Spend Vs Steal: A Mascara Overview!

Mascara is one of my favourite and most used make up item. In fact if i could only have one make up item to use for the rest of my life, would certainly be mascara. I'm always on the look out for a good one, and have tried many, so here's my views on a few of them....


1. Avon- Supershock (£10, often £5 on offer)
The brush for this one is plastic, and massive. Because the 'bristles' are so short i find this one quite awkward to use. The effect is nothing special, and certainly not as the name suggests, but i do find this a good one for the lower lashes. Overall nothing special. 4/10

2. Boots 17 Va Va Voom (£5.99)
This mascara is kind of marketed as the cheap dupe for Benefits BadGal Lash with the oversized bristle brush. I actually prefer this to BadGal! Althought it's nothing amazing, i quite like this as a reliable daytime mascara. It gives a nice amount of volume without being too obvious. 5/10

3. Boots No.7 Intense Volume(£10.50)

I have fond feelings for this one, as it was my hg mascara for a long time when i was younger. I think this is a good all rounder- giving a nice bit of volume and curl and a lovely intense colour. The brush is a nice classic size and shape, a good one if you don't want to go for the expense of high end. 7/10

4.Lancome Hypnose (£20)

Put simply, this is my favourite mascara i have ever tried! The way it transforms my lashes is amazing, massive volume, a nice curl, and the right amount of seperation. It really gives lashes the wow factor. The formula gives an intense colour, and doesn't dry out all crispy like most mascaras do. The brush is just the right size, and the bristles are the perfect length, so as to stop the liquid going all gloopy. Love it! 10/10

5. Benefit BadGal Lash (£14.50 Boots, ASOS £15.50 Debenhams)

I know this is a really popular one, but i just can't get on with this myself. I must admit to not being a huge fan of Benefit make up, but i really did try. I find the brush to be crazily big, and it just doesn't really do much for me... 2/10

6. Sleek Volume & Curl (£3.70)

Amazingly good value, and a great daytime mascara. Nice and subtle, it does a great job at giving a nice pretty curl, and a little bit of volume. I really like the brush on this one-very easy to apply. Great for everyday. 6/10

7. Rimmel Sexy Curves (£4.99 Superdrug. Prices vary)

This was another one i've heard a lot of good stuff about, but i was really disappointed. I must admit to preferring the bristle brushes to the plasic ones like these. The brush is useful for getting right to the root of the lashes, but i have naturally long lashes so the brush was rubbish for coating the length. It didn't deliver on volume or curl for me, and the result was underwhelming. I tend to only reach for this for my lower lashes, as the brush is very good for that. 3/10

8. Clinique High Impact (£14.50).

This one is another favourite. A nice classic brush, with a lovely formula that can be layered to create a pretty daytime look or vampy dramatic night time lash. Great all rounder but particulary good for volume. 9/10

9. Chanel Exceptionnel De Chanel (£20)

This was the first mascara to combine the bristle and plastic brush into one. I really like this one, as you can use the plastic part to get to the roots for seperation and use the brush part for volume and curl. Really nice dramatic effect. This is a favourite night time mascara for me. The downside is it is on the pricey side, and tends to go gloopy fairly quick. 8/10

So that's my humble opinion on the mascaras i've most recently tried. Any good ones i've missed out on?

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