Not for the Plain Janes (Benefit Bad Gal Lash)

Member Name: carly_pussycat

Product:	Benefit Bad Gal Lash
Date:	03/05/05 (1772 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives a bold black lash effect, doesn't smudge or clump, well designed wand

Disadvantages: Overpriced, gaudy packaging

I have naturally long near-black lashes so I often just curl them when applying makeup. However, it can be nice to have a bit of a different look and accentuate my lashes, sometimes instead of wearing colour. I’m no expert on mascara as I’ve only owned about 3 in my whole life (one of those being a Clinique gift) but as BeneFit was on 3 for 2 and mine was running low a little while ago I thought I’d give this a go.


BAD GAL MASCARA

As has come to be expected of BeneFit, the mascara comes in a rather strangely decorated container: a black box with fuchsia pink and white text which matches the wand itself (but incidentally matches nothing else in the range, bar the Bad Gal eyeliner). Personally I find it rather cheap and gaudy/80s looking but some people may like it! It is what you may describe as a ‘supersize’ – ok, maybe not that huge but certainly larger than your average.

Once you’re past the loud packaging and have your lashes beautifully curled (and eyeshadow applied if required) you come to the application. Unscrew the shiny silver cap, remove the wand, and you’ll realise why the mascara is bigger than most – the head of the wand looks HUGE! It actually looks like it’s going to be impossible to apply. In spite of that, the wand actually has an even amount of jet black mascara on its slightly curved edges without looking overloaded or clumpy.

The best way to apply mascara is to look down and apply it in gentle upwards motions, so with this in mind I find it’s best to tilt your head back so that you’re looking down at a mirror. I always apply mascara in lots of tiny little strokes rather than one long sweep as I find that too heavy handed – sometimes I only apply the tiniest amount it to the very tips to create the illusion of extra length without looking like I’m wearing mascara.

Despite the wand looking ridiculously big for manoeuvring around the eye area it’s actually quite easy to handle, proven by the fact that I’ve actually never made any major mistakes around my eye while trying to apply it. You can vary the amount you put on, but perhaps this is only possible because my lashes are thick and dark anyway, I’m not sure a lighter-lashed girl could wear it just on the tips as it’d look strange.

After application the mascara looks beautifully dark and thick – if I’ve applied a generous amount sometimes my eyelashes look nearly false (but in a good way…) If you want them to look more natural than made-up then it helps if you comb them through with an eyelash comb to totally separate them. The mascara doesn’t feel as thick on as it appears, so it’s not annoying to wear.

The effect always lasts the entire day without flaking/melting onto my under eye area/running in the rain (perhaps it also helps that I never wear mascara on my bottom lashes?). Although it doesn’t claim to be waterproof I have never had this run at all; never even had it smudge one tiny bit. But taking that into consideration you’d think it’s a pain to remove at night? It’s not. It’s easy as pie; just a standard cleanser with cotton wool (or even a cleansing wipe) will remove it.

I don’t really wear it often enough to say whether it has a positive/negative effect on my lashes but it’s certainly had no detrimental effect on the occasions I have used it.


POINTS TO NOTE

Throw any mascara out when it starts clumping up on your eyelashes as that means it’s past its best. Same applies if it smells different to how it did when it was new. NEVER share mascara with anyone else as it’s unhygienic/potentially dangerous. And finally, mascara generally has a life of 3-6 months. I don’t generally stick to this but once it starts behaving differently to how it was before I will bin it (usually nearer a year).


PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

This mascara is a rather overpriced, as is the majority of the BeneFit range, so make sure you grab it on 3 for 2 in Boots like I did. The RRP is £14.50 for 8.5g. Normally I’d recommend scouring eBay for a bargain but I’d never chance that with an eye product as someone could have tested it.


VERDICT

I don’t think this is suitable if you want a really natural effect as if you’re wearing no makeup at all, but I like it because when I wear mascara I want it to look more obvious than my natural lashes. I also don’t think it would be suitable for day wear on those with lighter/thinner lashes as it might look too bold (unless that’s the look you’re aiming for).

For me, it’s the best mascara I have used yet (but that doesn’t say much out of only 3 others). On the rare occasions I choose to wear it, it provides me with the exact look I am aiming for – silky jet black long lashes. I’d recommend this to anyone with a fondness to black lash-lengthening/thickening mascara: not one for the plain Janes; it’s definitely one for the Bad Gals.

I shall take one star off for the price as this mascara will surely go smelly/clumpy before I can use it all, and I can’t see how BeneFit can justify that price for something which is supposed to be binned after 6 months max. Like I said, I would recommend it but I am unsure whether I’ll re-purchase, I may look for a cheaper alternative.

For more information on the brand see www.benefitcosmetics.com


carly_pussycat - dooyoo UK ©

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