Finished in 2012- Mascara

2012 must have been the year of mascara for me. I finished or gave up on a few of them last year. There were some hits and misses. Some of the mascaras I have already repurchased once or twice. I definitely think mascara has been one of my favorite products to use in 2012. I have a mixture of drugstore and high-end mascaras but I want to start with the mascaras that are the most accessible and end with the high-end.

Maybelline Mega Plush Volum’ Express in Very Black

I have always been a big fan of Maybelline mascaras and this one did not disappoint me too much. I really liked the shape of the brush. It is larger brush but I still felt like it coated my lashes very well. However, it did have a couple of downsides. The brush itself is very flexible and at times it almost felt too flexible and I always ended up with mascara on my eyelid. Also, it dried out really quickly. I had this mascara the least amount of time and I felt like it was done in no time. Towards the end of its life I used the mascara as a base. I would apply a coat of it and then add another coat of different mascara. Overall it wasn’t a bad product but I definitely wouldn’t repurchase it.

My score: 6/10

Rimmel London Volume Accelerator in 001 Black

I will make this short and sweet, I hated this mascara. It is supposed to make your lashes fuller but all it did was clump. I don’t mind when mascara is slightly clumpy but this just looked awful. I rarely used it and finally had to give it up because it was getting older and I never reached for it. I had high hopes too because I really liked the shape of the brush.

My score: 4/10

L’Oreal Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara in Blackest Black

I have been using this mascara for a couple of years now and I have really enjoyed using the eyelash primer before the mascara. I really did make a difference but after a month or two it just doesn’t work as well and I just stopped reaching for it. I had to give up on it because I had it for so long and never used it.  It just got to the point where even if I wanted to use it, I probably shouldn’t because of how long I had it. I really prefer the brush on the mascara end over the brush for the primer. I felt like the primer brush was too small to coat my lashes. I haven’t decided if or when I will repurchase this mascara. Right now I have others that I love so much more.

My Score: 7/10

Maybelline One by One Volum’ Express in Very Black.

So I have finally found my Holy Grail drugstore mascara. It is amazing. The brush reminds me of rubber and I know that sounds really weird but it works so well. It really does coat each lash perfectly and I love using it each day. I have already repurchased it a couple of times and I don’t see myself not purchasing it again. I have two ways I use the mascara: on its own or as base for my Holy Grail high-end mascara. I love the waterproof formula as well. This mascara lasts such a long time and even when it is drying out; it still looks great on the eyes! I cannot imagine liking another drugstore mascara more.

My score: 9/10

Ulta Lash Blow Out Mascara in Jet Black

I absolutely, positively HATE the brush on the mascara. It’s awful and so hard to work with. I didn’t even bother to finish this mascara. The formula wasn’t great but I don’t think it would have mattered because the brush would have made any formula unworkable. Thankfully this mascara came with something else I bought so I didn’t actually go out and buy it. But now I know I never will!

My Score: 1/10

Benefit They’re Real Mascara

I originally bought this mascara because I kept hearing how great it was and how well it worked. It is not a cheap mascara but I decided it had to be worth it so I gave in and bought it. I regretted my decision for the first few weeks. I didn’t like it. I didn’t understand the hype. I felt like I just wasted loads of money on it. I stopped using it for about a month before I tried it again. I was extremely surprised how much better it worked once it dried out a little. It coated nicely and gave me lots of volume and length. I used it until I couldn’t possibly get anything else out of it. I really liked the brush on it. The bristles are actually pretty short but it worked well.  I don’t think I will repurchase this product again though. If I am going to splurge on mascara from Benefit, I would much rather buy the Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara. Plus, I don’t want to wait a month or two for it to dry out so I can use it.

My Score: 8/10

Tarte Lights, Cameras, Lashes

I don’t even know where to start with this mascara. It is by far my all-time favorite mascara. This mascara came with my Tarte True Blood palette and I really didn’t think to use it right away. Once I did, I fell in love with it. I tried to use it sparingly because I wanted it to last as long as possible. It is a smaller brush but it works so well with my lashes. I usually use a couple of coats of it and I really like how it doesn’t make my lashes look too clumpy but I like when a mascara is a tiny bit clumpy because I feel like it gives it some volume. My favorite way to use this mascara is over a coat of my Maybelline One by One mascara. I know it sounds weird but mixing the two creates the perfect mascara for me. It is great on its own too. I have already bought a full size of it and I have a travel one as well. At this time, I don’t feel the need to purchase another high-end mascara. I love the one I got! The only downside is that it does flake slightly during the day but not enough to be extremely noticeable or to stop me from using it.

My Score:  9.5/10