I finally came into possession of a tube of Lancôme’s vibrating mascara.
Or I thought it was mascara until I pulled out the wand and it was white - something called mascara primer apparently. I’m not big on fancy eyelash tricks. My mom once told me that if I used an eyelash curler all my lashes would fall out, and thanks to my Egyptian blood I don’t really need one, so a few swipes of Dior’s my usual morning routine.
But this intrigued me, mostly because it was vibrating and partly because I’d never even heard of such a thing. So this morning I stood in front of the mirror holding the mechanical wand dangerously close to my pupil and watched it spread my lashes into spidery wisps before layering black mascara over it. The only real difference is lash separation, but I secretly love thick clumpy eyelashes, so I’m not sure it’s worth the extra minute in the morning.
I’d show you before and after pictures, but that might be creepy. Do you use mascara primer? Has it changed your life?
The one product that we absolutely never leave the house without applying is mascara. Seriously, our lashes need to be sufficiently blackened, lengthened, and separated before we hit the road.
And with all of the random oscillating and polymer-coating mascaras out there, we were shocked that it took so long for someone to come up with this awesome one-handed mascara applicator.
We haven’t tried it yet, but we’re totally loving its pen-like structure.
Fact: Kiehl’s customers are die-hard - they don’t call it a “cult” favorite for nothing - and will go on and on about everything from the Crème de Corps to the Grooming Crème until you kind of want to shove their Lip Balm #1 down their throats. If you’ve ever wondered how the 158 year-old brand keeps up such hype, you might like to know it’s because they actually listen to their customers.
Case in point: Late last year, they launched a stronger hold version of their Clean Hold Styling Gel. Not because some big name stylist declared that stiff hold was in, but because a group of customers said they’d really like it.
And now, they’ve launched their new Marvelous Mineral Mascara (on shelves as of yesterday), a direct result of fervent requests by loyal consumers who wished for a natural mascara that also conditions lashes.
I got my sample yesterday and tried it immediately even though I abused them with tests last week. The formula glided on without any tugging, and washed off with minimal discomfort to my lashline. There was some smudging around midday, but nothing too horrendous, and the crazy separation and decent amount of length means it’s officially entered heavy rotation on my bathroom sink.
And even if I wanted a totally smudge-proof option, I know all I have to do is complain to the right people, and poof, it’ll be a click away on their site. And with consumers dropping like flies, more beauty brands would be wise to focus their efforts on keeping their fan base happy instead of coming up with the next limited edition “it” nail polish shade.
In the history of mascaras, first came the primer craze, then there were fibers, followed by vibrating wands, and now tubes take their turn as the latest lash craze.
The original tube mascara, Blinc, was a cult hit, lauded by beauty editors near and far. Naturally, L’Oréal and Stila have followed suit.
For the uninitiated, tube mascaras contain lengthening tubes that are created using heat-sensitive polymers that wrap around the lashes, forming a literal tube that adheres to individual lashes for both a water and smudge-proof finish. They also claim to wash off with just warm water and a little bit of pressure.
L’Oréal’s Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara launched earlier this year, which comes with primer on one end to (supposedly) give you salon-extension worthy lashes. Meanwhile, Stila launched their Convertible Mascara last month, another double-ended deal, only this one has a regular-sized lengthening brush on one end and a smaller defining brush on the other.
I tried out both mascaras and while I definitely got some added length, I wasn’t exactly creating a breeze with ginormo feather lashes. The one claim that did hold true was the ease of removal. It was actually a little creepy to see the little tubes fall off and into the sink; I looked like I was molting.
I was a little skeptical of the tubes at first but after years of dealing with smudgy mascara after smudgy mascara, these were a welcome relief. I might even give up my Becca Ultimate Mascara in favor of one of these. So what do you think, are you a tube convert or is this just a passing fad?
Friday night, I was on a JetBlue flight to Fort Lauderdale, headed to Key West for a friend’s wedding.
About half way into my Munch Mix and Coke, one of the flight attendants handed me a tube of Maybelline’s Great Lash. I said, “What’s this?” He said, “A gift” and continued to hand out mascara to all the female passengers.
I’m not Great Lash’s greatest fan, but it was free, so thank you. But here’s what’s weird:
The flight attendants never came around with any gifts for the males, and I kept wondering to myself, “But what about the cross-dressers? The guys who wear mascara anyway? The 13-year old girls who probably wear Great Lash but don’t get the free tubes from the flight attendants who think they’re too young? And, the fact that this is really kind of sexist?”
Such was my Friday night. And I still haven’t opened the mascara.
Earlier this summer, Faran reported in Page Six Magazine that Daria Werbowy was sailing around the world all season - no cell phone, no internet, and definitely no modeling.
But it seems she got one more task done before taking off:
She shot a new campaign for Lancome where she demonstrates their amazing, expensive, incredible Oscillator Mascara - yes, the one with the vibrating wand.
The mascara, and the ad, launch this November, but thanks to a little snooping and a lot of Daria and Lancome adoration, we managed to score the sneak peek below.
Enjoy, and yes, the mascara actually does make your lashes do that…
We’ve never understood vibrating toothbrushes. We’ve always wondered who these people are that won’t do the up-and-down brush motion with their hands, and need an appliance to actually do the brushing movement for them.
Why does it need to vibrate? Couldn’t you just do the sweeping motion on your own? How will it get those tiny lashes in the inner corners? Can you poke your eye out? Wouldn’t you just end up going over the TurboLash’s work with a dry brush to spread the mascara out evenly? And won’t our boyfriend look at us like we’re crazy when we get ready in the morning?
Lauder claims that there’s “a relationship between vibration, length, volume, separation and curl,” and that lashes separate for perfect mascara application the instant the vibrating brush touches your lash line.
As unlikely and unnecessary as this all sounds, we know we’ll probably be at Saks sometime after it launches there exclusively in July. We’re suckers for “mascara technology.” But this product goes for $30, a full $7 above the mascara we’ve considered to be the best for several years, DiorShow.
Last night, I couldn’t find my mascara, so I grabbed my Lancome liquid eyeliner and gently painted my upper and lower lashes with its little, skinny brush.
I think it’s the best eye makeup I’ve ever had.
Instead of sticky clumps or threads, I just got a row of simple black lashes that looked quite natural and a little bit shiny.
I think it’s going to be my new routine, but I’m curious - does everyone else do this, too, and I’m just clueless? Or have I stumbled onto something so obvious, it’s perfect - you know, like the “xoxo” tagline in Gossip Girl?
Lemme know. And to the left is Chanel Iman, whose prowess with liquid eyeliner is astounding, considering when I was seventeen, I could barely use a hairbrush. Seriously, there are yearbook pics to prove it.
We’ve finally figured it out, thanks to Charlotte Tilbury and the other M.A.C artists backstage at the Tents:
They told us that the best way to avoid clumps is this:
Take a tissue or a piece of toilet paper, and gently wrap it around your mascara wand.
Pull the mascara wand through it with a little bit of tension in your fingers.
The excess black gunk will ooze off the wand, and then when you apply the mascara to your lashes, it’ll go on smoother and with no clumps.
We’ve tried this every day for a week and it hasn’t failed yet, so go to it!
Also: Weirdly, our new favorite mascara is the one from Estee Lauder’s Beauty Bank. You can get it at Duane Reade, or steal it from the Charlotte Ronson store if they’ve got any samples left.
The girls may have filmed a music video during this week’s Top Model, but the only clip we really noticed was the new Cover Girl commercial.
It stars Drew Barrymore and some chubby new mascara, along with a mod citrus wardrobe that looks like it has a lot of Giles Deacon, plus several rolls of neon tights.
We suspect the stylist Katie Grand has something to do with this, and we also wonder if this is the first time makeup’s ever been sold based on sheer personality.
After all, Drew’s lashes do look long, but the real pull of the ad is the “Do You Think We Could Be Friends?” factor - like you can borrow her mascara in the girl’s room, and maybe get some tips on yoga and running, since Drew seems to have dropped 10 pounds just for this campaign!
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I finally came into possession of a tube of Lancôme’s vibrating mascara.
