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Avon Spectralash Mascara
by xmum2threex
The mascara
I love mascara. Even if I do not where a full face of makeup it is one of the things I always wear, and for this reason I have built up a huge collection. One of my newest purchases is this Spectra lash from Avon. A lot of my make up tends to come from Avon as I love the convenience of shopping through the ... catalogue. I have been rather impressed with a lot of their mascaras, so when this promised to create three different looks in one it found its way on to my order list.
The reason I purchased this was the novelty factor. Avon promises this mascara can create three different looks, all with one products. The idea is simple. At the bottom of the mascara is a dial, and by turning it to different settings the volume increases and you can go from a natural look to a full volume look with a click of a switch. Sounds promising?
The mascara itself is pretty ordinary other than the small dial at the bottom. It is large in size and like other mascaras it has a twist top lid to reveal the wand. I have to be honest I was a little disappointed with how large the head of the applicator brush is. I am very clumsy often ending up smudging my makeup and I prefer smaller wands for less chance of overdoing it. The container is a good size so it is not overly large and can sit comfortably in my hand while I am applying it.
In use
I actually found it fairly easy to apply. The large brush with large spaces between the bristles means I only need a few strokes to cover my small lashes. I did find it difficult when it came to do the lower lashes and smaller ones, but being super careful I was able to apply without too much fuss. I like mascaras with larger spaces between bristles as I usually find they pull the lashes a lot more creating a fuller effect.
Setting one is obviously for the more subtle look and the dial I choose to try first. To be honest I was a little shocked at the amount of mascara on the brush for the first setting. It looked a little over loaded for a natural setting but I gave it a try anyway. I purchased black, but it is available in a black/brown shade too. I found it easy to apply and there was no excess mascara to rub away. My lashes looked defined, but it was a very natural look and one I would say is perfect for day wear and wearing to work. I really like this setting and to be honest it is usually where this mascara stays each time I use it.
The second setting is for a natural look but will a little more volume. Again the brush had a fair amount of mascara on it, but not overloaded. I did find it added slightly more volume to my lashes and they appeared a little longer. I did have to add an extra coat to really notice any difference to the first setting, but you could notice a subtle difference. There was no difference in the length but I could see that they looked a little fuller without any clumping.
Finally setting three, and as I have four children I go out once in a blue moon so I couldn't wait to try out the fuller lash look. I excitedly turned the dial to number three. As I removed the brush it had a noticeable amount of mascara on the brush, a lot more than the other two settings. Unfortunately for me this was not great. I just found that the mascara was a little too wet taking an age to dry. In that time I blinked and managed to smudge it. My lashes did look fuller, but not a huge difference to the first two settings. There just seemed to be more mascara than actually stretching and pulling the lashes.
One of the claims is that it produces clump free lashes on any of the three settings. I have to say this has been one of the most impressive features of this mascara. Even on the highest setting for fuller lashes, I have found the mascara is a great consistency. It sits on my lashes without making them feel too heavy. It lasts well through the day without flaking or peeling away. I have sensitive eyes and it manages to be light enough that I do not notice it there, but it still makes a noticeable difference to my eyes. There was no clumping or spider lashes but it still made a noticeable difference.
There are a couple of downsides for me. I have to be honest and say I don't really think there is a huge difference between setting one and setting three. You can build up a fuller look but you do need to keep recoating your lashes. It can create both a natural look, and a more night time look but you have to really work at it to make a huge difference, so I don't think it was anything to do with the different settings. Also it is not waterproof. Even getting caught in a downfall of rain this mascara begins to smudge and panda eyes really is not a great look. Yes this means it is a dream to remove and a few swipes of a makeup wipe takes it away, but for day to day wear it just isn't durable enough.
Summary
I do like this mascara for a natural look in the summer when I am sure it will not rain but it is not one of my favourites. It does not clump and makes a noticeable difference to my lashes. I did buy this for the novelty factor of having three different mascaras with one wand, but I found that the only difference is when you apply a few coats of the mascara. As you can do this with most mascara I'm not sure it is anything to do with the product itself. The brush is a little large for my liking but it is still ok for applying quickly. The dial is easy to turn but the only difference I noticed is the highest setting has a thicker consistency than the lowest one. I would have preferred this if its staying power was a little better rather than having a novelty clicker at the bottom. I purchased mine as part of a two for £10 deal but it retails at around £10 normally. You can find much better mascaras for this price, and so unless you find it on offer I would not recommend buying at full price.
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E.L.F Wet Gloss Lash And Brow Clear Mascara
by thehonesttruth
Although I don't always like to wear heavy looking makeup, I do always try to look groomed. One of the essential products I rely on the help me do this is a good clear mascara, and when it comes to good clear mascaras, my favourite by a country mile is E.L.F'S Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara, which at just £1.50 is very ... reasonably priced.
Essentially, it's a see through mascara gel, that comes in a plastic tube. Unlike your normal mascara though, this is double ended, with one end containing a thinner brush for use on your lashes, and the other containing a thicker, bushier brush for use on your eyebrows. I find this incredibly handy, as although I have always used clear mascara on my brows, it's usually a case of using the same brush for both, and I do worry about the hygiene of that. It's the exact same product in both ends, with only the brush being different, and each side being labelled either lash or brow.
You might wonder what a clear mascara does for a girl? Well, thanks to some Chinese heritage, I'm lucky enough to have quite dark thick lashes anyway. While I like to use a dark lengthening mascara for a night out, in the daytime they need no other help than a little bit of a curl, and a brushing through with a clear mascara to help separate and freshen them. It helps me look more wide awake once I have used this on my lashes, and using this is no different than any other mascara - simply sweep through your curled lashes, and job done.
With my eyebrows, I naturally have quite thick brows, which appears to be something of a fashion nowadays. Again, I'm fortunate enough not to need to pencil them in at all, but they do occasionally need corralling into place and smartening up. You can of course use a dab of hair gel, but who likes stiff crusty feeling brows? Not me! A quick wave of my magic mascara wand and my mad morning brows are all growing in the same direction, looking tidy and trim, and not a hint of crispiness. The thick brush is ideal for this, as it coats even my very generous brows in one sweep, whereas a thinner brush would take multiple run throughs and never quite get my brows looking as tidy as I would wish.
I love this mascara - I use this daily, and probably run through a tube in about 6-8 weeks. At only £1.50 a tube from eyeslipsface.co.uk , it's inexpensive, and yet it offers great value for money, and is a simple product to use to quickly tidy up and freshen my look, and the two separate sections make for excellent hygeine. 5 stars !
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Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara
by upsy
I was drawn to this mascara due to it's vibrant coloured packaging and for the price, it seemed like very good value for money compared to how much many other mascaras cost.
The mascara is exactly what I was expecting for a Maybelline product. It gives my lashes a nice black colour and helps to extend the lashes, without too ... much clumping of the product. I do find that it needs a couple of coats of the product in order to extend my lashes as much as I would like, and to ensure they are black enough, however, this is true of most mascaras.
The one issue that I've had with this mascara is that it has a very unpleasant smell. A strong smell came from the product as soon as I opened it for the first time, and weeks down the line it is still emanating from the product. I hoped that the smell would disappear after a while, but I'm disappointed to find that it hasn't, which is annoying, especially considering that otherwise it is a good product for the price. I would buy this product again, in the hope that other versions do not have the same bad smell!
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