The premise of a product like this just gets my heart all aflutter.
I love a big lash-y dramatic look, even when I have little else on in the way of makeup so when Physicians Formula dropped this little drugstore bomb it was all I could do to make it to the end of my "no buy" without caving.
Finally last week I picked it up and after a few positive reviews I had some pretty high expectations.
Did it measure up?
Well...
The short answer is no.
First of all, for the unfamiliar: this is a three step lash system with a traditional mascara and a separate container of small black fibers applied alternately to build length and volume on the lashes. I found it was best to work one eye at a time to avoid having the mascara dry in between and to get maximum stick out of the fibers. It goes mascara first, fibers second, mascara again third. Theoretically you can do this as many times as you like to get the desired drama level. I couldn't get it to work past one layer but maybe you have the magic touch.
The first problem: On my first application I couldn't get the mascara brush coated with enough product to get my lashes tacky enough for the fibers to adhere. So I was left with a very underwhelming sort of traditional mascara look.
Conversely the second time I applied it, and every application since it was like the stopper... stopped working and I got gobs of product on the brush which lead to lashes sticking together before I could even get the fibers on there. After a little playing and cleaning off the brush I managed to get a thorough coat applied to my lashes that I could then apply an even coat of fibers on top of.
The second problem: The fibers coat their wand very, very densely. So much so that they "puff" out of the top of the tube when the wand is pulled out. I made the mistake of taking this full wand right to my eyeball once which led to two very unfortunate things. An eyeball full of small scratchy fibers and some rather "fluffy" looks lashes.
To avoid over application I found shaking the wand a little before bringing it to your eye removed enough of the loose fibers to give you an even and beautifully voluminous look to the lashes with significantly less fiber in the eyeballs. Less...not none. Irritation aside this is a bit wasteful, not a deal breaker but wasteful nonetheless.
The third problem: I notticed an almost immediate difference in the mascara formula after just one use. Seeing as how you are sandwiching the fibers between two coats of mascara inevitably some of the fibers are going to get back into the tube which will thicken and change the mascara's texture. While initially this isn't an issue it will make the mascara dry out much more quickly and will likely make the texture unusable with the fibers in damn near record time.
You could always use the mascara alone once you've beefed it up with the additional fibers but you aren't going to get quite the same dramatic effect as you do when they are layered.
The sad thing is the end result is almost exactly what the package claims. Which is rare. I just don't think it's quite worth the trouble.
In the end I am going to return this puppy to the drugstore. It was a whopping $14.95 which is steep for a drugstore mascara. (50%-100% more expensive depending on the brand/sales!!!)
I really really wanted to love this but unfortunately I couldn't make it work for me.
I guess I'm going to stick with my fancy pricey mascaras for the time being.
PS. If you have contacts. Fucking forget about this. Don't put yourself through it.
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