I have been using this mascara for years and years now. I think I first tried it because many years ago I read in a magazine that it was a favourite of beauty editors and make up artists. I have tried many different types of mascara since but I always go back to this little gem.
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for a new kind of blue. From the first brush stroke your lashes appear Denim Blue, intense colour as wearable as your coolest pair of jeans! Great Lash Denim Blue i...
A review by rd52169 on Maybelline Great Lash May 14th, 2007
Author's product rating:
Ease of Application
easy
Waterproof?
no
Does it irritate your eyes?
no
Advantages:
Doesn't clump or flake, natural looking, cheap
Disadvantages:
None
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I have been using this mascara for years and years now. I think I first tried it because many years ago I read in a magazine that it was a favourite of beauty editors and make up artists. I have tried many different types of mascara since but I always go back to this little gem.
This is apparently the No. 1 mascara in the USA. It promises perfectly defined lashes with a clean, separate finish, and that the lash building brush makes lashes fuller and longer with no clumps. It is widely available and costs £4.99 in Boots (think it costs less in Tesco) and the tube contains 12.5ml. It comes in three shades, Blackest Black, Very Black and Brown. I normally buy Blackest Black but I haven’t noticed much difference between it and Very Black.
The packaging is rather striking, it definitely stands out from the crowd. The tube is bright pink with a green lid, not the most stylish of combinations and to be honest it looks a bit cheap and nasty, but do not let this put you off, after all it’s what’s inside that counts. It doesn’t looks very attractive in your handbag but on the plus side it is very easy to find!
The brush is rather small and compact and made up of bristles in a spiral pattern, there are 11 turns in total spaced quite far apart. As the brush is quite small this makes it easier to apply the mascara to the corners of your eye and your lower lashes, although as I am not the most dextrous of people I sometimes struggle to coat all of my outer lashes without touching my eyelid as the tip of the brush isn't tapered. If you do get it on your eyelid it is easily removed with a moist cotton bud or tissue before its sets. I find that generally too much mascara is loaded onto the end of the brush when you remove it from the tube, so I always remove any excess with a tissue (otherwise it ends up on my eyelid). Before applying it to my lashes I always comb them and most of the time I curl them. The mascara itself is has a nice thick consistency and goes on pretty smoothly and evenly, but it does take longer than would be ideal to coat all of the lashes due to the size of the brush. After application I comb my lashes again, this makes a huge difference and I find it is important to do this fairly quickly before the mascara sets, so I normally apply it to one eye then comb it before applying it to the other eye. The mascara dries quite quickly, which is good so you don’t have to wait too long for it to set. Once dry my lashes feel quite stiff but do not feel heavy and caked.
As I have blonde hair and pale skin my lashes are unfortunately very fair, so mascara makes a huge difference. I tended not to wear mascara during the day until recently when my optician informed me I had small eyes (not something a girl wants to hear), so I decided that mascara was a necessity. I like to look fairly natural during the day so I only apply one coat to just my top lashes, and I can't stand clumps or my lashes sticking together. This mascara makes my eyes look larger and more defined but still very natural, there are no tell tale signs such as lumps or spiderness that you get with some mascaras. I find that my lashes do look longer and fuller without the problem of the mascara containing any fibres, which I find tend to flake off and irritate my eyes. I have noticed that if I am short of time (or just being lazy) and I don't curl my lashes before applying it, the mascara does have a curling effect. This is not as good as if you had curled them first, but I find that the curling effect is further enhanced if when during application you hold the wand at the tips of your lashes for a second whilst pushing up and in towards your brow. This mascara does not give a false lash effect, but then I haven't found one that does, and it does not claim to do this.
What I like best is that I don’t feel like I am wearing mascara, I am not consciously aware of it. It easily lasts all day long and doesn't smudge. On the whole I have found it to be pretty much indestructible. My eyes are prone to becoming dry and irritable, probably largely due to my hay fever, and as a result I tend to touch and rub my eyes a fair bit, not to mention them watering occasionally. This mascara never budges, though if I really rub them I do look like I’ve had too many late nights. I also have the habit of forgetting I’m wearing mascara/eye makeup and rubbing my eyes, then panic when I remember, but when I look in the mirror to see how bad I look the mascara hasn’t budged. You would think that this means that it is hard to remove when you want to, but this is not the case. I use Simple’s eye makeup remover, which you would expect to be pretty mild and gentle, but I have never had a problem removing all of this mascara, and on the odd occasion that I have been too drunk to remove it before bed, I have not had too bad a panda eye effect in the morning. I have never noticed any flakes around my eyes, even at the end of the day.
I have found that if I apply more than one coat of mascara my lashes start to stick together, which I find really annoying and then try to separate them by removing the mascara from that bit with my nails, which completely undoes the effect of putting more than one coat on. Unsurprisingly two coats do give a more dramatic effect.
I have started wearing contact lenses in the last few months and was very pleased to discover that my favourite mascara has been ophthalmologically tested and is suitable for contact lens wearers. I have not had any problems with it when I have had my contacts in, and my eyes are very sensitive and I have had problems with other mascaras.
This mascara does also come in a waterproof version, which I have not tried, mainly as I find the normal one is waterproof enough for my needs. I wouldn't advise going swimming in it or wearing it to events where there is a high possibility of you crying e.g. a wedding, it would be best to buy the waterproof version. I find the normal one can withstand a fair amount of moisture before it starts to smudge. On the occasions where I have cried whilst wearing it I have found that if you can avoid rubbing it or touching it until it has dried then it doesn't run everywhere, and aside from the red puffy face you couldn't tell you have cried by looking at the state of the mascara. When wet it will come off on anything it touches, so best to dab your eyes with a tissue, but the normal version does not claim to be waterproof. When I remove my contacts I find that my eyes tend to water but my mascara never smudges.
Every so often I buy a different mascara to see if it is any better, convinced that the latest product will be better as it’s more advanced, or that as I am now no longer a student and I can afford a more expensive product it will therefore be superior. But none are ever as good as this mascara. I like the fact that it doesn’t clump or make my lashes stick together, and that it doesn’t flake off and irritate my eyes.
In summary this is fantastic mascara, easily the best I have tried and I would definitely recommend it. I like to replace my mascara every 6 months to avoid infections, and the tube easily lasts the 6 months without becoming all dry and crumbly. It is a bargain at £4.99 so even if you do try it and for some reason don't like it you haven't lost much. It gives good definition to all of your lashes and makes them look longer and fuller. Quite frankly if the effect wasn't any good I wouldn't keep buying it.
Advantages: Cheap, sexy, cult status. Disadvantages: Just try *removing* it!
...available in the USA – Maybelline Great Lash mascara. According to the buzz in the magazines, this was the product that the entire cast of Sex and the City swore by! (Note – anything ever worn or indeed even *mentioned* by Sarah Jessica Parker usually gains instant cult appeal).
Everybody was suddenly sweet-talking their American cousins to send over a tube of this stuff – as if it would work some kind of magical miracle on our ... ...did I get it….
Maybelline Great Lash mascara is truly unique – the packaging alone sets it apart from it’s sisters. You’ll see from the wee photie at the top there, that this is definitely *not* a mascara with self esteem and shyness issues. With a bright pink body and a lime green top – this product screams ‘look at me!’ from all angles.
The product is thick, glossy and dark (I’m sure they stock ...
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Advantages: bold, gives volume and length, clump-free, no flaking, long lasting, cheap! Disadvantages: is quite bold if you dont like that sort of thing
I must have tried millions of mascaras over the years - always searching for the perfect one! One of the biggest problems that I have is that most makeup gives me allergic reactions severe enough that I end up looking all blotchy and resembling the bride of Frankenstein.
This particular mascara is one that I came across in Tescos and was immediately attracted by the pink so just brought it without any real consideration! It was just under £5 in ... ...and other cosmetic selling places although in cheapy places like superdrug it is ridiculously cheap at around £3!!!
My main criteria for a mascara that I can get along with are that it must not cause me an allergic reaction, that it must be black (preferably very black!), it must be bold and it must not clump or flake. Fortunately this mascara seems to meet all of these criteria. The first thing that impresses me about this product is its appearance. ...
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Advantages: Fairly cheap, waterproof, goes on well Disadvantages: Er, pink packaging!
...on the vast range of Maybelline mascaras available from plumping to lengthening to creating lashes where I didnt think there could be lashes!
In amongst this lot was the 'Great Lash' mascara, unmistakable in its pink and green packaging I picked it up for a closer look.
Hmm, I was promised 'Perfectly defined lashes with a clean, seperate look.' So far so good... nothing fancy there. Reading on I was pleased to discover that this mascara had everything ... ...everything I asked of it.
I got mine from Boots on the high street but I know you can also get it online at their website www.wellbeing.com and at the moment they are offering a free Maybelline bag when you buy online!
What more could you want? Recommended to all! ...
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Advantages: Cheap, cute bottle Disadvantages: Rubbish brush, bad quality, doesn;t make a difference to lashes
I bought this a few months ago after reading quite a lot of positive reviews on it here. I wanted a cheaper mascara to use for work and during the day so I can save my Clinique one for weekends and night time (as its bloody expensive!) I got it from Boots for £4.70 which was very cheap and the kind of price I had been looking for. I chose the colour 'Blackest black', despite the only other colour being "very black", which confused me a bit, didn't ... ...two! The Bottle…
To be honest the bottle does look cheap, but at the same time I quite like it. It is a pink bottle with a green lid, and black lettering saying "GREAT LASH mascara". It is a squared off bottle with a rounded lid. It looks quite retro and reminds me of make-up I used to buy when I was in my early teens (about 10 years ago!) Some would describe it as old-fashioned which it is, I'm sure I remember seeing the same bottle for this ...
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Advantages: It comes in a PINK tube:) Disadvantages: It's not always in the sale!
...black or silver tubes, yawn, Maybelline on the other hand has gone for the fresh and funky approach and have packaged theirs in a pink square tube with black writing and a lime green lid, me like:)! Colour Range:
I bought Very Black but you can also get Soft Black, Brownish Black, Dark Brown and Royal Blue. Very black is, surprise surprise, a very dark black colour. I would recommend soft black to those of you who want less dramatically black lashes.
... ...be ‘lash-building’ (although I can’t say I find it any different from normal wands). I find it is easier to use than some other mascaras as the wand is quite small, it goes on smoothly and only one coat is needed as it coats lashes sufficiently with one sweep, also it doesn’t leave any clumps if only one coat is applied. It separates lashes well instead of clumping them together like some mascara’s do.
Result:
Beautiful ...
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Advantages: Gave me lovely lashes Disadvantages: Smudged
...I’m forever on a quest to find the perfect mascara and I’ve read lots of articles in the various gossip magazines in the past praising MaybellineGreatLash Mascara so I thought I’d give it a try. I bought the Waterproof version of this as I wear contact lenses and in my experience waterproof mascaras are better at not flaking off into my eyes. I paid £4.99 for this in Boots which I thought was an excellent price for a mascara. It is also available at supermarkets and pharmacies.
The packaging is a little cheap looking in my opinion. The tube is bright pink with black writing on it. It says Maybelline in the tiniest writing imaginable and then GREATLASH in big letters and then Waterproof in smaller letters, pink on black, underneath. It also says it’s 12.5ml. Made in France. The same information is on 2 sides of the tube which is...
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Advantages: Not many really Disadvantages: Flaky and dry
...I decided to try this mascara as som many magazines etc say how wonderful MaybellineGreatLash mascara is. I cannot pass comment on the regular variety but I found this waterproof one to be very disappointing.
The product is in a pink tube with bright green top so very distinctive and easy to spot. It has the wording in black down the side.
It cost me £4.79 in Boots but I'm sure a better price could be found if you shop around.
So, onto using the mascara: It took several coats to get a reasonable look anywhere near the full lash effect I like to achieve and it was very difficult to balance this against making it clumpy. Two or three hours after applying the mascara began to dry and flake a little, which proved very irritating. It also meant I had no chance of seeing whether it was waterproof - but it seems unlikely!
I...
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Advantages: Fuller looking lashes Disadvantages: not cheap
...Like most women I have tried my fair share of mascara's over the years and have been quite happy with the MaybellineGreatLash mascara for some time now. I try to (if I remember) replace my old tube of mascara every 6 months, but this time instead of buying my normal replacement tube I decided to try Max Factor's Masterpiece mascara, probably largely swayed by the adverts (the one with the girl from Memoirs of a Geisha), to see if it was any better, plus it was on offer in Boots at the time which I must admit was the final deciding factor. I think it normally retails at £8.99 for a 4.5ml tube which for me is quite expensive. It comes in three colours: Rich Black; Black Brown and Deep Blue. I tried Rich Black.
The blurb claims that the new iFX brush that comes with the Masterpiece mascara is the first of its kind. It is designed to...
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