What she thought: "The mascara wand is noticeably different, so much softer and fuller on the lashes, thereby avoiding any clumping issues. The mascara went on smoothly and its rich, black color transferred well onto my lashes. The only downfall is, by the end of the day, my lashes reverted to their stick-straight downward trajectory. So if you don't have a problem with your lashes staying curled all day, then this is a great one to try."
Tester: Sarah Carrillo, Senior Associate Editor
Rating: 8
What she thought: "I have stick-straight lashes, and a semi-scary addiction to my lash curler. I've tried a few mascaras that claim to help curl lashes and have never been very impressed. This one though made me re-think my anti-curling mascara stance. I still needed to use my lash curler (although I did get a slight curve when I tried it without), but what really wowed me was the staying power. Normally I'd need to re-curl my lashes if I went out at night, but with this, my curl stayed intact all day and night. That, along with decent length and volume, has made me a convert."
Mascara, for most, is one of those "desert island"-type of eye makeup products -- meaning many women tout it as the one thing they absolutely can't go without. Whether or not you would pack it for your Gilligan adventure, we're sure you'd agree that it's a makeup bag staple. Why? Because it almost effortlessly makes you look more awake and feminine, of course.
We here at Total Beauty like to think of mascara as a magical invention, capable of creating the illusory effect of a full eight hours of sleep, a low-stress day, or even fabulous genetics. Basically, we take mascara seriously. That's why we think it's important to test a vast array of eye makeup brands from the drugstore to the beauty counter and beyond in order to share which are true winners -- the mascaras capable of great lengths, volume and curling capabilities to boot.
Before checking which mascaras we love in this eye makeup roundup, see these quick application tips courtesy of Chuck Hezekiah, national makeup artist for Maybelline New York. He claims there are some common eye makeup application errors most women make that can easily be avoided with these simple tricks and techniques:
• If you have a traditional brush wand, improve lash separation while applying mascara by moving the wand in a swift, zig-zag fashion from lash root to tip as opposed to one sweeping motion.
• We know you're usually in a rush, but take the time to dab the tip of your mascara on a tissue to get rid of the glob that tends to form there. This will keep you from getting uneven, goopy product distribution -- especially on those shorter lashes.
• If you use a lash primer, particularly a white one, wait 10-30 seconds for the primer to dry, then apply your mascara. This keeps the black color of your mascara from turning gray.
