Review: FairyDrops Platinum Volume & Curl Mascara

Oh you guys. You know that thing where you find the perfect mascara and then suddenly it's gone? That happened to me. FairyDrops Volume Burst in the (purple tube) waterproof version was so perfect. I glowingly reviewed it here and I sent a tube to Marianne because I thought she'd love it too. Then we tried to reorder and alas, it was gone. (Actually, there are still a few tubes on Amazon if you want to pay $50 for it which I do not.) It's still available in the pink tube (not waterproof) on eBay but I tried it and it's not nearly as good.

So, I decided to try try again and I ordered the FairyDrops Platinum Volume & Curl Mascara from an eBay seller. The Platinum formula also has the weird "dumpling" brush and is also waterproof:

It took weeks to arrive (eBay is cheaper, but slower) but finally I had it in my grubby grabby mitts. Here are some terrible before and after close-ups:

This is what I look like with eyeliner but no mascara. Believe it or not, my lashes have been curled. I applied two coats of the FairyDrops Platinum. The first went on pretty thin and the formula seemed kind of wet but it definitely lengthened. Feeling confident, I went in for a second coat and ohhh, no. Things got bad. Lashes stuck together, mascara went everywhere, reinforcements were called in. It was everywhere! I am bad at this! I actually wondered if I'd accidentally bought one of those ridiculous spiky lash mascaras. (WHY IS THIS A THING.) I cleaned it up and started over and finally got two successful coats going on. The results were good:

But yikes, I think this is one of those formulas that needs a little age on it first. Has anyone noticed that with some mascaras? That initially it was messy and hard to work with but after it dries out a bit it's way, way better? I think this is one of those. I will report back in a few weeks. In the meantime, I've also been using L'Oreal Voluminous Superstar Mascara with decent results. I don't always have time for all the steps, but it's pretty decent. 

Review: Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.

I recently got an email from Ampersand (she of the Asian sunscreen recs) and she was raving about a mascara she'd just bought, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara:

Immediate length- but with tons of volume- a feathery fringe, and it is absolutely hands down the easiest mascara I've ever used.  Putting it on is like living in a mascara commercial.  Or like using Fairy Drops I guess.  

I won't rave like a lunatic, just get it. 

I mean, duh, of course I did. It was in my Amazon cart immediately and it arrived last week. Now, I've already explained that I have a...problem with mascara. I am kind of inept at applying it (plus I have hooded eyelids and short, straight lashes. The total sad package!) so I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be the easiest I'd ever used because there is no such thing as easy mascara when you're me. I will say right off the bat that it was the cutest mascara I've ever bought:

Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara

The package states that it was "created by a TV caster. Look like a Brilliant Sexy Hollywood Star!!" I mean, who wouldn't want that? Nobody, that's who. I opened it up and this is what the brush looks like:

Eep. That looks advanced. This mascara is quite a thing - fancy curvy brush, fiber bits, waterproof, bursts of volume, what can't it do? I've used it a few times and I have to admit,  I am impressed. For me this is a two-coat mascara. I didn't get crazy volume from the first coat, but after two it looks pretty fantastic. The fibers make it super lengthening and I was left with fluttery long lashes that stayed that way all day. Here is a truly terrible photo:

I am the worst at taking mascara pictures and this doesn't look very impressive, but I promise Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara is really nice stuff. I haven't had any issues getting it off and my contacts don't seem to mind the fiber bits. It's not the cheapest mascara but I'm really happy with it.

Of course, my mascara obsession is never satisfied. I've been hearing a lot about Maybelline Lash Sensational so that'll probably be my next purchase. I am also super intrigued by Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Mascara, though the brush-comb thing looks Very Advanced. 

Have you tried any fantastic mascaras lately? Please, feed my obsession, by all means. 

Mascara Showdown!

Somehow between reader suggestions and Sephora orders I ended up with five new mascaras. Five! I think I might have a problem. A mascara problem. The obvious solution seemed to be this: Try them on and take deeply horrifying close-up photos to show you guys because blog science. The problem is, they all kind of look alike in the photos. Dammit.  But, I'm hoping maybe you guys will be able to see a difference? Please just lie because this took forever.

(Also, if you want to see a much more in-depth and adorable version of this, I'd be a jerk if I didn't recommend The Patron Saint of Mascara, also a reader suggestion. You guys are the best.)

So, to start, I tried the following three reader-recommended mascaras:

L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes - This was recommended by Natalie and Francie.

Maybelline Full 'n Soft - This was recommended by three readers including Katie who said, “I can't buy it in Germany, so every time I have to fly back from the US I strap tubes to my body a la Midnight Express.”

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Mascara - This was recommended so highly by an anonymous reader that I felt like I had no choice but to buy it. Blog science!

And two recent samples:

Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara - I got this as a deluxe sample in one of the Sephora SEASONSET sample bags.

Dior Iconic Overcurl (or as Marianne recently called it, "Diorshow Iconic Glambast Lashexplosion." Mascara names are ridiculous but I think Lancôme gets the side-eye for most insanely unnecessarily long name.) - I got this from Sephora as a 100 Point Perk.

And now, because this is FOR SCIENCE, here I am with no mascara:

wispy sadness

Sad mole creature

And now, here are the individual results. This took forever and I have a new respect for beauty bloggers:

L'Oreal

L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes. This is a tubing mascara with a separate primer which qualifies it as an Advanced Product as far as I'm concerned. I've had terrible luck with tubing mascaras but I was will to give this one a try. As you can see, this shit works like gangbusters. It takes more time because of the primer, but if you do it right, you'll have long lashy lashes all day long. They'll feel a little crunchy, but just don't touch them. My main issue - you cannot "wiggle" this one on the way you do with regular mascara. Brush it on straight and work fast - two coats per eye, one right after the other. If you don't do this your lashes will all stick together into three big points and it looks weird. But, if you have the time, this stuff is worth the effort.

Maybelline

Maybelline Full 'n Soft. I know you guys love this stuff but I wasn't blown away. I did really appreciate the super-long wand which made left-eye application much easier. It's really a pretty standard mascara and I had to do three coats to get any kind of volume. But, it's inexpensive and doesn't flake, so it's a solid drugstore option if you're just looking for a basic, no-frills mascara.

Shiseido

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Mascara. Another one that underwhelmed me. I loved the teeny-tiny wand, which made it easy to get all my sad, short lashes coated, but I had to work and work to get any kind of volume action. Again, three coats! Too much work. This would be a good choice for someone who already has long lashes, I think.

Lancôme

Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara. Now we're talking! This stuff is volume HEAVEN. It's got a weird curvy brush and it's super thick and volume-crazy with one coat. My only concern is that it seems like the kind of mascara that dries up almost immediately, as the formula is already kind of dry.

Dior

Dior Iconic Overcurl. This is good mascara, despite the annoying curved brush which doesn't really help as much as you'd think it would. It goes on a bit more subtle than the Lancôme but I got nice volume and length with two coats and it stays super-black all day. Interestingly, I don't really think it holds curl all that well? Hmph.

Of all these, I honestly think my favorites are the L'Oreal Double Extend and the Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA. So, one reader suggestion and one random sample. I didn't hate any of them, which says a lot for you guys and your solid recommendations. Thanks, y'all!

Mascara Wars: L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes vs. CoverGirl Clump Crusher

Top of our list for Adrien's visit last week was a Very Important Mascara Test. Quite a few people have encouraged me to try CoverGirl's Clump Crusher LashBlast mascara, swearing that I would love it more than my (admittedly pesky and taking finesse to apply) #1 most favorite mascara, L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes.

The Contenders.

Because I am nothing if not bossy, I made Adrien participate as well. And it's a good thing, because we had COMPLETELY different experiences with these products. I, for one, was so sure she would love the False Fiber Lashes as much as I do. THE RESULTS MAY SURPRISE YOU.

Anyway, let's start with some alarmingly close up pictures of our bare, sad, mascara-less lashes.

Adrien, sans mascara.

Marianne, sans mascara.

We started things off by curling our lashes. I'm just going to go ahead and say this: if you're wearing mascara and not bothering to curl your lashes? You might as well not bother with the mascara either. Thems the breaks, folks. Take 10 seconds and curl those suckers. I like the ever-popular Shu Uemura curler, Adrien favors Shiseido, which has a shallower curve.

Mascary.

And now, on to the comparison. We curled our lashes and put two generous coats of mascara on each eye, False Fiber Lashes on the left, Clump Crusher on the right. Here's Adrien's take:

I was not blown away by either of these mascaras, to be honest. I have fine, straight, sad-ass lashes and I need volume and thickening. And lengthening. I need it all. The Clump Crusher was certainly not clumpy, but it didn't really do a whole lot for me aside from making my lashes darker. The False Fiber Lashes looked amazing on Marianne but was a weird mess on me. I tried to make it better with a few more coats, but it just stuck my lashes into weird long spikes. Then I had a tantrum and threw it across the room. Then Marianne gave me a time out. Result: Neither of these will replace my beloved Colossal.

Adrien: L'Oreal False Fiber Lashes on the left, CoverGirl Clump Crusher on the right.

And here is my take: First of all, I will admit that my eyelashes are already decently long and thick, so your mileage may vary. For me, the Clump Crusher Mascara lives up to its name, there was not a clump to be seen. However, I found this mascara a bit on the wimpy side. It gives very natural results, but I'm generally looking for more volume and drama (read: I want people to think I am wearing eyelash extensions). The False Fiber Lash mascara is kind of a pain to put on, I admitted to Adrien that it's kind of "advanced".  But if you get it right, it seriously ramps up the drama. After I took these pictures, I added one coat of the False Fiber Lashes OVER the Clump Crusher eye, and that really gave me the best results. The Clump Crusher almost works as a primer, defining and separating the lashes, and then the False Fiber ramps up the volume. So now I wear two mascaras every day, which is not exactly low maintenance but it sure looks good.

Marianne: L'Oreal False Fiber Lashes on the left, CoverGirl Clump Crusher on the right.

Dang, that's a lot of talk about mascara. Have y'all tried either of these? Am I the only moron that wears more than one mascara at a time?