That’s right because if I went back in time to old Virginny West Virginny I could use coal on my eyelashes and probably get the same effect on my lashes.
This could be the new mascara!
It’s time to lash out again. Another gripe about mascara.
I’m needing mascara to come through for me these days because I stopped wearing eyeliner on my lids for the time being. I’m only tight lining the inside lid and between the lashes-it kind of opens the eyes a bit. But it’s a worthless look if the lashes disappear or don’t look thick or longer.
See? My lashes aren’t what they used to be. Therefore, I depend on mascara to enhance the lashes I once had. (This photo was taken after having my makeup on over 12 hours today so it’s a bit messed up)
Forget wearing fake lashes to work because I’m at the computer all day and by the end of the day my eyes have had it. Glue irritates my sensitive eyes and although I am a fan of the Ardell Magnetic Accents lashes, I wear them on the weekends!
And I’ll tell you, it isn’t so much the actual product (in some cases) in the mascara tube but it’s about the wands.
Let me show you. OK?
I’m a fan of the mascaras by Essence cosmetics. They are dirt cheap—under five bucks and the product itself is fine. It’s the wand on the “Get Big Lashes” mascara that drives me nuts.
Although the mascara is great, the wand it way too cumbersome! It’s clumsy to use. Way too thick and bristly!
Now—I would say anywhere from two to four decades ago, this wand would have been fine—but when you lose lashes due to menopause and aging, huge bristles on a brush are not your best friend. Gone is the length that I once had and this huge monstrosity of a bristly wand is so cumbersome—especially when making an attempt to get mascara on those little lashes by where my tear duct is. And also, at the other end of my eye.
My solution is using an old wand from an “I-have-no-idea-what-mascara-this-wand-came-from” old tube of mascara that had a great wand. It’s most likely elf or another drug-store brand.
I can’t remember what mascara this wand came from but it is great! I also clean it on a regular basis. The plastic bristles are wonderful for separating the lashes too!
The Forbidden Volume mascara still comes in at number one for me because I like the thickness of the product and the brush isn’t all that bad.
The out-of-focus tube of Forbidden Volume mascara. Why did I focus on the rug instead?
Forbidden Volume Mascara’s wand. Overall, this is the A+ mascara for me!
The Lash Paradise that everyone raves about? I’m not a fan. The first tube of Lash Paradise that I had dried out within two weeks. It must’ve been a factory dud because the second tube (I purchased two at the same time) didn’t dry out. However, the freaking wand is awful. It’s another one of those overly fluffy cumbersome wands. And…the mascara itself is like tar. I’m telling you it is almost impossible to get this gunk off the lashes. I use Albolene which is lard for the face. It takes everything off. Everything except this mascara.
Check out the amount of mascara ON the tube. It’s disgusting. This isn’t a cosmetic. It is TAR! Tar for you lashes and it doesn’t come off. The wand..
Is an oversized mess. It doesn’t look that bad in this pic but it is just too big to work with shorter and sparse lashes!
I’m just not a fan of this.
Next up is elf 3-in-One mascara. I use it on my bottom lashes for the wand. Actually, the mascara is good for bottom lashes because not a lot of product comes out. What’s good for the bottom isn’t good for the top.
elf’s 3-in-One mascara. The wand, which reminds me of the wand in Benefit’s “They’re Real” (but should be renamed They’re Really Expensive) mascara. Not only is this wand great for lower lashes but it’s also good to get at those tiny lashes near your tear ducts!
Don’t even get me started on Maybelline’s “The Falsies”. It used to be my favorite mascara. The product was great before Maybelline decided to change the formula. They reformulated this—I know they did because I used it faithfully and now the mascars is just awful. The wand is actually floppy now. And I’m not the only one who thinks this way. It used to be Oona’s favorite mascara too. I know false—ok? False nails. False tan. False hair. I want the old formula of The Falsies back with a sturdier wand!
The Falsies is not what it used to be. OMG–I’m so hungry that I thought the Hydrofuge on the packet read “HydroFUDGE”!
The shape of the wand WAS user-friendly before Maybelline went cheap-o and recreated it in a floppy and flimsy way. I guess with all the money Maybelline had to pay Gigi Hadid, they had to cut back on everything else.
NYC, New York Color has a great mascara for bottom lashes. Sky Rise mascara. The wand is excellent is the mascara. It lengthens my lower lashes like nobody’s business and I love this for special occasions!
NYC New York Color’s SkyRise mascara is the A+ for bottom lashes and this wand is fantastic!!!
Physicians Formula has a fiber mascara that isn’t bad—it’s just that the wand is so damn small and gets so chock full of the fibers that it’s almost impossible to get the fibers on the lashes. The small wand really needs to be wiped down to get the full effect. But lately, I’m just too lazy to be bothered.
Look how tiny the wand is. It’s ridiculous actually. A small arm on the wand makes it difficult to apply the product!
This just in—reader Anne suggests Maybelline’s Lash Blast. I’m gonna try it because I’ll be it’s the old The Falsies formula!!! Wait. I think it’s CoverGirl Lash Blast!
I shall try this–and the wand looks good too!
Note, if you will, that I buy only drug-store mascara. I honestly do not think expensive mascaras are worth the money because mascara is one of those products that just doesn’t last too long if you wear it every day!! I’ve used pricey mascara in the past and the price-per-use just wasn’t worth it.
The other point I want to stress is that mascaras such as Lash Paradise that are more like tar aren’t good for our mature eyes. To get the product off you need to rub and that can pull on your lashes. We need a lighter formula, but one that’ll make the lashes look great and come off easy!
What are your thoughts? I’m curious.
Oh. I was listening to The Best of Bill Withers in my car today and he sang this song that I never heard but it was so beautiful. Grandma’s Hands
—it really made me think of my grandmother and how much I loved and miss her!!