little white truths

This mascara came in Maslow & Co's recent Japanese edit (unboxed here) and I was pleased to see it because I don't have many mascaras in back-up, plus the one I was using previously had been open for a couple of months already so I knew I'd be needing a new one soon enough.

I opened this one next because I hadn't tried the formula before so I was interested to see how it went, but unfortunately it does so little for me that I'm going to do something I so rarely do with mascaras: declutter it.

The reason why I don't normally declutter mascaras is because I see little point in sending something packing if I'm only going to use it for such a short time anyway - plus we don't go out to big events much these days because most of my friends are in similar life stages to us (married with young kids and/or a mortgage), so who really cares if my lashes look crap for a few months. 

In this case, I do care. Not only does the product do nothing my lashes, but I also need a bloody eyelash comb when I use it. Cannot be bothered. 

D.J.V Miray claims/product details:

• Formulated with innovative technology 
• Paints on false lash filaments, covering lashes in a liquid-to-film coating in the process
• Extends lashes to a 'false lash' finish
• Glossy formula tapers to a pointed tip, making lashes look completely natural
• Extra lengthening brush conforms to the roots of lashes perfectly, adding lavish amounts of fiber to each lash, while thoroughly separating
• Maintaining the same crescent shape, the brush has been revamped with softer bristles that apply more formula onto lashes per stroke - for instant definition
• Smudge-proof, flake-proof film is a water-based formula that repels oil, sweat, tears, and friction, eliminating worries of panda eyes throughout the day
• RRP $29.95 AUD for 7.5g; received full size

There's the brush above and below. You can see that it's curved and it's not too fat, which gave me super high hopes because I thought it would be brilliant: with my hooded eyes, I need a thin brush or I'll inevitably get mascara goo everywhere and won't be able to get the brush close enough to the lashline.

With this one, I don't make errors BUT I can't get it close enough to the lashline because of the way it's shaped and how stumpy the bristles are. Hmph. 

My bare lashes for reference:

Wearing two coats of mascara below. Note I didn't comb my lashes so you can see the separation problems. Click on any image to enlarge it.

Verdict

I wasn't going to give this a 'disappointing products' tag but I've decided to now after reading the product claims on the D.J.V Miray website. Not only has the brand 'put too much cream on its tacos' (as my Mexican husband would say), but as far as I'm concerned, the product claims are a pack of lies. Hmph. Grumble grumble.

First, the good things. I agree that this mascara doesn't smudge or flake throughout the day. And as mentioned above, I also like that the brush isn't too fat because I'm less likely to make errors.

That's where the good stuff ends.

This is a crap mascara. Let's just say it straight out. It does not lengthen, no matter how much I try to build it. It does not thicken, no matter how many coats I apply. And it does not separate (you'll see that in the shot above where I've got my eyes closed), so I need to use an eyelash comb whenever I use it. Sure it doesn't clump on the first coat, but you need at least two to get anywhere with this, so there goes that.

Also, it does not lift the lashes. I don't bother with an eyelash curler because a good mascara should do that for you. This does not. Grumble grumble again.

I had lived in hope that this mascara would get better with age: sometimes formulas are too wet to start with and improve remarkably once they dry out a bit. Not with this. After two weeks of use it got a tiny, TINY bit better and added a bit more length and lift to my lashes, but after over three weeks of use, I can now safely say that this is as good as it's going to get.

Oh! The false lash fibres? I can see them on the brush but they do nothing for the formula, in my experience.

I can't. I just can't. Life's too short, so I'm decluttering this today. If I didn't need to use an eyelash comb on every use, I might have suffered the bad formula a little longer - but with two young kids it's hard enough to find the time to put makeup on at all, let alone faff around with extra steps.

Not for me. Let me know if you've tried this and had a better experience!