little white truths

I should kick off this review by saying that I don't use this product on my eyelashes but on my brows - although I have tried it on my lashes and didn't like it. When used on my lashes, I found it was impossible to remove and left my lashes gluggy for days (more on that later). After that I didn't bother trying to make it work for me on my lashes because all my mascaras are waterproof anyway and I have no use for a topcoat.

So if you're after a review of how it performs on your lashes (including ways to get the most from it and ways to wash it off!), you might want to check other reviews - although this review will focus on aspects of the product that are relevant to both applications, so you may get some use from it no matter how you plan to wear the product.


Anastasia claims/product details:

• A clear topcoat for lashes
• The formula seals, waterproofs, refreshes and protects any mascara without the typical drying or clumping
• Gives your lashes a soft lacquer finish that lasts
• An advanced and lightweight formula that glides on smoothly and dries quickly for a smudge-free look
• RRP $39 for 5.3g
• Available from eg the Bellabox shop

Verdict

As mentioned, I don't really have a use for this product on my lashes because all my mascaras are waterproof. The right mascara won't smudge on me throughout the day, and I'm far too lazy to be using two products on my lashes every time I get ready - although I'd get over that if this product were amazing. Sadly, it's not.

I first used this as the topcoat for my mascara. I noticed no difference in the look or wear-time of my mascara: all I noticed was that my mascara was impossible to wash off and it took me almost 48 hours (and a number of washes) to finally remove the product.

I then tried it as the first coat on my lashes as a 'primer'. Again, I noticed no difference in the look or wear-time of my mascara: all I noticed was that I was left with gluey, grey-looking lashes after my shower because I couldn't remove this product for the life of me, although I could remove the layer of mascara above it.

After that I tried it on my lashes by itself, hoping for some slight plumping and lengthening action that might offer a 'my lashes but better' natural kind of look. It offered neither, and although I did notice a slight increase in definition, this did nothing to better the look of my eyes.

The other thing to note with this product, is that it made my lashes look a bit grey. I think this happens when it's combined with black mascara because it 'lessens' the shade of the mascara and grey is the result. Also, the product itself - while clear to begin with - starts to look grey and cloudy pretty quickly because the colour of your mascara (or brow product) is picked up on the brush and starts to dye the gel. While you can avoid this by cleaning the brush each time so the 'dirty' wand isn't dipped back into the tube, that's a huge waste of an expensive product.

After the failed lash attempts, this product got sent to the brow section. My brows are pretty unruly and I do use pencils or shadows to keep them even (products that can sometimes run if it rains), so a product like this is great to keep them tamed and prevent any product from shifting. This product does do something towards stopping my brows from running (although it doesn't stop that completely) but it does keep them in place.

While it does keep my brows in place, it's a thick product that has a mattifying effect, plus it feels gluey/rubbery to the touch - even when 'dried'.

I did a test run yesterday and applied this product to one brow, and Anastasia's dedicated brow gel to the other. While the brow gel didn't change the look of my brow and dried quickly - leaving my brows feeling a little crisp but nothing else - this one made my brows look dull and coated. Both gels worked in terms of keeping my brows in place, it's just that I didn't like the look or feel of this one. While one side felt crisp to the touch and looked 'normal' (if a little shiny, in a good way), the other felt rubbery and looked a little off-colour (maybe due to the greying effect mentioned above).

In sum, I'm not a fan of this product. Do note, however, that the reviews of this gel are split down the middle: some people call it an HG product that does exactly what it says it will do, while others like myself don't like it at all.

In any event, it's expensive so I'd recommend testing it first.