Happy weekend, everyone! I just found out I’ll be teaching two new students at work so that means I’ll have five total now. I’ll be working longer on a Saturday, but that’s okay. It just means I get paid a little bit more and I can keep myself productive instead of sleeping the entire afternoon like I usually do on Saturdays! Despite my lazy nature, I do like being productive. Haha.
Anyway, today’s review will be on something that’s been around for a while already and have seen a lot of other local bloggers talk about and say they really like. In fact, a fair amount claim that it’s the best locally-made mascara they’ve tried. Let’s see if I can say the same with the Double Up Mascara (Php225.00) from Fashion 21.
There’s actually no formal description written on the packaging itself, only directions and tips on how to use the mascara, but the website does state this: “Get 2x the length and volume in an instant! Comes with a unique glide-soft bristle for easy application with zero clumps.” The mascara only comes in one shade which is black.
I like the red, sleek looking tube it comes in. I don’t see a lot of mascaras with this kind of color so it makes it unique for me. The tube itself is quite slim too.
The only aspect that annoys me a little with some of Fashion 21’s products is that they print the LOT # and manufacturing date where you can immediately see it instead of keeping it subtle, like placing it at the bottom of the product’s housing, for example. It just cheapens the overall look of the product for me.
The mascara’s wand is standard in length. Not too long, but not too short either. I, personally, am not picky with the length of the wand as I’m more concerned about the the bristles. I always prefer rubber bristles over any other kind. Why? I touched on this in my last mascara review, but it’s because they tend to clump less and not only are they able to coat more of your lashes, but do it evenly too.
Thankfully this mascara has the rubber bristles I look for! I like how it doesn’t pick up too much product each time so I don’t really have to wipe off that much excess, and if any, just at the very tip. Now let’s see how it performs…
Quite good, right? There’s definitely some lengthening action going on there for both my top and bottom lashes. I can’t say it doubles the length of my lashes like it claims, but it does lengthen, period. Volumizes, though? Not so much, unfortunately. Maybe it gives a tiny bit of volume, but not anything that noticeable. I usually stick to applying just one coat of mascara and for me that works best with this mascara too because I could tell it would start to clump if I applied more than one. Even with just the one coat, some my lashes were starting to stick together a little. Pretty much on the border of clumping and turning spidery, but they managed to stay quite natural looking, I think. I find there’s a bit of a toss up with this mascara because when I do apply two coats, there’ll be slight clumping, BUT it’ll lengthen your lashes even more rather than if you just go with one coat. So when you use it, it’s really up to you if you want to risk the clumping but have even longer looking lashes. Actually, when it does clump, it’s not as bad as with some other mascaras. It still looks almost natural, if that makes sense.
Does it hold a curl? Not for long, since after about an hour the original curl starts to disappear. However, it does manage to keep my lashes ‘lifted’ the whole day which is another aspect of the product that I like. It’s also smudge-proof and water-proof as I tried rubbing my eyes and splashing water onto them with it on and it stayed put. Once wet though the formula weakens so don’t rub your eyes until it’s dry again because it’ll come right off easily. Thankfully this doesn’t smear or run, instead it kind of flakes off which ultimately makes it easier to take off at the end of the day too. I just use my Za Eye & Lip Makeup Remover and a couple of cotton balls and it’s gone.
So, do I think it’s the best locally made mascara? I can’t say for certain yet because, to be honest, I haven’t tried a whole lot of local branded mascaras yet. What I can say though is that it’s a pretty good mascara overall. Aside from its ability to lengthen my lashes, I really like how it’s genuinely smudge and water proof. Definitely not bad for the price too since it’s undeniably affordable! All in all, I give it a solid thumbs up and I might even re-purchase it one day!
WHAT I LIKE:
I like the red, sleek looking tube it comes in. I don’t see a lot of mascaras with this kind of color so it makes it unique for me. The tube itself is quite slim too.
The only aspect that annoys me a little with some of Fashion 21’s products is that they print the LOT # and manufacturing date where you can immediately see it instead of keeping it subtle, like placing it at the bottom of the product’s housing, for example. It just cheapens the overall look of the product for me.
The mascara’s wand is standard in length. Not too long, but not too short either. I, personally, am not picky with the length of the wand as I’m more concerned about the the bristles. I always prefer rubber bristles over any other kind. Why? I touched on this in my last mascara review, but it’s because they tend to clump less and not only are they able to coat more of your lashes, but do it evenly too.
Thankfully this mascara has the rubber bristles I look for! I like how it doesn’t pick up too much product each time so I don’t really have to wipe off that much excess, and if any, just at the very tip. Now let’s see how it performs…
 |
| Curled, bare lashes |
 |
| After applying one coat of Fashion 21 Double Up Mascara |
Quite good, right? There’s definitely some lengthening action going on there for both my top and bottom lashes. I can’t say it doubles the length of my lashes like it claims, but it does lengthen, period. Volumizes, though? Not so much, unfortunately. Maybe it gives a tiny bit of volume, but not anything that noticeable. I usually stick to applying just one coat of mascara and for me that works best with this mascara too because I could tell it would start to clump if I applied more than one. Even with just the one coat, some my lashes were starting to stick together a little. Pretty much on the border of clumping and turning spidery, but they managed to stay quite natural looking, I think. I find there’s a bit of a toss up with this mascara because when I do apply two coats, there’ll be slight clumping, BUT it’ll lengthen your lashes even more rather than if you just go with one coat. So when you use it, it’s really up to you if you want to risk the clumping but have even longer looking lashes. Actually, when it does clump, it’s not as bad as with some other mascaras. It still looks almost natural, if that makes sense.
Does it hold a curl? Not for long, since after about an hour the original curl starts to disappear. However, it does manage to keep my lashes ‘lifted’ the whole day which is another aspect of the product that I like. It’s also smudge-proof and water-proof as I tried rubbing my eyes and splashing water onto them with it on and it stayed put. Once wet though the formula weakens so don’t rub your eyes until it’s dry again because it’ll come right off easily. Thankfully this doesn’t smear or run, instead it kind of flakes off which ultimately makes it easier to take off at the end of the day too. I just use my Za Eye & Lip Makeup Remover and a couple of cotton balls and it’s gone.
So, do I think it’s the best locally made mascara? I can’t say for certain yet because, to be honest, I haven’t tried a whole lot of local branded mascaras yet. What I can say though is that it’s a pretty good mascara overall. Aside from its ability to lengthen my lashes, I really like how it’s genuinely smudge and water proof. Definitely not bad for the price too since it’s undeniably affordable! All in all, I give it a solid thumbs up and I might even re-purchase it one day!
WHAT I LIKE:
- The sleek looking packaging with its red metallic finish.
- It has rubber bristles.
- Lengthens my lashes a little.
- Waterproof and (almost) smudge proof.
- Keeps my lashes lifted the whole day.
- When wet, the formula weakens so it’s no longer smudge-proof until it’s dry again.
- Doesn’t hold the original curl of my lashes for long.
- Doesn’t really provide any noticeable volume.