.
I am like Christine as I don’t know what would tempt me other than the usual things that I look for in a mascara and as I have experienced, the claims frequently don’t measure up. I do like a drier formula but being a wetter formula does not definitely rule out my liking the mascara. I will just open the mascara and give it a few days to dry out a little. In a perfect world I would like false lash looks without any clumping, smearing, flaking or other annoying effects. I do wish that more mascara’s had lash growth and strengthening support in their formulas.
If I’m hearing others extol the virtues of it holding a curl all day without a painful removal process at the end of the day. That the wand isn’t too thick. That it gives a non-clumpy, lash defining effect. And that it has no fragrance. All those, and then I’m game to try it! But, for now, I’m super pleased with my return to using Maybelline Full & Soft Waterproof Mascara, so I’m not really looking beyond that.
It holds a curl.
It’s hard to know what a mascara is like until you try it. I really like coloured mascara – especially navy blue and green – so shades get me interested.
The main thing is that it doesn’t clump or take too long to dry. Windshield wiper streaks on my glasses are so annoying.
Separation, not a dramatic look. Easy to remove.
Sort of a challenge to judge from the tube. To me after having tried Maybelline not bad, Cover Girl not bad and Elf I actually liked it a lot it does its job and absolutely no clumping plus a convenient size brush for small eyes like mine but holly guacamole nothing shows them best that my current Pricess. I feel like a Princess indeed! Lol! One thing the curved brush tends to clump sometimes in me problaby is the shape but the straight does not. I’ll be cleaning and saving the brush fir any further clumping from any other brand always have them handy for when the situation arises. 🙂
I really prefer a straight and the old fashioned bristle brushes not all these silly new inventions out there for my small eyes. Like the Maybelline or Elf brush just perfect or the straight one from Princess. ❤️ Love to play occasiinally with colored ones.
Honestly? Anything I wasn’t allergic to! That’s rare enough. Hopefully, it would give me long, full lashes, as well. I’m also immediately interested in any bright colored mascara.
I love seeing a plastic wand that looks plain Jane without gimmicks. No weird twist, no strange ball on the end. Maybe a slight curve like the Clump Crusher. It also needs to be available in brown or a dark color that isn’t black, something like a plum or burgundy.
I’m not really into mascara, but I just saw an ad for some kind of mousse that gives hair an iridiscent sheen; maybe that can be kind of cool, for an oil slick effect over a typical black mascara?
A waterproof one for sure. A natural bristled wand with densely packed bristles that’s not too big. I don’t need any of those weird shaped wands with weird spikes or baubles. Is that even necessary? Lol. I guess that’s more of a criteria than something that makes me notice. But aren’t all mascaras kind of the same? ?
I don’t often buy mascara, because I subscribe to so many subscription boxes and get way more than I need in those. I think they only one I actually purchased this year was L’Oreal Lash Paradise, because everyone was so impressed with it. The reviews were right, and I have since actually repurchased that one. Rave reviews and seeing actual before and after pics are probably the only two ways you could get me to buy mascara. Or if I really liked the one I got in my beauty box. Only once was I impressed enough with a mascara after trying it that I repurchased.
Natural looking. I am so done with gloppy, clumpy mascaras that promise to make your lashes BIGGER, FULLER, THICKER, fill-in-the-hyperbole, that look awful on the model, so why would I want to buy it? The trend towards LOTS of makeup is fine if you like it, but it what about us girls/professionals who like a natural, or even no make-up look?