Great Budge-proof Mascara by Estee Lauder

May 9, 2009

I’ll begin by getting the poor review out of the way because I did try it.

Product Review : Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara

Dry and sticky is the first impression. The stickiness makes it easy to push the lashes upwards and they stay there, like they’ve been hairsprayed. You can really work that aspect with more coats. It is very controllable.

The brush is tiny. I prefer that to gigantic for ease of handling but this one is also rather flat, like a little wee spatula. Actually, the bristles are short and unless you clean off all the extra product, not much of the bristle sticks out. Still, it works better than I expected it to. I had to press the product off on the sides of the tube to get the picture.

Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara.

You expect clumps to form but they don’t. The lashes don’t separate so well either. In fact, they stick together fast! It’s like those hair products that dry and stiffen within 4 seconds from some very volatile chemical or other so you have no time to work with the hair before the product sets (that would be Redken Rough Paste).

It wears moderately well but I still had a few smudges if I put too much on the bottom lashes.

Wash? Terrible. Black smears, with or without makeup remover. Just as bad the next morning. I didn’t do so well with this product.

Never support animal cruelty

I’d love to try Elizabeth Arden’s Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara because it’s said to leave lashes feeling soft but there’s no freakin’ way. There is too much animal suffering as it is. What kind of pathetic excuses for human beings are we when we support animal testing in an industry where it is not only unnecessary, but also in the minority.

From Vogue Australia Forums, a very comprehensive list of cosmetic companies with info about who tests and who doesn’t. For A to H, for I to Q, and for P to Z. Bookmark those pages, they’re hard to find again.

It was back to Clinique High Impact. It might not be perfection but it’s pretty darn good. I should know better by now than to vex the gods by veering away from it. I want to believe that great cruelty-free mascara can be bought at the drugstore but I can’t find it.

I decide to take my chance with the gods yet again.

Product Review : Estee Lauder Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara

I don’t try $25 mascara without a good reason. I read about this one in the Best Beauty Products Of 2008 Report from Paula Begoun and her group. I was attracted by the ease of removal comment.

Mascara is one of the few products where I don’t rely on MUA (Makeup Alley). I have the filters set to show reviews from worst to best and it’s the same for every single mascara. Even the repurchase rate hovers around 60% for every product.

Here are the reasons I love this one:

1. It doesn’t smudge. Doesn’t move, fade, or change over the day. I like to add moisturizer to soften the lines under my eyes during the day and now I can, without black smudges. It really is zero-smudge. I moisturize to my heart’s content and there are NO smears.

2. Doesn’t clump, easy to work with, separate , and add. The job gets done fast.

3. It DOES come off with water. Easily!! Even High Impact didn’t do that!! I don’t even use a separate eye makeup remover. Hallelujah for that alone!!! There may be the odd black fleck the next morning but it removes easily, unlike the tarry smears that take some work. You just splash water on your eyes and rub gently and the stuff comes right off. You might need an eye makeup remover for your shadow or liner but not your mascara. Big selling point here.

4. The brush is grand. It’s long and skinny and straight. The product doesn’t goop all over it. The corner lashes can be coated without smearing it on the skin. The maneuverability of this brush is terrific, maybe because it goes back to the brushes we all learned with 30 years ago. The big bottle-brush style and the curved designs, never could get used to them.

5. Lashes are not too stiff or crunchy. I really don’t like that at all.

6. I’m wearing mascara on my lower lashes again. I like to wear a little more makeup on the center of my eye because a rounder eye looks a little younger and it draws attention away from the outer corner where not-so-good things are happening. I can use all I like, wherever I like. It will not move.

Clinique High Impact, does apply better. Thicker, smoother, creamier, softer. But it will leave little smears under your eyes.

This formula seems a little stickier, a little drier, than what you may be accustomed to but it gets the job done fine. They sell it as an extraordinarily lengthening mascara. In that respect, it’s fine but not astounding. Estee Lauder also claims that “the lash you see in the morning is the lash you keep all day”. That is true.

Who in the world can look at our lashes and know what mascara we used? Nobody. You never really notice other women’s eyelashes unless they’re at an extreme of underdone, overdone, or oversmeared. Mascara is all about application and removal.

Clinique Lash Power gets similar reviews for ease of removal and it will be a little cheaper, so it’s next up.

Note that this is not for you if you’re after major volume or length. It gives real-looking lashes and that’s all I really want in this world - makeup that looks real.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Makeup

Comments

5 Responses to “Great Budge-proof Mascara by Estee Lauder”

Gina on May 12th, 2009 1:01 pm

Thank you for again a great and comprehensive mascara review! Now I have a question….is it just me or do women from England have amazing lashes? I have a friend (recent acquaintance more like) and that was the feature I noticed most about her. She actually sent the mascara she used to Kati who did not get the same results so I am uncertain as to what the trick might be.

There are a couple of youtube mascara application videos with a British girl who has incredible lashes.
The girls on Paris Hilton’s best friend reality show (and no I do not watch it but it was on as I flicked through and I was captured by the accent) had also incredible lashes as I tried to discern whether they were false or not. I don’t think they were…just great mascara. Same new friend has facebook pictures of other women and it is always the same thing….I am amazed at the lashes. I have not applied mascara to the bottom lashes for a year or so because they seem to always clump together and I use Clinique High Impact so what am I doing wrong?
I want great lashes …will pay money for great lashes…truly believe great lashes change the whole appearance of the face….sigh….help please……..
Mary-Ellin on May 13th, 2009 9:29 am

Hi Christine,

I just bought Clinique’s Lash Power mascara at my local Sephora store, and wore it for the first time yesterday. I like it very much. It has a very small brush, but I feel that gives me more control during application. I was able to color each lash without getting stray mascara on my eyelids. Lash Power doesn’t build much length or thickness, but I really like it for everyday wear and a very natural look.

For evening, I’d be more likely to go for a more dramatic mascara, such as Clinique High Impact, L’Oreal Voluminous, Bobbi Brown, or Cover Girl Lash Blast/Lash Blast Luxe.

At $14, Clinique Lash Power mascara is a bit more of a “bargain” than the Estee Lauder Zero-Smudge mascara you reviewed, though if I’m in the mood for a splurge, I’m likely to try it. It sounds terrific!

Thanks again for your always entertaining and informative writing!

Mary-Ellin
Mary-Ellin on May 14th, 2009 7:12 pm

Hi again,

Quick update on the Lash Power mascara: Removal was…interesting. It did not come off with warm water, as the label claims. I had to use a cotton pad and some eye makeup remover (I used Paula’s Choice) to get it off, and it came off very dry and flaky. This makes sense, as the Beautypedia.com review of the product indicates that it was originally marketed for some of the very humid climates in Asia. I live in the high desert – and things are very dry here right now – so there was little moisture in the air to help matters.

Having said that, Lash Power is still a nice mascara, and I will wear it again. It doesn’t smudge or budge all day, and features a great little brush that allows me to apply it with precision.

Take care,
Mary-Ellin
Christine Scaman on May 16th, 2009 6:38 am

Gina,

I’m not sure I have an easy answer. There’s a glaucoma medication that is marketed by Allergan (?) that is known to make lashes grow but it’s expensive. It’s been involved in some legal controversy (not related to the quality or safety) lately. You could google it or find it on Dr. Irwin’s http://www.skintour.com. She wrote about it in one of her recent e-bulletins and explained it well.
If your bottom lashes clump with High Impact, they almost surely will with this Estee Lauder product. I wonder why the bottom ones particularly. You could always just separate them with a comb.
Have you tried Kati’s Dior? Many many raves out there about Diorshow. Her Blackout may be too much for anyone over 25 though.
I’ll watch British women’s lashes more carefully. I have never noticed their eyelashes – perhaps because I’m busy looking at their remarkable complexions.
Christine Scaman on May 16th, 2009 6:58 am

Mary-Ellin,

This is so interesting. I agree about the small brush, I like that too. And no question, Clinique has a more approachable price point. You may find the EL product drier to work with but it really doesn’t move, even if your eyes tear in the wind for instance.

Lash Power is supposed to be as removable as the EL product but it took me a few tries to learn how to do it. Simple water splashing isn’t enough, probably a good thing. Using makeup remover first is also not good. I’ve learned that very gentle rubbing of the lashes with warm water will get the stuff off and then I use a Qtip and remover to take off the eyeshadow/liner left behind.

Thanks so much for saving me the time with Lash Power. Mascara removability is my most important criteria for that product.