I couldn’t even begin to imagine how many mascaras I’ve tried over the years. It was one of the first makeup products I ever bought as a teenager (remember clear mascara folks?) and many a brand has been binned over the years while the quest for the perfect product continued.
I want a mascara that doesn’t smudge, gives length and volume and doesn’t look spidery or clumpy – but who doesn’t!
So here’s a breakdown of some of the mascaras I’ve been using lately and how they compare.
First up, ARTDECO’S brand new Amazing Effect Mascara (€16). With a teeny, tiny wand, it doesn’t look like it’s up to much but don’t let looks deceive you. The small wand expertly grips every lash and coats and lifts without the slightest trace of clumpiness, giving a very natural but eye opening look. This is also a wonder on lower lashes as big wands can leave the lower lash area looking messy. This may not be for girls who love a full on lash look but I think it’s a perfect everyday mascara and I’ll get a lot of use out of this.
Unpopular opinion alert! I’ve tried They’re Real for a couple of months and….I think I prefer the ARTDECO. I’ve seen the impressive results on my lashes and others but it’s a bit too obvious and clumpy for me to be able to justify the hefty price tag of €24 for full size or €10 for the mini version. It also dries out very quickly in the bottle and is a bit of a nightmare to remove. On the plus side, it doesn’t budge once on and does give good volume and lift, I just think other products can do a similar job.
And so we come to Max Factor who have been my favourite mascara brand for the past few years. Their mascaras are the only ones that actually get bettter the longer you have them and never seem to dry out but just improve like a fine wine! These give great clump free volume and curl that stays smudge-free and the fact that the mascara stays so good for so long means it’s extremely good value for money. I’ve tried out two, Max Factor’s 2000 calorie mascara (€8.99) which has been rolling around my make up bag for months now and seems to keep getting better the longer it’s there and their brand new Clump Defy Mascara (€13.99). The new one is a very nice subtle day time mascara and gives a soft fluttery lash look but I’d bet my money that it’s wow factor will increase when I come back to it in a month or two month’s time.
So which is the winner? Even though They’re Real gives the most oomph, I think I prefer ARTDECO for giving serious volume while looking very natural (and it gets bonus points for being cruelty free).
