Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara, $28
Flake factor: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
The promise: I've had good luck so far with tubing mascaras, but I've been disappointed by how little volume they give my lashes. A colleague at TotalBeauty.com tips me off to Kevyn Aucoin's tube-building mascara, and its name promises the fat lashes I crave.
The reality: This is one of the most expensive mascaras I've tried, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Its skinny, humble-looking brush seems to grab every last lash, fanning them out while coating them, root to tip, in a luxurious, deep black. It holds up all day with nary a flake, even when I reapply eyeliner.
The only downsides are its mildly clumpy application and quick-drying formula, necessitating quick work, since tubing mascaras don't work well with a second coat. Nevertheless, I'm putting this mascara in my top two.
Flake factor: 5/5
Overall: 4/5
The promise: I've had good luck so far with tubing mascaras, but I've been disappointed by how little volume they give my lashes. A colleague at TotalBeauty.com tips me off to Kevyn Aucoin's tube-building mascara, and its name promises the fat lashes I crave.
The reality: This is one of the most expensive mascaras I've tried, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Its skinny, humble-looking brush seems to grab every last lash, fanning them out while coating them, root to tip, in a luxurious, deep black. It holds up all day with nary a flake, even when I reapply eyeliner.
The only downsides are its mildly clumpy application and quick-drying formula, necessitating quick work, since tubing mascaras don't work well with a second coat. Nevertheless, I'm putting this mascara in my top two.
Jane Iredale PureLash Lengthening Mascara, $16, and Lash Extender & Conditioner, $17.50
Flake factor: 5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
The promise: Initially, I wasn't too crazy about the idea of a mascara primer, but according to Frey, base coats that condition lashes and prevent lash fall-out might also reduce flaking. Jane Iredale's whitish lash primer offers conditioning benefits, and the brand's lengthening mascara is packed with moisturizing ingredients like beeswax, glycerin, oleic acids, panthenol, and algae and radish extracts. So I took both for a spin.
The reality: Even though I drive a Prius and steer clear of hormone-infused foods, all-natural beauty products are not my thing. In my experience, makeup and skin care products chock-full of synthetic chemicals simply work better. (Sorry not sorry!)
So color me surprised: Jane Iredale's mascara blows me away. Glossy and buildable, this mascara goes on light and gets thicker and more dramatic with each stroke, and my lashes stay separated. With the whitish primer underneath, this mascara was un-freaking-stoppable. The mascara stayed on my lashes and never felt brittle. No smudges, no flakes, and, hey -- no hard-to-pronounce chemicals, either. I call that a winner.
Flake factor: 5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
The promise: Initially, I wasn't too crazy about the idea of a mascara primer, but according to Frey, base coats that condition lashes and prevent lash fall-out might also reduce flaking. Jane Iredale's whitish lash primer offers conditioning benefits, and the brand's lengthening mascara is packed with moisturizing ingredients like beeswax, glycerin, oleic acids, panthenol, and algae and radish extracts. So I took both for a spin.
The reality: Even though I drive a Prius and steer clear of hormone-infused foods, all-natural beauty products are not my thing. In my experience, makeup and skin care products chock-full of synthetic chemicals simply work better. (Sorry not sorry!)
So color me surprised: Jane Iredale's mascara blows me away. Glossy and buildable, this mascara goes on light and gets thicker and more dramatic with each stroke, and my lashes stay separated. With the whitish primer underneath, this mascara was un-freaking-stoppable. The mascara stayed on my lashes and never felt brittle. No smudges, no flakes, and, hey -- no hard-to-pronounce chemicals, either. I call that a winner.