It's equally loved and hated, all depending on whom you ask.
So click to see what I think about this.
I have to admit, I thought it was just another mascara that is a 50/50% chance of being halfway decent and not something I ever wanted to spend money on. And I didn't.
When Charlotte got me the Gingerbread Man liquid lipstick for my birthday, she was able to add two samples to the order, so she got the Hangover Primer one (so she could try it forself because I always RAVE about it) and this one (because she knows I never spend money on black mascara if I can avoid it, she knows me so well!).
Seeing now I had it, I might as well subject it to some scrutiny.
First, the answer to the question that all my friends have been asking me, in jest, when I told them I had the travel size of this: no, it is NOT better than sex.
The joke's old, moving on :P.
It's also not better than a lot of other black mascaras I have enjoyed. I tried this several times over the course of a few weeks, wore it around the house all day (because I had read other reviews before I didn't want to risk flaking all over my face).
I did end up wearing it outside the house as well, and it took nearly a month for it to dry out to the point where it did start to get a little flaky.
By that time, however, it was actually the last of the tube, so it was no great loss there as it was basically empty after that application.
So these are my findings:
PROS:
- It does give you really nice volume. I have naturally long and curly lashes, so I wouldn't be able to say anything about length and curl, but it does make my lashes luciously thick.
- It lasts all day without flaking, provided you manage to go through it in about a forthnight to three weeks (at least, that was the case with mine). After that, sadly all bets are off, but those first couple of weeks it has this pro!
- It's the right kind of black. And by that I mean that it's not ridiculously pitch black, rather a shade of black that makes your lashes nice and dark in a way that suits pretty much all skin tones (not the case with pitch black mascara).
- It's pleasant to wear, it doesn't irritate my eyes and it's not heavy on the lashes.
- It's very easy to take off, which I find an absolute bonus.
CONS:
- It's not smudge proof, whatever you do, don't wipe your eyes and don't cry. Not unless you want mascara all over the place.
- It's not waterproof, so don't wear this out in heavy rain! I can't imagine this is practical cycling in rainy days. Or windy days if you have teary eyes.
- Too Faced may suggest you wear several coats, but I find that with a second coat, and especially a third one, my lashes start to look very clumpy and spidery. I use just one coat, which is definitely enough for me, but if you need more than one coat, I would consider another mascara.
- Sometimes my eyes get really dry, and whilst this mascara doesn't irritate my eyes, it does emphasise the dryness just a little bit. But as it isn't waterproof what so ever, I can't even use eye drops because then my mascara will just run all over my face.
- The wand isn't the best. I feel it distributes the product evenly, but it doesn't stop the mascara from clumping up on the 2nd and even less on the 3rd coat. It's also a little oddly sized, which doesn't really help.
The verdict:
I didn't mind this mascara, but I find that all round this isn't a good match for me, personally.
The reason is that I mostly get around by bike, and things get windy, my eyes start tearing and well, I just don't want to be out and about town looking like a I bawled my eyes out.
Black mascara is the colour I use the least, so shelling out this amount of money on Better than Sex is just a waste of €. Especially considering I can get much nicer mascaras in the same price range, such as M.A.C's in extreme dimension or Yves Rocher's So Elixir or Sexy Pulp (I actually feel like Sexy Pulp is a dupe of this one, but a rather better version).
Those three have the same advantages as this one, but with better wands and none of the downsides.
It's not a totally rubbish product, it's just not my favourite black mascara I've ever tried, and I have far better options that suit me much better.
I get why there are so many people that love it, I get why there are so many that hate it. For me, it's a middle road product. It's not great, but it's not utter fail either.
Should I get another free one, I'd use it. But I wouldn't go out and spend money on it.
EDIT: I got a second tube of this stuff for Christmas in my Too Faced beauty cracker (review here) and I have to say I was VERY disappointed with it.
First time I wore it it made my lashes look beautiful and it stayed put all day.
Second time I wore my lashes looked beautiful when I had just applied it, but a mere 4 hours later, it had flaked and made my entire under eye area grey-ish.
So no, I'm NOT impressed.
I've heard other people say they have the same issue, so for some people this mascara is a holy grail, and for other it is more akin like the devil.
I feel like I'm now thoroughly in the second group, and if I get another tube of this, I will very likely give it to someone else.
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