Audrey Dao

Urban Decay Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara ($22) Reach new heights with our drastically improved, six-in-one Skyscraper Mascara. Our innovative formula will lengthen, strengthen, separate, curl, brighten and thicken your lashes without even a hint of clumping or flaking. The state-of-the-art, new generation brush features a flexible shaft and multiple rows of tapered bristles to comb through lashes from root to tip. Skyscraper gives you that “come hither” look that gets ‘em every time

And don’t even think about sacrificing the well being of your delicate lashes to a harsh product. Not a chance! The multi-benefit formula actually nourishes lashes. Luxe ingredients like Panthenol and vegetal ceramids condition and strengthen. Silk protein protects, and Vitamins C and E serve as powerful antioxidants. Filming agents even encourage a gentle curling. Lashes are long, strong, and feather-soft

The velvety soft-touch tube might be the sexiest of all: jet black and wrapped in a hand-drawn, purple foil design, you’ll love to pull this beauty out of your makeup bag.

My Thoughts:

I heard lot of great ravings about this mascara so I gave it a try. I honestly don’t think this mascara is worth $22. I felt it didn’t do much for my pin-straight Asian lashes. I had to apply multiple coats (multiple meaning at least 3 coats) to notice any lenghtening. I’m lazy. I like quick and easy. I was hoping for dramatic “skycraper” lashes, but I didn’t get them.  It’s not a bad mascara. Urban Decay Skyscrapr mascara can hold a curl. It doesn’t clump, smudge, or flake. I just don’t feel the $22 price tag is reasonable.

Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara ($14) Coaxes lashes to their longest, boldest, most upturned look yet, without a pinch, pull, tug or tear. Arched wand scoops up, lifts up every last lash. Smudge, flake, smear-resistant for up to 24 eye-opening hours. Ophthalmologist tested.

My Thoughts:

Why do I keep buying curling mascara? They never work on my stick, straight lashes. The mascara however did give my lashes a lot of length. That’s all I liked about this mascara. Instead of getting smudges underneath my eye, I found little black flecks of mascara. So not attractive! The mascara formula isn’t drying, but it’s really wet/goopey. Removing the mascara was difficult and weird. It came off in chunks. That’s the best way I can describe it. Needless to say, I returned this mascara. I will just stick to my eye lash curler and mascara.

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20) It’s big, it’s fat…it should be illegal. Big Fatty Mascara creates the fullest, fattest lashes imaginable. Infused with hemp oil to moisturize & keep lashes soft, this thickening mascara takes lashes to a new realm where fantasy & reality collide. The creamy formula thickens, lengthens & glosses lashes. Simply apply one coat of Big Fatty & let dry completely for doe-eyed, look-at-me lashes. For added oomph, apply a second coat. The result? Lashes so luscious, they’ll look like falsies. Packaged in a funky Pucci-inspired component, Big Fatty features a giant, fuzzy brush that separates & coats lashes without clumping. Try it once & you’ll be addicted.

My Thoughts:

What attracted me to the Big Fatty Mascara was the funky, retro packaging. Boy, am I glad that caught my eye because this mascara is really good. It made my lashes thicker and so soft without clumping or smudging. One coat gives your lashes some oomph. A couple of coats will make your lashes go pow! I was afraid the big, fat brush would make it too difficult to coat all of mylashes, but I experienced no problems at all. To tell you the truth, this mascara performed just as well as Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara minus the funky smell Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ had. Because I am about to finish off the Maybelline mascara, Big Fatty Mascara will be a perfect replacement.

Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes Mascara ($28) Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Mascara perfectly curls and separates lashes. It has a high-tech, patented round sphere at the tip of the precision wand that reaches every lash and adapts to all eye shapes. It’s a Sephora exclusive. The result? A beautifully fanned-out panoramic effect, holding the curve of your lashes perfectly in place.

My Thoughts:

What a weird and scary looking mascara. I was at my beloved store Sephora when I spotted this bad boy. I had to try it! The SA that helped me apply the mascara (I had no idea how to use it), kept rambling on and on how wonderful this mascara was especially at voluminizing. The mascara did give me volume, but not enough volume for me to rave about it. The sphere brush did allow me to coat every lash, which I really liked. It seperated my lashes too! Would I buy this mascara? No. I don’t think it’s worth $28. A $28 mascara should produce amazing results, not so-so results. It was also a pain to remove too.

Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara ($14) Gel-based formula defines lashes naturally. Lengthens, glosses, enhances. Lashes stay silky, pliant, clump and flake-free through multiple coats. Ophthalmologist tested.

My Thoughts:

When I want natural looking lashes, this is one of my go-to mascaras. It doesn’t clump or dry out your lashes. Removes easily with any cleanser/makeup remover and is buildable. It’s light-weight and does a good job holding a curl.

Cargo TexasLash Mascara ($20) TexasLash™ Mascara is a maximum lash voluminzing formula that produces Texas-sized lashes in just one coat! The fat, oversized brush allows for easy application in a single coat. The unique formula creates high volume lashes in an instant. TexasLash™ Mascara doesn’t flake, smudge or run!

My Thoughts:

I didn’t like this mascara. I feel it didn’t deliver the instant volume. In fact, I don’t think it delivered any volume at all. The formula was drying and made my lashes look a little stiff. The brush is really big, so you have to be careful about getting mascara on your eyelid when you apply it. I was hoping this mascara would deliver what it promised, but it failed miserably. On the plus side, it doesn’t flake, smudge, or run.

Dior DiorShow Black Out Mascara ($24) This mascara  gave me the length and volume that I’m looking for. It has an intense black pigment that will give you dramatic lashes. You have to be careful because this mascara is a little wet. Give it some time to dry before you start blinking (not an easy feat!). It doesn’t flake, but it does smudge a bit. Just like the Dior DiorShow Mascara, it dries out pretty quickly. Also like the DiorShow mascara, I loved how well the mascara performed, but I just don’t have $24 to shell out everytime this dries out.

Fresh Supernova Mascara ($25) Dress up your lashes with our bestselling SUPERNOVA MASCARA, which defines, thickens, lengthens, and curls in one coat. Our exclusive brush saturates each lash with glossy, jet black color, making them look dramatic, glamorous, and supernatural. An ultra-rich, nourishing formula strengthens lashes and ensures clump-free results that won’t smudge or run. Instantly creates dark, deeply-defined lashes. Conditions lashes as it colors. Exclusive, full-bristled, curved brush optimizes coverage and imparts deep, glossy color from base to ends in one coat. Superglossy, jet black finish offers ultimate definition for your eyes. No alcohol.

My Thoughts:

I really like the packaging design of this mascara. It’s so cute! I must agree that it does give a superglossy, jet black finish. I really loved the finish. But what made me return this mascara was the major smudging. Within 2 hours of wearing the Supernova mascara, my under eye area was completely blackened from the mascara. I didn’t like the idea of having to check up on my under eye area every couple of hours to make sure the mascara was still in place. It’s such a shame, because had this mascara worked out for me, it would’ve been an absolute staple in my makeup bag.

Lancome L’Extreme ($24) Extend your lashes up to 60%… instantly! This exclusive Fibrestretch™ formula takes even the smallest natural lashes to dramatic lengths. The patented Extreme Lash brush attaches supple fibers to every eyelash for an instant lash extension effect.

My Thoughts:

This mascara is excellent at adding length for a more enhanced natural look. It lasts all day and doesn’t smudge. For a more dramatic look, you can layer on more mascara, but I wouldn’t layer on too much because it makes your lashes look a plastic-y fake. I wouldn’t buy this again mainly because of the price. I can find less costly mascara that does the same thing.

Lancome Cils Booster XL ($21.50) This innovative mascara base maximizes the result of any Lancome mascara. Features micro-fibers for enhanced effect; triangular brush helps separate lashes.

My Thoughts:

Honestly, I found this rather useless. I know a lot of people rave about this, but it did not really do much for my lashes. I noticed my lashes did get a tad bit longer, but I could accomplish that with just mascara. I have to admit, out of all the mascara bases, this one performed the best.