WHICH NEW MASCARA LAUNCH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
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What is it about mascara that it holds the most stable employment in every makeup bag? And once you’ve find ‘The One’, it’s pretty hard to stray and experiment with new and different formulas. Yet constant newness is out there, where brands tout wild applicator designs and formulas that claim to nourish your lashes. This autumn, Alli Sims trials three of the most exciting 2020 mascara launches and saves you the horrors of smudging, caking and spending good takeaway money on makeup that may or may not be worth it…
Lash Freak Urban Decay
Resembling a kind of Venus fly trap, Urban Decay’s latest mascara offering (£20.00) definitely catches the eye. I’m a sucker for the promise of lash volume and that’s the most obvious thing this product promotes. I mean, it literally says, “freaky volume”. As personal preference, I tend to go for a more natural look and I noticed not just how exaggerated the result was but also extremely clumpy. Perhaps the spatula-shaped wand has something to do with that, where the comb features thin, shallow bristles and only prominent on one side. The positive to this style of applicator is that it really suits bottom lashes, as it allows for a 360 movement. I have pretty long, blonde eyelashes and tend to layer my mascara, but Lash Freak dispenses a lot, even with just two quick coats. As for colour, we’re looking at a true black that you could reach for everyday. Overall, its not my favourite wand, especially if you favour a “I woke up with these” appearance.
Shiseido Controlled Chaos Mascara Ink
Out of the three mascaras in this road test, I was most intrigued to try Shiseido’s Controlled Chaos Mascara Ink (£25.00). I have high expectations as I love their makeup in general. Apart from its slight hourglass shape, the wand basically resembles your standard brush. I mean, why fix what’s not broken? This one didn’t disappoint and was effective for layering and building up the drama. However, the exact thing you don’t want to happen with mascara is the dreaded running and unfortunately, there’s a lot of uncontrolled chaos, just hours into wearing this. Whilst out in London, I’d catch my reflection in the mirror with more smudging than I’m comfortable with! Not the look you want when your eyes are all people can see these days. Generally speaking, I preferred this to Lash Freak with the application being my favourite thing about it.
Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL
Out of the three 2020 mascara launches I’ve reviewed, Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL (£29.99) is definitely my favourite and noticeably more expensive. Mascaras contain wax in its formulas to bind pigment to the hairs and the slick texture keeps lashes separated. This one contains beeswax (vegan) and carnauba wax for extra adherence and a plumping effect that gives you that coveted “full body” look. After confronting the bizarre Lash Freak, I was relieved that this too had a classic, no frills mascara brush. First impressions: the formula holds more moisture than most when you first put it on, which I usually take as a bad sign. But instead of bleeding, it just means it needs a little extra time before applications and there’s hardly any chance of a clumpy lash. As for colour, this is more of a mink tone, which may be better suited to lighter hair and really serves that ‘tinted lash’ look. If there was one I’d recommend to splash out on, this is the one with which I’d keep my makeup bag stocked.
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Want to see more mask-friendly makeup content? We spoke to celeb MUA Chynara for all her tips.
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