Estée Lauder Bold Lifting Mascara in Black - review and swatches

I received this mascara as part of a GWP pack and I'm super glad I didn't pay for it because it's not a good product.

I've had a look at online reviews and it looks like a lot of people feel the same way I do: this product really does nothing for lashes other than define them a bit. It doesn't add good length or volume and it's certainly not worth the price tag in my opinion.

From memory I haven't had a lot of luck with high end mascaras and the best ones I've found are from Lancome, but even those aren't as good as other products I've tried.

Since mascara has a shorter shelf-life than most beauty products (and you're meant to throw it out within a few months' of use), it's not something I'm happy to pay big bucks for. I would rather save my pennies for good skincare and buy mascaras that do a good job but don't cost the earth.

There's what the brush looks like:

Estée Lauder claims/product details:

• Lift your lashes all the way to big, bold and beautiful
• With weightless volume, Sumptuous creates daringly full, sensuously curved, all-out seductive lashes
• Unprecedented Bold Volume™ formula has ultra light, lash-thickening fibres
• Lifts and plumps even sparse lashes into big, lush lashes that are all lightness and flirtatious curl
• Bold, weightless volume
• Exclusive brush that thickens, defines and separates
• Ophthalmologist tested
• Fragrance free
• RRP $48

Above are my bare lashes for reference and below I'm wearing the mascara. You can see that it really doesn't do much for my lashes at all. Foo.

There's a close up (not much happening in terms of length!):

Verdict

This isn't a great product and I don't have much to say about it so I'll be brief.

In short - actually, 'short' is the problem - this doesn't do much for my lashes at all. It adds a bit of definition but it does little in terms of length and thickness.

I also think the brush is badly designed because it tends to deposit clumps of product on my lashes and I have to do extra work to spread the mascara out and make it look even.

I've had a look at online reviews and a lot of people say the same things about this product that I have. Quite a few have mentioned that it also flakes and smudges throughout the day, and while I haven't had this problem, it's something to be aware of.

I don't normally pass on mascaras since I might as well use even the bad ones for a couple of months and save my good ones for when I'm going out more (which I will be soon, now that the weather's getting better), but this one is so useless on me that I think I'll send it to a better home.

Low marks from me.