Pandas..? SPIDERS..? I don't believe my eyes. (Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara)

Member Name: fruityzo

Product:	Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara
Date:	28/06/09 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Packaging looks nice.

Disadvantages: Doesn't do what it claims.

I'm sure most of us have done it at some point; run out of your usual make-up item and go to the shops, only to find that it is out of stock. You then reach for the nearest, or cheapest, or that with the sexiest packaging instead.

This is how I happened to end up purchasing the new Rimmel mascara 'Sexy Curves'.

Price * * * *

I picked this up for £5.82 in Superdrug, which is a £2 saving on its soon to be usual RRP.

Packaging * * * *

The packaging is a deep metallic purple (which looked black through the cellophane wrapper), with "sexy curves" plastered across the length of the mascara.

It mentions that it is a "full volume & curve mascara", and if you have per chance come across the adverts for this with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, there are all sorts of claims about how FABULOUS your lashes will look after using this...

The Mascara Itself * * * *

The shade that I purchased is 'Intense Black' (number 003), which is the non-waterproof version.
The waterproof version comes in metallic green packaging.

Before pulling out the mascara wand, I was aware that Rimmel have created some sort of bizarre wavy brush, to help create those 'sexy curves'.

To me, I think it looks like one of those hairy caterpillars (you know, the ones that make you itch like crazy if touched), having swallowed 3 dinky ball-bearings; all of which have settled an equal distance apart.

OR, to put it another way; the brush is one of those soft plastic style ones (with lots of tiny bristles), and has 3 wavy bumps on it; at the top, middle, and end.

After manipulating the wand out of the opening, the mascara seemed to be a bit gloopy and hanging off the end.

I applied one coat to my lashes only to find that there was very little impact at all.
Due to the bristles on the brush, it initially did separate out my lashes, but did nothing at all to help curve or add any sort of volume.

This led to me trying to apply a second coat (with some difficulty I might add, due to the awkward shape of the brush). Instantly, my lashes started to clump together.
The looked a bit longer, but this was only due the the fact that I appeared to now have serious, clumpy war-paint applied to my eyelashes. Still no curves or volume though...

Conclusion * * * *

Admittedly I never expected this mascara to fulfill its claims, but I was disappointed by the quality of it. It was too runny for my personal preference.

Although it is not the most expensive mascara, I've used other mascaras that are cheaper, and a lot more effective.

I found the brush to be ridiculous and totally impractical. It did not coat the lashes evenly due to its silly shape, and the widened end made it vastly more difficult to coat the outer and lower lashes. This meant I was ending up with the corner and lower lashes sticking together.
Proper spider-eyes, which I definitely would not class as 'sexy curves', more 'manky lumps'.

A plus was that it did not sting or irritate my eyes, which is good seeing as quite a few of the clumpy bits flaked off my lashes, giving me panda eyes to go with the spiders.
I may consider opening a zoo.

So would I buy this again? I'm sure you've guessed that the answer is no.

My personal preference of mascara in this price range would be something like Maybelline's 'Colossal Volum', which I feel gives a far better result for the price.

The Moral * * * *

Sometimes it is better to stick with what you know!

Summary: Don't be seduced by shiny packages (unless you're a helpless magpie)