Sorry if you do not use makeup, but this is a product I really have fallen for and want to review it. I have to say, this is the most difficult beauty item to change for me. Mascara is something I have struggled with the idea of living without (I mean… I know I could, but I just do not want to). I use mascara 5-6 days a week and am strict about replacing mine every 3 months, especially after seeing friends get sties and pink eye from using questionably old eye makeup. Three months for using one tube of mascara is what my eye doctor recommends and seems to be the general consensus in the beauty community.
However, finding a natural mascara without all the junk for less than $10 is difficult. Most are over $10 and for how often I buy mascara, that is just not budget friendly. After narrowing down the natural mascara options due to price (which left less than 10 to chose from), I thought about what I really loved most about the Maybelline mascara I had been using for the past 8+ years.
Top: with makeup, Bottom: no makeup
My natural lashes are ok, but I really like how my eyes look with more voluminous lashes. Since my hair is dark brown, I use black shades to help them stand out even more. I also appreciate a formula that never flakes because having your cheeks dusted with black specks is not cute.
After reading a lot of reviews and hemming and hawing over the 2-3 options I had to choose from, I purchased the Shea Moisture Absolute Volumizing Mascara in black. I figured Shea Moisture got it so right with my shampoo, how could they go horribly wrong with makeup. So far, no regrets! Here are my pros and cons:
Cons
- Silicone brush/wand. I know some ladies love them, but I do not. I have sort of become use to it, but honestly I still prefer a bristle brush.
- Ball tip. The ball tipped wands seem to hold a lot more product than you need so they really just make you a gloopy mess.
- Not as much volume as my old mascara. I realize it is better for me and it does improve the volume of my lashes, but I do not get ladies asking me where I get such natural looking fake lashes from anymore. Sad.
- The brush of the Ultra Curl and Define mascara from Shea Moisture is the WORST. One time, my subscription of the volumizing mascara could not fulfilled since they were out of stock. So I opted to try the other mascara from Shea Moisture and that brush… messy is the best way to put it. I had to clean up so many smudges and my lashes clumped together a lot. I looked like Raggedy Ann. So much lash coaming needed. I used it for 2 weeks and pulled the wand from my old tube out, washed and disinfected it throughly and switched the wands. I feel like the formula must be the same and it is just the brushes that are different.
Pros
- The formula/look it provides. I like how smooth and thick the formula is, so I can get the added volume I like. It also does not flake, or at least it has not done that to me. There was one comment I read where they stated it flaked.
- Affordability. With the subscription online at Target (so that I have it automatically delivered to me every 3 months) it costs $8.62, which is the cheapest natural mascara I have found.
- Accessibility. Always available at Target and Ulta, but I have seen it in a few other stores as well.
- Cruelty free. No animals were harmed in the making of this product.
Reasonably Fit Life 