Does Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara Turn My Eyes into Lethal Weapons?

March 7, 2011 | 12 Responses

I like a lot of mascaras, but there are very few that I love enough to marry. Most of my mascaras come from the drugstore, but I have had good experience with mascaras in the $15+ range. I think MAC Studio Fix Lash, MAKE UP FOR EVER Smoky Lash and Clinique Lash Power are all fantastic.

Today’s mascara, however, takes us waaay beyond the $15 line. We are talking past the outfield, across the ocean, all the way to China. Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill ($33, available at Holt Renfrew) mascara promises long, plush and separated lashes. It promises a lot and for that price, it better deliver.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

Housed in a heavy metal casing, Eyes To Kill does not mess around with first impressions. The heaviness of the metal really makes it feel like a weapon. Very badass! The brush, which I consider to be a very important component in a mascara, is superb. One side of the brush has shorter widely gapped bristles, which are supposed to create volume at the base of the lashes. The other side has tightly packed long bristles for to separate and lengthen.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara – Short Bristles

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara – Long Bristles

So, does it work well?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: The brush and mascara’s formula create beautiful separated, long lashes. When I started using this, I didn’t really notice the mixed bristles, so I just applied it as I would any other normal mascara. You know the kind, right? The wiggle, zig zag, and comb through? Yeah, that one. What I can tell is that my lashes look thicker, and more evidently, they are longer. How do I know? My lashes are so long that they touch my glasses. They don’t do that with any other mascara.

As for the volume, the mascara achieves this not by glooping up each lash with a lot of product, but by separating and coating each lash with an even coat. So, it makes you look like you have a lot of lashes. The effect is like wearing a set of natural volume fake lashes.

I gotta hand it to Giorgio Armani for creating such a weightless mascara formula. This holds my shu uemura lash curl incredibly well. We’re talking almost no curl loss from my normally stick straight Asian lashes. The formula doesn’t make my lashes crunchy either, which I always appreciate.

Now I know you want to see a before and after, right?

No mascara

Read on to see more eye photos!

Click to see eye photos!

Marcelle Power Volume Mascara: Finally, a Washable Mascara that Holds a Curl!

November 28, 2010 | 9 Responses

Marcelle Power Volume Mascara

When a product contains the word “power” in its name, you better believe I expect a heckuvalot (new word) from it. When Marcelle Power Volume Mascara ($11.95) (power and volume!) arrived at my doorstep, I expected another mascara that promises too much and barely delivers. But of course, I was secretly praying to the makeup gods to let me love it!

Marcelle Power Volume Mascara wand

Marcelle Power Volume Mascara reminds me a lot of an old drugstore favourite — L’Oreal Voluminous. It is thick and a little bit on the dry side, so it is kinda tricky to layer it and get a clump-free application. The wand is big and very dense, which leads to my other problem with the mascara: the brush picks up a lot of product straight out of the tube. It helps to have some tissue nearby to wipe off any excess.

In terms of how it performs, it is definitely on par with L’Oreal Voluminous. Annoyingly, volumizing formulas do not look as good in macro (close up) shots as they do in person. This mascara gives my lashes a pretty, doll-like appearance. My lashes remain soft and crunch-free when I wear it. This is not a mascara that separates and defines the lashes; even with careful maneuvering, you will get small clumps of lashes to give them that “fat lash” appearance.

Marcelle Power Volume Mascara gets top marks for its weightlessness. Most volumizing mascaras weigh down my sad Asian lashes and I end up losing my curl. Such is not the case with this. See below for evidence.

While I do get minimal flaking with this (especially when I put on too much), it wears without any smudging and washes off easily with my face wash. All-in-all, I think Marcelle created a winner here. I think it is an excellent mascara formula with huge potential, but they made a poor choice for a brush wand. Instead I’d love to see a spiky rubber brush to help define the lashes. The thick formula would still keep the lashes nice and fat, and the brush can comb out the extra clumps. Hope you’re reading, Marcelle! Rating: B+.

Another One Bites the Dust: Maybelline Full ‘n Soft Mascara.

July 28, 2010 | 16 Responses

I won’t beat around the bush here: I was really underwhelmed, or I should say really disappointed with this mascara.

Maybelline Full ‘n Soft Mascara (US$5.94 in Target, CDN$9.99 at Shoppers Drugmart) is the latest mascara to join my usual five-tube rotation. I’m crazy I know, but I like to have options. Full ‘n Soft is supposed to deliver thick and soft lashes. So you probably want to know what went totally wrong here.

They Should’ve Called it Bare ‘n Soft Instead.

Before the complaints go into full force, I gotta give props to Full ‘n Soft for leaving my lashes very soft. So soft that it almost doesn’t feel like I had mascara on.

Okay.

Now to tackle the claims for full and thick lashes? It doesn’t. I found the formula to be quite wet — more wet than I’m used to in a mascara. Maybelline advises that I should layer while it’s still wet, but it really does not build any volume on my wimpy lashes.

1 coat of Maybelline Full ‘n Soft

2 coats of Maybelline Full ‘n Soft

Bare lashes vs. 2 coats

It Lacks (Almost) Everything Else I am Looking For.

Let’s look at the check list shall we?

Volume: No.
Length: No.
Curl: No. This was the most irritating aspect about this mascara. Like seriously, stick straight lashes as soon as the formula touches my curled lashes. Awful!
Staying Power: Yes! — no flakes or smudges throughout the day.
Easily Washable (if non-waterproof): Yes! — washes off with face wash and water.

I guess it’s not that bad, but the top 3 items are the most important. I like big, in-yo’-face lashes, and this just does not deliver. Oh well. If you are born with naturally batty Bambi lashes, then this may work for you. Otherwise, stay far far away. Rating: D.