I'm baaaack *insert creepy music here* Being a teacher has taken most of my free time lately, but I have missed my blog so much and have been constantly making mental lists of products I want to write about. Now that it is holiday time, I have decided to come back with a first impression on benefit's roller lash mascara.
I have been wanting to try this mascara out for the longest time because every review I have read on it is amazing. The main draw-card for this mascara is its curling ability, however others have raved about its lengthening and volumizing powers too. Apparently it is a great all-rounder, and who can say no to a mascara that does it all? Not me, clearly!
One of the things that I really like about benefit is that they sell their full-sized products in smaller, more affordable "mini" versions, and being the budget-conscious beauty that I am, I went for the small tube. It is R145 for 4g, whereas the full-sized version is just under R300 for 8g, so price-wise it made sense to go for the smaller one. Plus I don't usually finish a tube of mascara within the 6 month expiry limit in any case.
The mini mascara has the same pink, rubberized lid as its full-sized counterpart, and the bristles on the brush are the same as well. The only difference is the size of the tube. The lid is really cute and resembles a pink hair roller. The brush is curved with longer bristles on the convex part, and shorter bristles on the concave part. There are also apparently hooks that grab onto your lashes to ensure that they curl sufficiently, however I could not see these!
There is some skill in applying the mascara - you are supposed to start with the longer bristles on your lashes, then roll the brush as you pull up so that you end up with the shorter bristles on the tips of your lashes. I did try this technique, but it was a little tricky at first, and I ended up getting quite a bit of mascara on my eyelid.
Left: Three coats. Right: Zero coats
Now for the verdict! In terms of curling, it did a great job. My lashes are separated, yet long, curled and volumized. The curl stays all day, and the colour is a good, strong black. There is zero smudging or flaking. All in all, I have nothing negative to say about it BUT I still feel a little disappointed. I guess with all the reviews I had watched on it, and all the hype surrounding it, I was expecting it to really WOW me, but it didn't. Yes, it is a really great mascara, and no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I think I just wished that it made my eyelashes look like this
I also made my first video on YouTube, so you can head on over to watch that here (or below!) and let me know what you think! Please subscribe if you like what you see, and follow me to make sure you don't miss out on a post!
