little white truths

Hold the phone: I may have found the best mascara I've ever used, and it's come from an unexpected place.

This Sephora mascara was included in an online order a while back, and I finally got to opening it two months ago (I'm currently in mascara back-log). Turns out it's brilliant, and it's not expensive so I'll absolutely be buying it in future.

Hallelujah!

Sephora claims/product details:

• Achieve the ultimate in volume and curl with this round, hairbrush-shaped mascara 
• Seven reservoirs distributed around the brush allow for root-to-tip volume and curl, making it possible to reach every eyelash - even the shortest lashes at the inner corners of the eye
• The bristles are implanted diagonally to spread out the eyelashes and maximise the curving effect
• This product is formulated without sulfates and was not tested on animals
• RRP $12 AUD for 4ml or $20 AUD for the full size

There's the wand above. Just look at how small and skinny it is: hallelujah again!

My bare lashes for reference:

Wearing one coat of mascara:

And again:

This is an excellent mascara and I'm so glad I found it.

It's everything I want in a mascara and I'm thrilled about that because I have huge issues with mascaras, so it's great to discover one that works so well for me - particularly because this mini isn't expensive and it won't break the bank.

My issues with mascaras are: I need lengthening more than thickening (though both is preferable), and far too many products thicken but do nothing for length; I don't like mascaras that look clumpy and unnatural; I have hooded eyes and invariably wind up with black sh*t on my puffy upper eye area when wands are too fat or poorly designed; and the hood can also make it harder to reach the base of my lashes (I think that's hard for everyone, but even harder for those of us with serious eye puff).

Happily this mascara ticks all the boxes. It gives me good length and nice volume with just one coat, plus it doesn't clump easily (unless you start layering too much on), so I can get a good natural look from this but can also layer it for something more dramatic.

I barely ever get mascara goo where I don't want it when I use this, because the brush is designed so well: indeed, it's the smallest brush I've ever seen. It's thin and short so it's easy to get near the base of the lashes (and the inner lashes), plus it's flexible so it moves a little with your lashes and I find that makes it easier to use. 

And despite the small size of the brush, it still deposits a good amount of product and coats all my lashes beautifully, which just proves that big brushes do not mean big lashes. If only more brands realised this.

The other good news is that it doesn't smudge or flake throughout the day, so I can whack this on in the morning and forget about it, knowing that it will stay put.

Note also that I would only ever buy the mini for the simple reason that I would never finish the full size. I'm one of those people who throws mascaras out after around three months: not only are you meant to do this, but my eyes tend to start feeling irritated when I've had a mascara too long, so they always tell me when it's time to turf a product. For this reason full-sized mascaras are a waste for me and I always buy minis when I can.

All in all, I can't fault this mascara and I've given it an HG tag. Huzzah! It works, it's easy to use and it's not too expensive. Plus I discovered it by accident because it was a GWP and I didn't actually buy it, which is always nice.

Love.