little white truths

I received this sample in one of my complimentary beauty boxes from Mecca, and I was thrilled to see it because it's one of those products that's raved about online and I've wanted to try it for ages.

Plus I've had good experience with Too Faced overall as a brand, and I only wish I didn't have too much stuff - otherwise I would have picked up its fabled Chocolate Soleil Bronzer and Chocolate Bar Palette (perhaps even the Semi Sweet one too). 

The only thing I'm not sold on when it comes to this brand is some of the packaging - it's just not my style. But I do love the packaging of the brand's Natural Matte Eyeshadow Palette, which I own and love (note to self to review that product soon!).

When I first opened this mascara, I was a little afraid of the brush - and my fears turned out to be justified. Problem is, it's quite big and thick so it's not easy to use for those of us with hooded eyes since product often winds up where you don't want it and it's not great for precision jobs.

I still use it and the formula is good, but if I'm going out and don't have time to fix up mistakes, then I reach for a different product with a thinner brush. While this certainly isn't the worst brush I've seen (I'm looking at you, Benefit), it's not the most user-friendly either and I have to take extra care when it comes to application.

There's the brush:

Too Faced claims/product details: 

• Comes with an hourglass-shaped brush that separates, coats and curls each lash to voluptuous perfection 
• For lush, incredibly intense lashes 
• Collagen-fuelled formula 
• One coat and lashes are full, defined and stretched to unbelievable lengths; two coats and they’re reaching unbelievable heights of drama; three coats and you’ll believe in magic 
• RRP $33 AUD for 8ml 

My bare lashes for reference:

Verdict

As mentioned above, the downside to this product is the huge brush since I personally am a lot more likely to make mistakes with a brush this size - and I can only remember one or two occasions when I haven't hit my upper eye area with this mascara. 

And of course, bigger brushes can make it harder to get product right at the base of your lashes. You can see from the above photos that I haven't managed to get the mascara as close to my lashline as I would like.

Yes I have puffy eyes, but I've had a look at some online reviews and a lot of people have issues with this brush, so even if you don't have hooded eyes I would check this prior to purchasing because you might find it annoying to use.

As for the formula itself - I think it's brilliant. I only need one coat of the product to get some great length happening, and while I've tried a second coat, I wouldn't go up to three because it starts hitting clumpy territory even with the second. For this reason it's helpful to have an eyelash comb (or old toothbrush) on hand to help manage the issue.

I also prefer applying only one coat because it gets a bit much for me with a second - too dramatic and unnatural. I might do it for a big event but not for everyday looks. Plus even one coat delivers good length and volume, so you might find that you don't need extra coats with this product either.

While this mascara has some great reviews online, I've seen quite a few people complain that it smudges and flakes throughout the day. I've been using mine for a month now and I haven't noticed that problem: it did flake once when I tried having a nap while my daughter was asleep, but you'd expect that because my face would have rubbed against the pillow. I must be lucky! Or perhaps Too Faced has tweaked the formula recently.

All in all, this is a great product and I recommend it. I'd love to see it released with a thinner brush, but it's not the worst brush I've used and the formula is great, so I'll live with it.

Ticks from me.