Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara: Review & Swatches


Before I get in too deep, this was sent to me for free from Revlon (I guess technically a Press Sample). I signed up for a random Revlon new product Twitter/Facebook contest thing (like I enjoy doing), and forgot all about it.  Then last week, this bad boy ended up in my mail. I was totally excited because a) free things are great, b) I like trying out new products.  Now I've never actually tried any Revlon mascaras that I can think of, which is a little odd I suppose.  For some reason, despite the fact that I love Revlon lip and face products, I've just never ventured into the eye makeup territory with them. These are coming out in stores tomorrow according to the pamphlet included with the mascara, but I've seen these Lash Potion Mascara on display at my local CVS over the weekend. In any case, you should be able to see these cropping up in a store near you.

To continue the review and see swatches, click the link below.


As the main lady of Revlon, it's no surprise that Emma Stone graces the front of the pamphlet included. Do we trust that our lashes will become false lash-looking perfection? Of course not.  That said, I still do like the promo pic.  The newest mascara edition comes in a psychedelic, colorful tube. Nothing out of the ordinary special in that aspect. Open the pamphlet up, and you see the following:


As you can see, this mascara has a special protein enriched formula that is meant to give you volume, while the "triple-groove wand" gives you mega length. Based on the insert, I can't tell if this is meant to strengthen/build volume of your lashes over time (as in there's a serum in it, etc). The packaging info says there are "proteins, amino acids and essential vitamins that revitalize lashes". My take is that it's a temporary effect while the mascara is on your lashes. The wand is rather interesting. From the side it looks like your average Joe type of mascara brush.  It's a regular bristle brush, not plastic, and it's a longer brush. When you look down from the tip of the brush, you'll see that it does have a triple groove as advertised. (I apologize for the blurry pic, but my camera just didn't want to focus).



As you can probably tell from the wand pics, the formula itself is rather wet and clumps onto the bristles. I don't know if all Revlon mascaras have wet formulas, but this one certainly does. Even with taking the excess formula off the tip, it still can be slightly messy. At first I had no clue how to properly use the brush. I didn't know if I should coat my lashes with the longer bristles, or the flat parts along the grooves and combined with the wet formula I made a mess.  After trying different techniques I decided that the best way is to apply a thin coat with the longer part of the bristles, then roll my brush from the base of my lashes to the tips. This seems to give the best application with minimal clumping and best separation.  The wand itself does a good job separating the lashes, but the wet formula works against it slightly. This is the type of mascara that will work better once it dries out a bit.

In terms of wear as the color Blackest Black suggests, it's a dark black.  I did find that this smudges a little bit, especially if you apply it to your lower lashes. I suggest using a different lower lash mascara. That cuts back on the smudging, and the brush is a little too large to use on the lower lashes if you have smaller eyes like me. Also the more coats you apply (as in if you have problems using the mascara like me), the more it smudges.  It did keep my lashes curled and separated throughout the day without any wilting, so props on that account. Did it volumize my lashes? It can, but it requires more coats, which leads to more smudging. Did it lengthen? Yes, the formula does create length.

Swatches

 Here are some swatches. You can tell that some of my lashes are a little clumped together, and that's from the wetness of the formula. Also the excess wetness made me apply the mascara on my inner waterline (fail). I have the Lash Potion on both upper and lower lashes.



Just to show you that volume can be built up. My left eye has an extra coat, making it look thicker. The downside is that it makes my lashes clump more.  I prefer the lash look on my right eye.


Bottom Line: Once I got the hang of using the mascara, I actually like it. My lashes do look lush, although not to the point of "magical" proportions. However, I think I'll like it much more once I let the formula dry up a bit.  The only downside is that it smudges on me, and hopefully that issue will resolve once the formula dries (or maybe a waterproof formula will come out as well). As to it's nourishing/volumizing claims, I can't say yes or no since I only used it for a week.

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