When choosing a makeup product, I don’t really care to what price range it belongs. I mean I only try to avoid buying really cheap cosmetics. I’d better buy one palette for $50 than 15 palettes for the same price, because in the end, I’ll have to buy a decent expensive palette too.
Earlier, I used to use brown mascara, but my lids started itching, plus I wanted to try something more dramatic...So I went out to find a black mascara. Actually, I didn’t go out, I ordered a beauty box.
Yep, this review is about a sample. That’s horrendous, I’m so poor and can’t afford a full-size mascara...and throw it away in two weeks. The sample landed in the trash can in two weeks as well. Kind of magic.
I was eager to try the mascara from my favorite brand. Why favorite? Because I’m totally in love with their skincare products! I love them so much that I’m ready to follow people around asking: ‘Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about skincare?’ Just kidding, but there is an element of truth in this joke. Anyway, I thought: “They simply can’t launch a bad mascara!”
I like this attention to detail. A neat tube held in the typical Shiseido style. The mascara doesn’t try to mislead you by showing off all those golden letters etc. Plain but tasteful. Holding it, you just feel that even this mini tube costs more than many full-size mascaras out there.Price:
The mascara tries to bankrupt its new owner for a good reason. What’s its thing? The thing is the brush!
You can find the scheme on the packaging. In order to paint even the unruliest lashes you can bend the brush 30 degrees.That’s what it looks like:
Straight:
And now bent:
The straight brush is more convenient to use, so all this bending is just for fun.
Other than that, the brush is quite standard. I prefer silicone brushes, but such brushes are goodish too...
There is a little problem: I don’t know about the full-size mascara, but there is no stopper in this one, which means that too much mascara comes out, and the rest dries quickly. I was naive and thought this sample would last for a month, but, alas, the mascara turned into dried glue in two weeks.
The color is black, very saturated.
Effect:
In order to evaluate the effect any mascara gives, one should take a look at the ‘before’ shots first. I’m okay with my eyelashes, though.
These are thick and pretty long, naturally curly, but pale. Actually, my dream mascara has to only separate them.
I take this high end stuff out and….
is that all?
At first, everything seems to be ok, but if you look closely, you’ll see that the mascara has glued my eyelashes together and created a few little clumps. The mascara cannot curl eyelashes and they become flat in 10-15 mins.
And that’s not the only problem. It wasn’t visible in the first week, but then the mascara started growing denser, and the brush kept sticking in lashes and bending by itself, regardless of whether I used it straight or bent. Well, the innovative brush didn’t work properly. Due to the absence of the stopper, I applied mascara not only to the eyelashes, but also to the eyelid.
It was infuriating, and in the end, I decided to throw the sample away, because it was torture for a ham-handed person, who is always in a hurry.
And what do we say to the second layer?
Not today. Not tomorrow. Never. Second layer means clumps and glue on the eyelashes.
Just a little comparison with another mascara by L’Oreal.
It is four times cheaper than that from Shiseido, by the way.
What else makes me worry? As a rule, samples are better than full-size products. But if this one is so bad, how bad is the full-size mascara?
These problems don’t seem so significant if you look at the eyelashes from a distance. The most important thing is to keep a happy facial expression 
Lasting power:
To its credit, the mascara doesn’t fall out. At all. Even if you forgot about it and touched the eyes. Even after a 2 hour long eye poking session with my son’s fingers.
Yes, if you start watching Hachi: A dog’s tale, this mascara will definitely leave your eyes, but it doesn't happen everyday. Actually, it may smudge because of rain and snow, but nobody promised water resistance, after all.The mascara doesn’t feel heavy on the eyelashes, even when I wear contact lenses.
Makeup removal:
The mascara is supposed to come off when in contact with any makeup remover or warm water. But water alone cannot fight it. You need a micellar water.
So, there won’t be an evening show when you do finally leave me, and that’s a plus. You see, there are 2 pluses.
Conclusion: Yeah, I love Shiseido, but not their makeup. You can spend these $27 better (like buy some sake and watch the apple-trees flower, and don’t bother yourself about eyelashes stuck together).
