Friday, September 3, 2010

Boots No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara!

Advantages: Great coverage, definition, doesn't clump, doesn't flake, lasts well, easy to use etc etc

Disadvantages: Maybe that it could be waterproof to make it even more longlasting .

I think most of us have seen the adverts for the new No7 ‘Exceptional Definition Mascara’, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock that is. I was instantly interested by the look of the wand/brush/whateveryouwanttocallit as I have always struggled with coating my inner eyelashes without poking myself in the eye or getting mascara in places it shouldn’t be.

So I decided that it would become my next purchase, and off I popped down to boots to buy it the next morning.

When I got it home, I opened it straight away to look at this wand that seems to be its main selling point from the advert! The wand on the mascara is indeed very interesting – it actually claims to be 3 brushes in 1 so it has 3 defined points that are you should note, those being; 1. The longer bristles as these give volume to your lashes, 2. The shorter bristles that you should use to comb through to give separation and definition (and removes clumps), and thirdly there’s the tip which obviously coats the teeny lashes that are usually so very hard to get to.

Removing the wand felt different because it isn’t the usual bristly kind that I have been used to, it’s more plastic and with more rigid bristles. I first of all applied the mascara to my bare eyelashes, I don’t think it felt much different to a normal brush in this respect but I did notice that it was easier to apply and that my lashes separated easier than with a normal wand; not to mention it was also easier to see when I needed to load the wand up with mascara again. I didn’t do anything different to how I would usually apply mascara; working from the base into the ends and then doing the inner and outer small lashes, so no special techniques or jiggery pokery are needed here.

The first application made my lashes look longer and gave a lovely separated finish that was noticeable but not over the top – perfect for natural every day application; and the formulation actually has vitamins in, that are said to enrich the lashes so it should actually be good for your lashes to wear it every day if this is correct. I gave a second coat shortly after and was impressed to see that this seemed to make my lashes quite dramatic looking but without clumping yet again.

The mascara lasted all day and needed no touch ups were needed to improve the look throughout that day. I was very surprised by this as the mascara wasn’t waterproof and I’d worn it from early in the morning to around midnight. I’d also had a few forgetful moments where I rubbed my eyes before realising I was wearing it, but was pleased to notice that it had not budged, or smudged.

My next test for this mascara was to see how well it would work with my Clinique eyelash primer, to see whether it would improve the finish of the mascara or not. Upon applying the mascara (on top of the primer) I felt that it was even easier to apply and that my lashes instantly looked hugely longer and more volumised than they had been without the primer on – although still suitable for every day wear.

The second coat was even more dramatic, I had been thinking that I may be pushing my luck with a second coat though as I had already put on primer and one coat of the mascara and I just had a feeling that my lashes may just start to clump. I was wrong, they looked perfectly separated and with fantastic definition.

This time around the mascara still lasted all day as it had previously, and I even knowingly put it to the rubbing eyes test to see how it would stand up to it; it passed with flying colours and for a mascara that isn’t waterproof (so isn’t as resistant to this kind of behaviour), this was a real surprise but also a very welcome one.

Removing the mascara both times was easy enough with my eye makeup remover; although I don’t think it would have come off so easy with just water alone. This gives me confidence that if I was to have a little cry whilst wearing it that it wouldn’t end up all down my face – ok it may suffer a little (since it isn’t designed to be waterproof) but I don’t think you’d have a clown face that needs a full reapplication of all makeup.

This mascara really made my eyes look amazing, my eyelashes framing them dramatically but still perfectly without flaking, clumping or smudging. It was easy to apply, which is saying something for me as I usually have to do a lot of faffing around to make sure my eyelashes stay separate but this really did just do the job for me, it lasted well and was not an absolute chore to remove either.

All in all I am very pleased with this purchase, as used both with and without primer it gave my lashes great volume and length without clumps. I would say that I would recommend it with the primer more than without but if you don’t have any, don’t get on with it or your budget doesn’t afford you to buy it then it is perfectly fine without it. I will mention that one thing I did notice is that with the primer, the curl of my lashes held 100% better than they did without the primer, but without the primer they were still satisfactory.

This mascara is available in boots stores and online in 2 colours (black and brown), priced at £12.00 - although if you’re quick you can use your £5 No7/Ruby and Millie voucher to get it for the bargain price of £7 for 7mls of mascara.

http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Exceptional-Definition-Mascara_1121553/

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