Hey there!
I’m still on a hunt for a perfect mascara for everyday use and for some special occasions.
Recently I purchased the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara Black. Such a name associates with fluffy, rich, long and separated eyelashes. I mean exactly what we need for Smokey Eye look!
Packaging
I got this mini version from a beauty box.
The volume is great, however. The product comes with 3 g, which is enough for a month and a half. I managed to test it both for everyday and evening makeup.
This mini-size tube is well made. It’s just a smaller version of the regular mascara. I love such tubes, as they don’t take up much room in a makeup bag and look really nice.
The packaging doesn’t stain and looks proper till the end.
Brush
I always have an issue with brushes, as they are quite important to me. The Bobbi Brown brush wand has classy soft bristles. The material doesn’t remind me of a hair brush, plastic ‘thorns’ or anything.
It’s just a soft, flexible brush that doesn’t prick. Moreover, it’s quite thin, which makes it easier to apply the mascara.
The brush has a narrow tip, which helps to color my lashes in the inner corners of my eyes.
There is no limiter or it doesn’t work properly. The brush picks up so much product that sometimes I have to remove the excess using the edge of the tube. Otherwise I apply too much of it to my thin lashes in the corners of my eyes and they look too heavy then. Plus, it can stick them together.
Texture and smell
The mascara is thick, viscous and a little bit sticky, so keep it in mind when applying.
The most frequent issue I had was that this mascara can stick my upper and lower eyelashes together in the inner corners of my eyes.
And that is taking into account the fact that I never apply it to my lower lashes. I had to separate them with a needle, which is not good. The product dried out too quickly in the tube and I couldn’t even use it up.
Just for the sake of curiosity I tried to dilute it with water and moisturize the brush. As a result it seemed to work and the mascara didn’t even lose its properties. Nevertheless, I didn’t use it further on. The thing is that if it dried out, OK then. It was time to test another new mascara.
This product is fragrance-free, so thank you. That’s something at least 
The manufacturer promises:
The perfect complement to a smokey eye look, this kohl-pigmented mascara delivers high drama by creating extremely black, stretched-out lashes in an instant. Plus, the long-wearing formula holds its own against flaking, smudging, sweat and humidity.
Builds volume lash by lash as opposed to traditional volumizing formulas that create the appearance of volume by clumping lashes together. Plus, a thicker brush base evenly combs through eyelashes from roots to ends, while a tapered tip grabs those small, hard-to-reach lashes.
All in all, the product description is quite true. The only gripe I have about it is stretched-out lashes. It didn’t stretch my lashes out, although I tried mascaras that were able to prolong my lashes to my eyebrows.
My experience with this mascara
Let’s start with the information about my eyelashes:
I have quite thick and medium-length lashes without any curl at all. They are extremely straight, so I want some curl and stretching-out from any mascara. Any volume without clumps would be great.
So, it’s high time to show you this mascara in action now:
My impressions:
The product is quite sticky, so be careful while applying it to the inner corners of your eyes. Otherwise you're gonna feel uncomfortable the whole day. Yes, you can separate your lashes after that, but they will be clumping together still.
It colors every lash. I was so impressed by the effect given that it has such an ordinary wand. The mascara applies very evenly and doesn’t clump your lashes together. Moreover, it makes them voluminous and bright. However, you have such results if you apply a very thick coat on the first go.
One coat
Two coats look very messy. The second layer applies badly at the bottom and fixes only beginning from the middle to the edge of my lashes. There are no spider lashes or disgusting clumps, but it’s very clear that the coat is uneven.
The curl doesn’t last long. My lashes start to straighten out in 30 minutes already. However, it doesn’t go back to their initial straight position, but there is no wide open eyes effect anymore.
No flaking. This mascara stays put till the evening, even if I have two layers on. There is no flaking or falling out, so it’s perfect in this respect.
Doesn’t flow even when crying. It sometimes happens that I have runny eyes because of a strong wind or bright sun. The mascara works really well there and doesn’t flow, so I don’t look like a panda. It doesn’t smudge even when snowing and raining provided you don’t touch it with your hands.
Removes so horribly. This is the reason it’s not my favorite mascara for daily use. The product dissolves with specks when removing it with a cleansing oil or a makeup remover. It feels like I applied a scrub to my lashes. Moreover, it doesn’t come off completely and I have to finish the process by removing it with a two-phase makeup remover or micellar water.
It’s a little bit of a hassle to work with cleansing foam or micellar water right up, as this process will definitely take a long time: It soaks too slow and comes off very reluctantly.
I’ve been using this mascara for a month and a half. My everyday makeup looked like this:
Price tag:
$30 on the official website. It’s up to you if the price is hefty or not. As far as I’m concerned, this price is alright for a mascara, but not in this case.
I’m glad I’ve tested the mini-size version and didn’t purchase this mascara in a bigger tube, as I would’ve regretted my buy. I don’t like spending so much time on removing my makeup in the evening.
As a result, I recommend the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara to those who wear mascaras in one coat and have plenty of time in the evening to remove this mascara. Other than that, it’s almost perfect. It gives quite a nice effect and lasts really long.
