one chance too many

i used Maybelline’s mascaras many years ago when i first started wearing makeup, but gave up fairly quickly as Maybelline’s mascaras smudged, didn’t hold the curl and in general just weren’t very good.

i experimented with several higher-end brands like Elizabeth Arden (holds the curl, volumises), Estee Lauder (overrated), YSL (lengthens, volumises and smudges like water on ink) and Dior (nice smell, volumises but smudges), before going for and staying with Majolica Majorca (downright awesome and cheap to boot) for about 3 to 4 years.

A few weeks ago, Urban ran an article reviewing some of the new mascaras on the market, and i felt the old itch again – i was once quite obsessed about mascaras.

I immediately eliminated those that were too expensive – no point spending $45 on shu uemura when Majolica is already wonderful and $20 cheaper – and was left with Rimmel’s 3-way mascara and Maybelline’s Magnum Volume Express Super Film. A quick search online revealed that Maybelline’s had better reviews than Rimmel’s (and cheaper too); itching to buy new mascara, i decided to ignore past bad experiences with Maybelline and give it a second chance.

Alas, it was one chance too many. Despite its claims otherwise, Super Film clumped quite badly – which I attribute to the poorly designed, overly huge brush that failed to coat my lashes properly. More shockingly, not only did it fail to hold the curl in my lashes, they actually drooped (!!) because of the collagen and super film crap in the formula.

I’ve sworn off Maybelline forever – I even gave Super Film two tries - and never will I have the urge to try it out again. Thing is, I never understood why Maybelline gets such raves on mascara forums. There’s no point buying a cheap drugstore brand when it doesn’t work at all; mascaras like Fibrewig are also drugstore brands though slightly more expensive, but i’m sure one can afford the extra $5 or so to get something actually that yields results.

My absolute favourite mascara is Majolica Majorca’s Lash Expander Frame Plus.

 

It comes with a two-way wand, which is a lot less hassle than I’d initially feared. It volumises and lengthens, and holds the curl the entire day without smudging. To me, the ability to maintain the curl is very important in a mascara as my lashes slope downwards; Majolica’s mascaras are the only ones that actually perform as promised. And the ‘Plus’ in this Lash Expander is that the formula is jet black, which gives ultra definition and colour to my eyelashes.

I’ve also recently tried the sample version of Clinique’s Lash Power Volumising Mascara.

This holds the curl pretty good, and although the volumising effect is less dramatic than Majolica’s, it does the job and feels lightweight and barely there. It’s good for girls who like to feel as if they’re not wearing any mascara, and the brush does an excellent job of evenly coating all the lashes – you can actually feel your lashes being coated nicely as you move the brush in a zigzag motion!

I’m not sure of the retail price for this one, but I have another brand new sample sized (3ml) tube for anyone who’d like it :)