Mascara Empties ::Empties Week Day 1::

Welcome to Empties Week!

So... you see what happened was, I went through my makeup stash and was trying to use up a bunch of products so I could streamline my collection before we moved back in October. I was also close to finishing several products, so I ended up with a whooole lot of empties. The plan was to do empties week back in October, so I wouldn't have to move all of my trash to the new house. I even took all of the photos, but then I got sick and whatever free time I had before the chaos of moving overtook my life, went poof! So much for that plan. Now that things have settled down and I've got a bit of time off from school, I can finally get back to writing these posts. I've broken them down into categories to make things easier to digest. Today we'll be talking about all of my mascara empties.

Tuesday will be the rest of my makeup.
Wednesday will be body and fragrance products.
Thursday will be haircare.
Friday will be skincare.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill

Pros: lightweight, separated lashes, didn't flake

Cons: not very dramatic

This is a cult favorite for many, but it wasn't a hit for me. I like bold, dramatic lashes and this was too much on the natural side for me. If that's what you look for in a mascara, you might like this. I liked how separated and clean it made my lashes look, but it didn't add enough volume or length for me, it was mostly just a bit of color. 

Repurchase? No.

 MAC False Lashes

Pros: dark, dramatic lashes

Cons: kind of irritated my sensitive eyes, style of brush

This irritated my eyes a bit, it was kind of perfumey. I also hate the brush on this mascara. I felt like I couldn't really get it to wrap around my lashes the way I like my wands to. It wouldn't comb through my lashes, just sort of brushed across the front part of my lashes, which made it more difficult to build up and to add length.

Repurchase? No.

 Benefit Roller Lash

Pros: Great separation, dark, great balance of length and volume

Cons: doesn't actually curl lashes

I liked this one. While it didn't curl my lashes the way it claimed to, it did hold a curl pretty well after I curled them with an eyelash curler. It gave me enough volume and length for my liking, didn't irritate my eyes, and was dark enough for my liking. It also did a good job of separating my lashes. 

Repurchase? Maybe. I definitely wouldn't pass up on another sample size.

Urban Decay Perversion

Pros: Super dark, great volume

Cons: messy, not very lengthening

This mascara can get a little bit goopy on the brush because it's such a wet formula, which also makes it more likely to transfer. This coated my lashes well and made them super dark. It didn't add much length, but was great for dark, bold, voluminous lashes. This isn't a favorite for everyday, but I do really like it for darkening up my lashes when I'm wearing falsies. It also combines well with other mascaras.

Repurchase? Yes, but only in a sample size. Since it's not an everyday mascara for me, I wouldn't be able to use up a full size before it went bad, so why waste the money?

Maybelline Pumped Up Volume Colossal

Pros: It makes your lashes a little bit darker?

Cons: Brush sucks, not enough volume, not enough length, flaky

I hate this mascara. The brush doesn't have fiber bristles or plastic bristles, it has these weird little plasticy bristles that bend way too easily. They remind me of a really crappy fake Christmas tree. The brush just doesn't do anything at all for me. The formula isn't particularly good either, it's not dark enough, doesn't add length or volume. Normally  I can see a redeeming quality or a reason why someone else might like a product even if I didn't, but this one I just don't get. 

Repurchase? Hell no. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Extra Volume Collagen Mascara

Pros: Dark, good amount of volume

Cons: Flaky, doesn't hold a curl

This one was pretty lackluster. Very average all around, it would be a decent option if it just held a curl and didn't flake. 

Repurchase? Nah.

Benefit They're Real

Pros: Combs through lashes, dark, good balance of length and volume, holds a curl

Cons: Spiky ball of death, super difficult to remove even though it's not waterproof

I actually didn't like this mascara at first, but I think this is one of the rare instances where the full size is better than the sample. The sample size tends to get dried out and clumpy pretty fast, but for whatever reason, that doesn't happen with the full size. I really like the way this one combs through my lashes, it holds a curl well, it gives me enough length and volume, and I don't feel the need to use a second mascara when I use this. The are only two downsides to this mascara. One, it's super difficult to remove even though it's not waterproof. Even after oil cleansing, I still end up having to use an eye makeup remover (or just deal with raccoon eyes, it's whatevs). This is also pretty much the most painful mascara ever if you happen to poke yourself in the eye with it. Ask me how I know -_- I definitely wouldn't recommend this one for people who like to wiggle their mascara along their lash line.

Repurchase? Yes. (at some point)

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes

Pros: Waterproof (kinda), dark, decent/average overall, easy to remove as far as waterproof mascaras go

Cons: Only waterproof from water hitting your face, doesn't hold up against watery eyes, doesn't hold a curl very well, can be irritating to sensitive eyes

I have super watery eyes and I live in a place where it's hot about 80% of the year, so I tend to go for waterproof mascaras. This one fails the waterproof test for my needs, but might be ok for someone else. It does ok in rain and hot weather, but if my eyes start to water, it's game over. It just slides right off. I don't think this is a tubing mascara, but it does have fibers that make it act like a tubing mascara, especially when it comes to removal. It slides off pretty easily with warm water and a bit of cleanser. Appearance-wise, it's pretty average. Decent length and volume, dark enough. 

Repurchase? No.

Yves St. Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils

Pros: Very, very dark. Lots of volume.

Cons: does nothing at all for length, volume can look clumpy, transfers easily, really heavy formula, weighs lashes down

I was super excited when I received this mascara from Influenster, but it turned out to be a total bust for me. It's heavily perfumed, which will be a problem for many people. I actually happen to like the scent, and it didn't irritate my eyes, but other people may not have the same experience. This is probably the darkest mascara I've ever used. The only thing that comes close is Urban Decay Perversion. The mascara has a really heavy formula that is awesome for creating volume, but it also weighs down lashes. Won't be a problem if your lashes are naturally perky, but for me it led to downturned lashes, which made my eyelashes look super short. It also transfers easily, and walks the very fine line between clumpy and voluminous. Also, $$$.

Repurchase? No.

Urban Decay Super Curl

Pros: Shape of the brush helps to lift and curl lashes, good separation, doesn't flake or smudge

Cons: kinda spiky, hurts if you stab yourself but not as much as Benefit They're Real

There was a point when I was obsessed with this mascara because I felt it really helped to curl my lashes. This was prior to me purchasing a lash curler, which, no surprise here, works better to curl lashes than a curling mascara does. I do still like this mascara though, which is good because I have another travel size tube in my backup stash. If you have trouble getting a bit of lift in your lashes, try this mascara. The brush is a bit needy, but if you take your time and use a few tricks, it can really do a great job. My first tip is to twirl the brush as comb upwards, starting with the side that curves away and twisting so that by the time you get to the tips of your lashes, the side that curves out is now the side that's touching your lashes. My second tip is go slow with this mascara, holding the brush right along the lash line for a few seconds before pushing up and combing through the rest of the lashes. This is what really helps to create the lift. Finally, use the side of the brush that is curved out to get to the tips of the lashes, works well for bottom lashes too!

Repurchase? Maybe.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Pros: Crazy volume, super dark

Cons: can get clumpy, doesn't do much for length

I love this for days when I just want a really thick, dark lash line and I don't want to have to build up my mascara. The downside to this is that it can get clumpy fast. It also doesn't add the length I'd like it to, so for me this isn't a perfect mascara, but I can see why others love it.

Repurchase? No, but I might start hoarding sample sizes.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes

Pros: volume

Cons: flakey

I liked this the first two times I used this, but it was all downhill from there. It adds a nice amount of volume and a little length, but it flakes off throughout the day. I'd definitely recommend TF Better Than Sex over this. The brush also gets kind of goopy as time goes on, like the mascara builds up on the brush and doesn't want to come off, making it difficult to brush through lashes. 

Repurchase? No.

That's it for day one! What do you guys think about Empties Week? Do you guys want me to do empties posts more frequently, or do you prefer longer posts like this? Let me know in the comments down below!

Thanks for reading!

-Cristine