A mascara and liner in one - or is it? (Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara)

Member Name: pink_glitter

Product:	Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara
Date:	23/04/09 (220 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thick, long, dark lashes

Disadvantages: doesn't really line which is the whole point of it!

When I saw Bourjois liner effect mascara advertised on TV I really wanted to try it, as I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to applying eyeliner, and the promise of a mascara which would give the effect of also wearing eyeliner sounded ideal. I did hold off purchasing the product for a while as I already had quite a few mascaras, but a couple of months ago I finally caved and bought myself a tube.

The mascara comes in three different colours - Noir Styliste (black), Brun Artiste (brown) and Bleu Designer (blue). Being the boring person that I am, I went for the black.

The tube the mascara comes in is quite chunky, predominantly black in colour with silver writing and a thick silver stripe down one side which is moulded into the design of the tube. The packaging is OK, but nothing special, and I'd personally prefer a more slim line tube that would take less room in my over-flowing make-up bag.

The way this mascara works, is that it has a special brush which has long bristles on one side, and short bristles on the other. The idea is that you should first coat your lashes using the side of the wand with the longer bristles in the same way you would with any other mascara. Then you turn the brush around and coat the base of the lashes again using the shorter bristles which will emphasise the roots and create the effect of kohl liner.

Bourjois claim that this mascara will deliver 'the perfect doe eyed look.' I was having visions of huge Bambi-look eyes, like some sort of glamorous model from the sixties, so did it deliver?

Well despite the mascara wand being a little different in appearance to the ones I'm used to, it's really very easy to use and I don't think even those who are inexperienced at applying make-up will have any problems figuring out how to apply the mascara with the different length bristles.

The first thing that I really notice after applying this mascara is the intensity of the colour. Like I said, I bought black, and it is a very intense, jet black, which gives quite a dramatic look.

Unfortunately I have found that the mascara is especially prone to clumping. I know some girls love the heavy mascara look, but personally I like my lashes to look a bit more separated and natural whereas this makes them look a little bit clumped together and messy. It does add length however which opens up the eyes a bit.

Now as for the liner effect, I have to conclude that unfortunately the mascara doesn't really deliver. There is no doubt that this mascara gets right to the root of my lashes, however I don't think the result really gives the effect of wearing eyeliner, even with multiple coats. What it does do is give the impression of heavy, thick lashes, and for nights out I think this would be a very good mascara, although I find it a bit too heavy for daytime wear.

On a more positive note I've found the mascara to last all day and it doesn't dry and flake out like some of the cheaper brands can.

I think I paid around £7.99 for this from Boots which is quite reasonable for a mascara, although of course there are cheaper ones to be found.

So in conclusion, I felt a little disappointed by this. If you like your lashes to look thick and an intense black colour then this may well be the mascara for you, but personally I didn't feel that it doubled up as an eye-liner (which of course was its purpose) so I felt quite let down by this, and I don't think I'd buy it again.

Summary: OK as a mascara, but don't expect it to line the eyes!