Natural-looking, but still effective mascaras?

[westindiesangel]

Hi everyone

I'm lately getting pretty sad with my mascaras! I have tried so many, but I can never find one that offers good volume and good length while still looking natural on me. I hate it when I look in the mirror and it's obvious I'm wearing a crapload of mascara. I like to see a nice fan of lashes that looks natural, but just long and plusher. I'm not really a fan of the separated look.

I have decent lashes already. I keep going back to Revlon 3D Extreme because it gives me a nice fan of thick lashes, but it doesn't lengthen and sometimes will clump and leave these tiny little mascara clumps on my lashes.

Currently I like Lashblast Length, because it gives me a nice fan, but I don't think the length is THAT great...and well I haven't played with it enough to see if it's for me.

I'm willing to go high-end now...so anyone know any drugstore or highend brands that offer what I'm looking for? I have decently long and decently thick lashes already that are curly. I sometimes use Clinique High Impact...I was thinking of trying Diorshow and Fibrewig, what do you guys think of those?

 

[kimmy]

fiberwig clumps and flakes alot from what i've heard, so that in itself makes it look very artificial. diorshow i've only heard good things about.

mac plushlash might be worth a try if you haven't worn it before. my lashes are pretty long naturally, so when i just want some natural looking volume i slick that on and i'm good to go! most people wouldn't even know i'm wearing mascara when i use it.

 

[MzzRach]

I agree with the MAC Plushlash recommendation, it's a gorgeous mascara that builds volume without looking over the top.

 

[DirtyHarriet]

maybelline full n' soft - very nice mascara.

 

[westindiesangel]

Thanks ladies -

but I never, ever see Full N Soft in the store? Is it in Canada? Maybe I'm not paying attention enough, lol...

 

[portrait_artist]

Have you tried Revlon Fabulash? That was my absolute go-to until I found the original LashBlast (haven't tried the LashBlast Length, though). The difference I've found is that LashBlast offers more length, the Fabulash definitely gave a solid amount of volume, though.

I've never personally tried the MAC mascaras, but I tried ProLash on a girl today and it seemed to be a really solid formula... nothing too outrageous, and definitely not the "separated" look you mentioned.

 

[DirtyHarriet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by westindiesangel Thanks ladies - but I never, ever see Full N Soft in the store? Is it in Canada? Maybe I'm not paying attention enough, lol...

The last time I bought it was at Walmart in the US. But I'm pretty sure I have seen it at Shopper's Drug Mart in Canada as well. It's a silver container, and is usually at the very bottom of the Maybelline mascara display.

 

[EvoPandaPnay]

try maybelline colossal mascara.

 

[Candy Christ]

I second Full N Soft. It's a great mascara

 

[westindiesangel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvoPandaPnay try maybelline colossal mascara.

Ahh, another friend recommended this to me and she has these way out there lashes. You can tell she pours it on, but maybe I can make it work. I got a brown tube though, so I never opened it. I'll have to get a black...

BTW, from the heavens this dropped in my e-mail inbox. What a coincidence that the day I post this thread, Cover Girl sends me an e-mail about new Lashblast Fusion. It's exactly what I'm waiting for (volume + length in one) and I can't wait to try it out! And Drew's lashes here are exactly what I'm looking for!

Here's a link to the e-mail:
Pre-Sale Exclusive NEW COVERGIRL LashBlast Fusion volume + length mascara

 

[obscuria]

I really like Tarte's Lash Hugger mascara. It's not over the top at all.

Oh and I just found a girl who does a before and after picture on her lashes of it in case you were curious.

Tarte Lash Hugger Before and After

 

[Zephyra]

I have naturally long but thin lashes and I love Plushlash. L'Oreal Voluminous would be a second choice, but I definitely prefer Plush to the ~15 other formulas I've tried this year.

My other suggestion would be to use a spoolie, comb, or lash fan to separate your lashes and smooth out the mascara right after applying mascara if you don't do this already. (I prefer a metal comb for best separation.) I rarely need to do this with Plushlash, but it works well for other mascaras.

 

[kimmae17]

shu uemura basic mascara! TOTALLY natural looking but better! and it never smears

 

[westindiesangel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zephyra I have naturally long but thin lashes and I love Plushlash. L'Oreal Voluminous would be a second choice, but I definitely prefer Plush to the ~15 other formulas I've tried this year. My other suggestion would be to use a spoolie, comb, or lash fan to separate your lashes and smooth out the mascara right after applying mascara if you don't do this already. (I prefer a metal comb for best separation.) I rarely need to do this with Plushlash, but it works well for other mascaras.

Is Plushlash hard to use? I researched it up a bit and people were saying there's a technique to using it since one side has flat bristles and the other has longer ones...or something like that. So you need to kind of rotate it up your lashes instead of brushing it through. That kind of scares me, what if I don't do it right? lol

And no, I don't really use lash combs unless they are a clumpy mess. Mascara is usually what I put on last, and by that time I'm usually pressed for time and need to GO lol, so I just want a mascara that's fuss-free! Apparently that's too much to ask for, sigh.

 

[Zephyra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by westindiesangel Is Plushlash hard to use? I researched it up a bit and people were saying there's a technique to using it since one side has flat bristles and the other has longer ones...or something like that. So you need to kind of rotate it up your lashes instead of brushing it through. That kind of scares me, what if I don't do it right? lol

I don't find it hard to use, but then I think mascara winds up being a really personal preference! It has a really fluffy brush, but the flat side means you can avoid jamming the fluffy bristles into your eyelid when you get close to the roots, which is awesome. I don't use a different technique from other mascaras with it! Personally, I think the rubber brushes are harder to use because they don't seem to coat my lashes evenly. For all mascaras, I blot the tip of the wand on a tissue to remove globs before starting on my eyes.

 

[elektra513]

Another vote for Maybelline Full & Soft. Hope you get to try it. Also, L'oreal Voluminous in Carbon Black is a good one. I like the Collossal one too, but not when I want the lashes to look natural.

 

[purrtykitty]

I like MAC's Dazzlelash and Mascara X. Have you thought of putting a primer underneath? I find I'm getting much better results by using a combination of Shu Uemura Lash Fix and MAC's Prep & Prim Lash. I only need a thin coat of each, followed by two coats of mascara. My lashes are super long, full, but still natural looking. In fact, I'll often just do my lashes, concealer, blush and gloss.

 

[LeeleeBell]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyHarriet maybelline full n' soft - very nice mascara.

That's my favorite too; it's become HG for me and I used to be very fickle with mascaras

 

[westindiesangel]

Thanks for all the replies! Hehe, so many for me to try. Right now I'm liking how Lashblast Length and Revlon 3D are making my lashes look...but I'm just obsessed with mascara so I'm gonna try even mooore

 

[PinkBasset]

Everything mascara by Bobbi Brown!

It's so good I'm amazed every time I put it on. It separates, lenghtens and gives volume. I often use primer under mascaras, it helps them perform.