Mascara has got to be one of the most frustrating beauty products – I’m sure many of us spend more time looking for the perfect mascara than most other cosmetics. Its the easiest way to beautify the face, I think – it opens up the eye, which is often our best feature, and makes us look more awake and youthful. Personally, it’s not my end-all, be-all; I love when it’s effective but I have bigger fish to fry (concealer, anyone?). Nonetheless, I am constantly on the look-out for a newer, better version – so join me in checking out the mascara Make Up For Ever offers up in their Wild & Chic Best Of Kit: Smoky Lash ($24CDN).
The back of the product notes that the color is ‘Extra Black’ and that the mascara provides ‘volume, length, and curl.’
My initial thoughts were tentative at best – the brush looks kinda wonky, which had me wondering just how this mascara would apply – would it be haphazard, and make my lashes go every-which-way? The description on Sephora notes that the brush is ‘tough and dense,’ which allows the wand to ‘penetrate into the roots of the lash to ensure the lash is completely coated with mascara.’ Uh, okey dokey!
Thankfully, any fears I had were unfounded. Here’s what I did find: while not terribly dramatic, this mascara does give nice length to the lashes (which always seems like a funny claim to me, because – you’re coating your lashes with product, don’t they ALL lengthen?), and I do notice an increase in volume – as in, it looks like it catches every lash I have to that it looks like I have more than usual. It sort of makes them look feathery, which I haven’t had in a mascara much. I think I like it!
Again, sadly, I cannot report on it’s curling power, as my lashes are just so darn curly as it is, that the effect is totally lost on me. I read the description after wearing it a few times, and I think the brush does get into the base of the lashes well, as it’s not too flexible – though not so rough that it jabs at your lash line (I hate that!!). It is nice and black – no charcoal formula here (which I also hate) – and wears all day without flaking. It wasn’t too hard to remove; your regular cleanser that you normally would use does the trick.
My overall opinion of this mascara is a good one – it’s more of a basic mascara than anything ground-breaking, but sometimes its nice to have a mascara without a ton of bells and whistles and tricks to using it. Certainly if you’re interested in purchasing it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
*This product was provided to me for consideration by the brand/PR company.
#1 by Eugenia on November 17, 2011 - 9:54 pm
I’m ALWAYS on the hunt for the perfect mascara, and every time I think I found it, something else & new comes along to make me change direction again, lol! Your lashes actually do look feather, which I totally love and as you’re already blessed with fab lashes to begin with, I would imagine anything you coat them with will look simply spectacular! Still, thanks for the heads up on this one!
#2 by sheerglitz on November 18, 2011 - 5:08 pm
my favorite mascara! nice post
#3 by Latoya on November 20, 2011 - 5:08 pm
Thank you!! I’m glad you enjoyed it
#4 by Liz (Beauty Reductionista) on November 18, 2011 - 11:32 pm
I’m so jealous of your lashes!!! Look how long they are!
I’ve tried the waterproof version and found that it holds the curl extremely well. The only bad thing is that it smudges terribly for some reason. I didn’t feel like touching up every hour with q-tips so that had to go eventually. But aside from that, it was a pretty awesome mascara!
#5 by Latoya on November 20, 2011 - 5:09 pm
Haha, they’re not that long Liz – it’s the curl! It just makes them look better, is all. But thank you
Too bad about the smudging!