Mascara – always a tricky one when it comes to natural and organic beauty. Just because someone likes natural beauty in terms of ingredients, it doesn’t mean they like natural in terms of lashes! The problem is most of the time it is those suspect plastics and fillers that we’re trying to avoid, that make lashes look thicker and fuller.
One of the questions that I always get asked is, what is my favourite mascara? A hard one to answer as mascaras in general are very personal. It depends on the brush, the consistency, the colour – there are lots of factors to consider. I’m not one for funny shaped brushes, I like them relatively simple, straight not curved. I believe it is more in the application – making sure you coat each lash from the root to tip, not forgetting the shorter inner and outer lashes. You’d be surprised how many people miss them and the difference they can make. Also a few coats are far better than one thick one, combing through between, unless of course you’re going for the clumpy look.
In my kit, I’ll admit, I’m dubious to have just completely natural ones. If my client is walking the red carpet or we’re shooting a video, I can’t afford for it to smudge. Anyone who’s tried a natural mascara will know this can be a problem. Superdrug’s B range and Eyeko are currently in my kit for those times I need to be truly confident with longevity.
I always use the natural ones for personal use, at the moment I am having a LOT of love for W3LL PEOPLE this month. I was late to the party when it came to their Expressionist Mascara, but I’m so glad I got there, I’d say it is probably the best I’ve tried. It makes my lashes look really nice, much fuller and longer and stays ALL day. Many other natural mascaras I’ve had to reapply at lunchtime but the effect of this stays put, even with itchy hayfever eyes. It’s a good strong black too. I like the brush – it’s not funny shaped and definitely does what it says – in W3LL PEOPLE’s words –
“Our new high tech brush design, with injection molded rubber and a unique cascade shape, precisely separates the thinnest, shortest, hard-to-reach lashes by expertly scooping up and lengthening each one—while delivering just the right amount of product.”
I’d highly recommend this mascara 🙂 It is also now available in brown, purple and blue!
My other favourite is the Volumizing Mascara from RMS Beauty.. I think, like the W3LL PEOPLE one, it is a game changer in the natural make-up world. The fact Rose-Marie Swift spent years developing it and wouldn’t release it until she was happy says a lot. It is not completely organic like the rest of her range but 100% natural. It made my lashes much fuller and it lasted really well.
Another one I’ve tried recently was Pacifia’s Aquarian Gaze Water Resistant Long Lash Mineral Mascara. It did give a really nice fuller finish on my lashes however it was hard to get off – good for the water resistant credentials but I don’t think did my lashes any good; water resistant and waterproof ones generally aren’t good for lashes. The ingredients are certainly not as clean as W3LL PEOPLE and RMS, again a lot due to the water resistant properties, but it is vegan – the other two contain beeswax. I think this could be better for occasional wear. Their Stellar Gaze Mineral Mascara has a cleaner ingredient list and I remember liking that one a lot. I used it for some beauty shoots last year and the effect was good.
What is your favourite mascara?