Product Review- elf Volume Plumping Mascara

Close up of the mascara wand head

Close up of the mascara wand head

e.l.f. Studio Volume Plumping Mascara

From the Brand: Create lush and bold lashes with our Volume Pluming Mascara. The oversized brush fully coats lashes from root to tip for an intense and dramatic effect. The Vitamin B rich formula conditions and strengthens for visibly healthier looking lashes. 

 

Retails for: $3.00

 

Where to Buy: e.l.f. Cosmetics, Target stores

 

My Thoughts:  Let's say this one won't be making my Top 10 list of best mascaras.  For only $3, I wasn't expecting the most miraculous mascara in the world, but I did have a little bit higher hopes.  The formula itself is pretty decent.  It's not too thin in consistency, and it's a nice deep black.  Sometimes with cheap mascaras, you can find the formula to be thin and more grey than black, so this did deliver on the formula standpoint.  You do need 2-3 coats to build it a good volume, but it's thin enough that it doesn't clump. With a disposable mascara wand that I like better, this is a pretty good mascara for the price actually!

 

So my obvious problems with this is the mascara wand itself.  The bristles are in a corkscrew pattern, leaving wide open gaps that don't hug thin lashes.  The head itself is also much to large for my smaller eyes.  The taper helps me to get into the corners, but the overall size of it makes it difficult to reach those corners without depositing mascara onto other areas of my eye/face.

 

Like most of the elf products, the packaging does leave a bit to be desired.  Not going to lie here.  It's nothing fancy.  Although, it's nice and lightweight, so I'll focus on the positives!  I just wish that they would invest more in a better wand for delivering their product to the eyelashes.

 

It has a decent wear time.  I'd say between 6-8 hours before I noticed any smudging under the eyes.  I'd avoid it if you live in a very humid climate or have very oily lids, or use another of their formulas that's waterproof.  If your lashes are very long and touch your eyelid during the day, or if you wear glasses, you might notice transfer as well with friction.  

 

Final Verdict:  Not the worst mascara I've ever tried, but decent for $3 in a pinch so long as you use a different mascara wand to apply it. For starting makeup artists that don't have the budget to invest in expensive mascaras for their kit, this is a great mascara to start out with.  You can use disposable mascara wands (which you should be using anyway) to apply it and build it up for the look you want.  Chances are you'll be using some kind of false lash as well, so you don't need to much mascara.  And for shoots, the mascara doesn't have to last hours and hours if you're going to be on set to touch up.

 

Have you tried this mascara before?  What were your experiences with it?  I'd love to know!

 

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