Hey you guys! So for a while now, my mascara was a staple from Boots, No. 7 . Given that i can’t exactly fly to the UK for a tube of mascara, i’ve been switching it up and trying out a few drugstore ones from maybelline and i was insanely excited to see my local beauty-supply store carrying the Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes DUO Mascara! (Mainly because the brush for the lower lashes was an exact match to my No.7). Let’s review and swatch to see how this Volum’ Express Washable mascara fares.
Maybelline Claims: Revolutionary dual-ended mascara for 360 degree All Around Lash Glam. Two brushes specifically designed for top and bottom lashes. Special quick dry formula holds lashes in place. Why you’ll love it: Now amplify lashes 360! The Upper brush pushes lashes over the top while the lower micro-brush grabs every tiny bottom lash for a full circle effect. For best results: Apply the Upper Brush against the top lashes and sweep from root to tip until a clean, voluminous look is achieved, followed by the lower lash line using the Micro Brush. Do not let dry between coats. Removes with soap water or with Maybelline Clean Express Eye Makeup Remover.
My Review:
Price : The Maybelline Flasies Big eyes DUO retails in india at Rs. 599 for 8.7 ml, which is standard for maybelline’s range of mascaras.
Packaging : Ah! the packaging! It’s honestly a bit childish and gimmicky for most people, but me? I love the spindle mascara tube , the graphics and the appeal. It’s also neatly tightened, and the stopper creates no mess. So, extremely travel friendly. The two brush wands both have their own separate tube of product to be dispensed, which makes it a lot more functional and a lot less fussy.
The Brushes, The stopper, The gimmick : So in a mascara, you pay essentially for 3 things, the brush (Generally : dense for volume, straight for length, bent for curling ) the formula, and the stopper . The mascara stopper is the rubberized part on the top of the tube that makes sure not too much product is dispensed out each time you dip the brush in. And for this maybelline big eyes mascara? It’s perfectly made!
The Falsies DUO comes with 2 brushes. One dense, helixed brush for the upper lashes to induce volume and flair and another thin straight brush for the lower lashes to lengthen and seperate. I find the lower lashes brush wand to be the one i get most use out of because i prefer length to volume. It’s difficult to come accross these ones in the drugstore brands. The brush intended for the upper lashes is nothing too special, just a regular dense, thick mascara wand. The one huge plus to it is because of the helix that runs through, your eye lashes don’t get clumpy as long as you work with the formula while it’s wet, and your eye lashes tend not to droop like they would with a straight wand.
You can see why i wanted to get the maybelline falsies mascara as soon as i could get my hands on it, it sounds a bit like a novelty, and that’s the appeal it has, the gimmick.
Formula : I’m pretty sure the formula remains the same for both of the separate tubes. It’s very quick drying and so, doesn’t transfer to the lids. It’s volumising, darkening (as in Jet-Black), and not flakey like the maybelline hypercurl mascara. But the one downside is that it clumps from the second coat on, unless the consecutive applications are done one after the other before the formula entirely dries. Definately buildable to the “Falsies” potential, but you’d have to work to get there, and brush through with a dry , clean mascara wand to separate the lashes out if they’re clumped.
Longevity and Is Maybelline Volum’ Express Falsies Big Eyes Mascara waterproof?
The big eyes mascara doesn’t run or transfer like i mentioned and it’s not advertised as waterproof officially. But i do find that it doesn’t wash out at all unless you use a very good cleanser. So off the record, it’s water-resistant. Makes it a pain the rear to get off with anything other than olive oil or makeup remover, but also makes it last a whole while longer!
What i don’t love about Maybelline Volum’ Express Falsies Big Eyes Mascara?
The fact that it clumps when putting on multiple coats. Why do i need skills to put on black goop onto my eye lashes? WHY? Just get on there and make me look pretty!
The whole falsies claim. That’s always bugged me. No, it will not look like false eye lashes, ever. But yes, it comes pretty close if you have the time and patience.
The upper lashes brush . I wish it had a curl to it like my all time favorite lancome’ mascara, and was better at separating the lashes.
My best friend did end up getting it online and receiving a dried out tube, so to her it didn’t seem very buildable. Might want to take care of that.
Price: Rs.599
VNA Rating: 3.75/5
Buy Online: amazon.in
Verdict? It’s worth the price, definitely. And i say this because of the whole package, and considering the mascara as a unit of the two components. Individually, i’d say i’d buy the lower-lash side because it’s perfect for what i like to get out of a mascara and skip out on the Upper-lashes one, that’s really nothing extraordinary. It volumises, flairs, darkens and lengthens each lash, and can be built up to look quite dramatic to go with that smokey eye of yours or can be made to look natural and barely-there with a single coat. That being said, it’s not all that it claims to be and you’d need to know how to work with it.
Have you used Maybelline Volum’ Express Falsies Big Eyes Mascara? Share your reviews with us.