Mascara | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Kevyn Aucoin Mascara

If you like tubing mascara, Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara is must see item. I’m not a fan of tubing mascara, but I do like this one.

Aside from a particularly attractive tube, Kevyn Aucoin Mascara is the blackest black mascara that I have ever used. The look from that alone is rather stunning. The formula works on tubed technology, which encases the lashes with mascara that looks like little tubes when it is removed. It is incredibly smudge proof.

What I didn’t care for in other tubing mascaras was that they could be difficult to remove and/or the look just wasn’t all that great for me. But the Kevyn Aucoin mascara gave nice length and had a good overall look. Clumping was minimal, but wiping the brush is a must with this one, as the formula is on the thick side.

Mostly though it is the intense black of the black shade that really impressed me.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Arbonne Mascara Review

I have a new favorite mascara! I truly love this one! But unfortunately it isn’t the easiest to get. Arbonne is a Swedish multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells skin care products and cosmetics. I have seen folks rave about Arbonne. I have also seen some criticisms. In any event, I always wanted to do an Arbonne review, but never tried them because, frankly, I hate having to call a consultant and put up with the sales pitches just to buy a few cosmetics. As a customer, I simply am not a MLM fan. But then I found some Arbonne products online at Amazon.com (see link below) so I decided to give them a shot.

OK, so with that background, ARBONNE Virtual Illusion Dual Volume Mascara is a seriously great mascara! The mascara has two ends. One end is a seemingly standard mascara. The brush size is average, but the bristles are a bit further apart than seen with many brushes. It kind of reminds me of Maybelline Lash Stilletto, but I like the look from the Arbonne mascara better. The other end is a clear gel that is applied with a smaller rubberized brush. This plays nicely off of an old, but good, mascara application tip—apply one coat of one type of mascara, let dry, and then a second coat of another kind for the best look. Below are my lashes after application:

I found that the Arbonne mascara itself gave great length, gave some curl (something that I rarely find in a mascara, even the ones that claim to be curling), and was a lovely deep black (much blacker than the picture indicates). The only downside is that the mascara does come out a bit thick on the brush, so careful wiping to avoid clumps is an absolute necessity. Then, when the gel was applied, the color was enhanced, the lashes were better defined, and it lasted all day without changing in appearance and without a single smudge or flake, yet it removed very easily with plain old soap and water. Overall, my lashes look better with this mascara than they do with most others. I truly love this Arbonne mascara. Now I just hope it stays available on Amazon.com!

I also purchased a set of Arbonne skin care samples and some Arbonne hair care items at Amazon, and I will be reviewing them soon.

Popularity: 1% [?]

DuWop Lash Venom Mascara

I am a fan of DuWop Original Lip Venom which is a nice basic clear lip plumper that has a good amount of tingle, and hence a bit of actual plumping to it (don’t expect miracles though, it simply is a good gloss that plumps a little, where most don’t plump at all). Anyway, DuWop Lash Venom Mascara was not to mascara what lip venom is to lip gloss. Instead, it was rather disappointing for me.

This rather standard mascara, with a bit smaller than normal brush (something I normally like) didn’t really measure up for me on all levels. I didn’t get a whole lot of length from this mascara. I would say it was definitely under average. Then, while it wasn’t a clump fest, it did clump slightly for me. Mostly though, it smudged. I had fairly bad raccoon eyes within a couple of hours. Just to be sure that I wasn’t having a bad mascara day, I tried it on two other days, with the same results. So the upshot with this one is that I say stick with the lip venom, but skip the lash venom.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Mascara Monday: Smashbox Bionic Mascara

I was quite happy with Smashbox Bionic Mascara. In fact, it was one of the better mascaras I have tried in a while.

At first blush, Smashbox Bionic Mascara looks pretty standard. Standard black tube, fairly standard bristle brush, etc. But the brush has a bit of a different shape to the bristles, and I got really nice length from it. So much so, that I was rather surprised! I don’t normally get such length with a standard bristle brush. I also had no clumping or other issues. Definition was also nice, with a really natural look. So look to this one for length with definition, no so much for volume.

The Beauty.com link I gave does include a bad review of it though. That person reported smudging. I didn’t have any such problems though and have worn it all day several times now.

Shop for more Smashbox Cosmetics

Popularity: 1% [?]

Mascara Monday: Benefit BadGal Lash

Benefit BadGal Mascara BADgal lash mascara advertises itself this way: “With a big, bad brush and a rich, black formula, its like wearing a set of false eyelashes without the glue.” That is pretty accurate. The brush on Benefit BadGal is big and fat. That isn’t usually my favorite type of brush, but I was fine with it in the BadGal formula. Unlike with some big brush mascaras, I didn’t end up with lots of clumping from this one.

The formula allows for good length and a fair amount of volume. I had no issues with flaking or smudging, and the mascara removed just fine. Overall, if you like big brush mascaras, this is a good one!

Note too that benefit also makes there BadGal lash available in dark blue. Personally, I love blue mascara. It really brightens the eyes!

Popularity: 1% [?]

More Items From the Luna Twilight Makeup Collection

The Luna Twilight Makeup Collection will be available beginning tomorrow! (October 22, 2009) and is also now available for preorder. The line has some interesting items and appears to be very well designed. Last week, I looked at the palettes and creme blush. Here are few of the other particularly interesting items from the collection.

First Light Face Glow contains light reflecting pigments and can be used to soften imperfections and as a highlighter. The collection also includes a similar Body Glow product.

The Luna Twilight Mascara from the line is unique in that it includes a metallic shimmer in its formulation. I am quite curious about it!

Luna Twilight Moonshadow eye shadow has unique pairing of pigmented glitter dust and a light cream shadow that can be worn separately or layered.

Lip items from the collection are equally interesting, especially a nice looking stain/balm, and a combo DuWop Lip Venom and Stain where, depending on how you use the applicator, you can apply each separately or it can be shaken to use the products together. For more coverage of those items, see my write up at Girl Gloss on the Luna Twilight Makeup Lip Products.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Mascara Monday: L’Oreal Voluminous Naturale Mascara

Ulta.com L’Oreal Voluminous Naturale Mascara is a very nice thin rubber brush mascara that provides good length and definition. I tend to prefer the smaller rubber brushes because they provide better definition without clumping issues.

The formula for Vouminous Natural is light, yet it provides very good length. I loved the look that I got with this mascara and it wore very well for me. Removal was also fine. The one downside is that the brush handle was a bit flexible, and I once smeared the mascara onto my hand when putting it back in the tube because the brush bent back and snapped out instead of sliding in. I had the same problem/complaint with Maybelline Define-a-Lash—a mascara that overall is nearly identical to this one.

Overall: a very good mascara, but be careful when putting the brush back in the tube.