I finally caved and bought the Benefit "They're Real" mascara after my Maybelline Falsies ran out completely last month. In case you haven't heard, "They're Real" is now the world's number ONE best selling mascara - so why would I try anything else right?
Wrong...
I overlooked the fact that not everyone in the world has stubby lashes like mine, that point straight forward and are barely visible without me curling the life out of it.
They're Real is an amazing mascara - it lengthens and adds so much drama to the lashes I was definitely impressed. No smudging, no flakes. The mascara wand has a spikey end which allows you to brush through every lash to perfectly distribute the product. But if you have stubby Asian lashes that point straight forward like me, beware - the mascara formulation is very thick, dense, and heavy. As a result, my lashes were completely weighed down and I could barely curl them.
So for a week I tried so hard to make it work. Perhaps a few more days would help the formula dry out a bit and hold a curl better? Perhaps curling my lashes before AND after would help with the curl? Sadly, nothing worked.
(Benefit "They're Real" and it's amazing wand)
Around the same time, I repurchased the Lancome Cils Booster XL mascara base - a creamy white mascara formula that adds extra drama to whatever mascara you add on after. I've been using this for years and definitely see a difference in the length, volume and longevity of mascara on my lashes thanks to this.
(Lancome Cils Booster XL mascara base)
I got a deluxe sample size of the Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara as a gift with purchase (thanks Lancome), so as I was struggling with the They're Real mascara, I decided to give this one a go. Lancome mascaras have always been my mother's favorite and therefore were my first holy grail mascaras ever too, but over the years I've discovered other great options and kind of forgotten about them.
And now I'm in love with them again.
The first thing I noticed about the Hypnose Drama was the interesting wavy brush head - it's a slight S-shape that easily coats all lashes, even the ones on the far outer or inner corner of your eye that a straight brush head would probably miss. I also picked up a very very strong rose scent in this product, which is so interesting... I've never noticed scents in mascaras before!
In comparison to They're Real, the Hypnose Drama lengthened just as well, but did not volumize my lashes as much. However, the thinner, more light-weight formula tradeoff means my lashes are not weighed down. On the contrary, even before curling, my lashes were lifted slightly... which sounds like no big deal, but for someone with barely-there lashes I was over the moon!
I then curled my mascara-coated lashes, and wa-la. Perfectly curled lashes.
(Lancome Hypnose Drama's wavy brush head)
So I guess Benefit's "They're Real" is not for everyone. I would definitely recommend it for girls who have longer lashes naturally. I can imagine it would look gorgeous. But for girls with shorter, straighter lashes, Lancome mascaras are the way to go.
Weekend to-do: return They're Real mascara, and pick up the full size Hypnose Drama instead :)
