Damn Girl Mascara
Before applying my makeup, I always start with a face and an eyelid primer because I have fairly oily skin and need the extra mattification to help products stay in place. I typically apply mascara as the last step in my routine. I start at the lashline and wiggle the brush up through the lengths of my lashes for maximum coverage.
Upon first swipe, I was thoroughly impressed: One coat of Damn Girl looked like three coats of traditional mascara. It has a drier, slightly whipped texture, which is excellent for layering. Naturally curious, I had to keep going and apply another two coats to see what it would do. The length, volume and intense color gave the appearance of false lashes. After multiple coats, it starts to clump ever-so-slightly, but because of the dry texture, it looks clean and flirty.
Image courtesy of Hannah Savin
Better Than Sex Mascara
Okay, I won't lie, Better Than Sex has been my favorite mascara up till this point (which is why I was so curious how Damn Girl would compare). The thing I love about BTS is the fact that it, too, has a dryish formula. I even start priming a new tube about two weeks prior to use, by opening it from time to time to help it thicken even more.
It's also incredibly pigmented and lends itself well to layering for perfectly thick, lush, evenly defined lashes. Though it's offered in waterproof, I prefer the classic formula as it holds up to most sticky situations life throws at me.
For the sake of this experiment, I stuck to three coats to top off my makeup. It definitely didn't look as dramatic as Damn Girl, but it's still one of the most impressive mascaras on the market, IMO.
Image courtesy of Hannah Savin
Damn Girl vs. Better Than Sex
After testing Damn Girl for several days, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of one product on each eye. You can definitely see the difference. The eye with Damn Girl has darker, longer and thicker (though slightly clumpier) lashes.
The one drawback for me was that sometime around noon, the eye with Damn Girl started to smudge underneath the lower lashline. The eye with BTS, however, remained clean underneath.
Though it did appear to transfer a lot, Damn Girl did keep my lashes thick. It's worth noting that when paired with a heavy-duty mattifying powder, the mascara stayed put through a particularly difficult spin class — it remained dark and lush all day long and did not irritate my eyes! Knowing this, I'll use a little extra primer and powder going forward.
Image courtesy of Hannah Savin
Final Thoughts
My takeaway from this little experiment is that while yes, I do still favor BTS for daily use, Damn Girl gives you even more bang for your buck. (I chalk the smudging up to my oily skin, paired with this specific formula.)
It's nice to have options: BTS is great for a dramatic everyday mascara and Damn Girl is great for va-va-voom volume that is perfect for special occasions. So if you're looking to ditch the false lashes and try something easy peasy to get some dramatic lashes, definitely give Damn Girl a whirl.
