Thanks for reading and rating my reviews. Will try to return all read & rates, let me know if I have...
Thanks for reading and rating my reviews. Will try to return all read & rates, let me know if I have missed you. Also on dooyoo as Dharma-queen.
Member since:22.07.2004
Reviews:30
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Sorry, this really is my last mascara review, I promise. I got suckered into buying this as my Boots did not have what I wanted in stock. To cut a long story short (that I wont bore you with) I realised that I needed a brown mascara, mainly because black mascara and brown eyeliner do not go, and black eyeliner looks stupid on me. I was in the vicinity of my local Boots anyway, so I decided to pop in to get a tube of Maybelline Great Lash mascara in brown, unfortunately it was out of stock. I then noticed the huge display about their new Define-a-Lash mascara, and like the gullible idiot that I am I was convinced that I needed a tube, so I promptly bought one in brown. It cost me £7.49, full price, but much to my dismay I then saw it on offer a few days later.
What Maybelline Claim
Maybelline claim this new mascara will give you sexier, more defined lashes. Define-a-Lash is a lengthening, lightweight, zero clump mascara. The unique brush
is 'shaped-to-the-lash' and is ultra flexible so it can reach and accentuate every lash, and the tube has a built in clump remover to leave zero clumps on the brush for zero clumps on your lashes. This all sounds very good but they have used the usual trick on shooting the advert with the model wearing lash inserts, which really defeats the point. From what I can see it only comes in two shades, black and brown. On the back of the cardboard packaging it comes in it says this mascara is hypoallergenic and safe for contact lense wearers.
Packaging
Its green and metallic, nuff said really. You can't miss it. Maybelline don't seem to be a brand concerned with looking sophisticated. The greenness does make it easy to find in the depths of your makeup bag though. The tube is a standard cylinder shape and contains only 6.5ml of mascara, which is not a lot.
Maybelline claim there is a built in clump remover which you can feel when you try to pull the wand out of the tube, and it does its job quite well but there is still too much mascara left on the wand for my liking (it also makes a very nice popping sound too). The only downside of this is when you try to put the wand back in the tube there is a bit of resistance. The brush is 2.7 cm long and contains 12 rows of flexible rubber green spikes. Not sure if mine is bent but there is a definite curve to the brush so that it fits the shape of your lashes. The brush is also thicker at both ends than in the middle, sort of like an hour glass shape. The brush is extremely flexible at the point where is meets the main stem of the wand, and the brush itself is also very flexible.
Application
Application is very easy and the shape of the wand certainly helps. The mascara feels a bit runny but goes onto the lashes easily. Due to the size (fatness) of the brush I found it quite hard to get mascara onto the roots of my lashes without also coating my eyelids, and also the brush was too fat at the tip to be able to get to my inner eyelashes without worrying that I was going to stab myself with the wand. As usual I struggled to coat my outer lashes of my right eye without applying too much (for some reason even though I am right handed I can apply makeup better with my left hand). I found the brush to be too flexible to do a proper job of separating my lashes and had to use my trusty eyelash comb. The mascara took ages to dry, and I was worried if I blinked too hard it would smudge all over my eyelids. Some mascara did transfer to my lower lashes simply by blinking before it had set.
The Result
Bearing in mind that I normally wear black mascara so brown is not going to make my lashes stand out as much, it doesn't do a bad job. There was no noticeable lengthening or thickening, it basically just made my lashes darker and hence more visible. My lashes looked cleanly defined with no lumps or clumps and were coated evenly. Not sure how much this was down to the colour, but it really didn't look like I was wearing mascara, my lashes looked very natural.
I found the mascara stayed on all day without flaking, smudging or irritating my eyes. When it came to removing it at night I found it came off relatively easily with eye makeup remover.
The only real issue I have with the Maybelline Great Lash mascara (my usual mascara of choice) is the brush, it is a bit naff. For some reason I had it in my head when I bought Define-a-Lash is that it would be like their Great Lash mascara, only with a better brush. I was wrong. I found the Define-a-Lash brush far too flexible and it did not do a great job of separating my lashes during application, so some of my lashes stuck together and looked clumpy and I needed to use my eyelash comb to sort it out. Not sure how the brush is meant to separate your lashes, because it is so flexible if you apply any pressure it bends.
Slingshot Effect
Unfortunately I found out how overly flexible the brush can be one night. My Fiancée's Father and Step-Mum were coming over and we were going out for dinner. I always underestimate how long it takes me to get ready to go out, so I was rushing to finish my makeup before they turned up (shouldn't have worried, they are always late). I picked up the tube of Define-a-lash mascara, and opened it and removed the wand rather quickly. The flexible brush came out at an angle and flicked the mascara everywhere (obviously the clump remover works really well at removing all the excess mascara!). It was all over the mirror, my hands, the cupboards and my top. I was not too pleased to say the least. I feel that this would not have happened if the brush had not been so bendy, it acted like a slingshot. Luckily the mascara washed off my hands easily and came out of my top when I washed it (it is still on the mirror thought, haven't been arsed to clean it yet). So a friendly warning, be careful when you remove the wand from the tube. Don't think it was my lucky night as I also managed to apply too much to the corners of my eyes, and had to pull the mascara off my outer lashes and reapply it as it looked a right clumpy mess. Annoyingly it also irritated my eyes that night, not sure if this was down to the mascara or not as my eyes had been playing up that afternoon, but it certainly didn't help matters.
Money Back Guarantee
Until 25th September Maybelline are offering a money back guarantee on Define-a-Lash. The advert says zero clumps or your money back, and if you wish to claim you need to send to Maybelline, along with your till receipt and tube of mascara, an application form which requires you in 15 words to explain why you are not fully satisfied with their zero clump statement.
Summary
This mascara defines your lashes without lengthening or thickening them giving a very natural (a bit too natural for my liking) result. Quite frankly you might as well go and get your eyelashes tinted then you don't have to faff around applying mascara every morning. This is an average mascara and I feel it is overpriced. There are better, cheaper mascaras out there (i.e. Maybelline Great Lash, £4.99 for 15ml). For this price bracket I would recommend the L'Oreal Telescopic CleanDefinition Mascara (£8.99).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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exceptional by (9%):
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