Product Review: Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara

They say a girl can never have too much shimmer in her life. And well, not to be a snot, but obviously that is untrue. Frosty 90's shimmer is rarely a good thing. Shimmer lotion spackled on so thickly it rubs all over your fancy little black party dress making you look like you had a run-in with a deodorant stick -- also not good. Shimmery* sequined tights a la Jason Meyer's atrocity on the Project Runway Canada finale? *Shudder*

But generally speaking, a little shimmer is a good thing. It adds depth, interest, and sparkle. It's fun and girly! So a little shimmer should help pretty much any product, right? This must have been what the folks at Cover Girl were thinking when they came up with Lash Blast Luxe Mascara. Shimmer in a mascara? Why not? People luuurve shimmer. Right?


Well, maybe it's just me, but the shimmer in Lash Blast Luxe does absolutely nada. I got the blue shade (it's called the very dramatic Black Royale), which, as far as I can tell, is a black base with blue shimmer. Once it's on the lashes though, I can barely see the shimmer at all. I certainly can't tell if it 'brightens' my eyes or whatever. If I look super closely, I can tell something's there, but it sort of just looks like I was messy when applying my shimmer eye shadow and got some on my lashes. Hmm.

Despite the shimmer having little-to-undesirable effects, I actually quite liked the forumla. It seems a bit drier than the original Lash Blast, which means that while it didn't create quite as much volume for me, it was much better at getting that soft feathery look. A bit softer than the regular Lash Blast, but also easier to deal with (Lash Blast original got a little clumpy sometimes, and my lashes would stick together). It stays on well, is smudge free, and I can wear it with contacts on no problem.

So would I recommend this? Well, if you love Lash Blast already, then you probably don't need this. But if the original Lash Blast was a bit too wet for you, or if you haven't tried Lash Blast and like the idea of having (barely-perceptible) shimmer in your mascara, then go ahead and grab a tube. It's definitely not a bad product, just don't go expecting Liza-Minelli-crossed-with-Vegas-showgirl lashes from this!



* Okay, technically I guess that's more "sparkly" or "blingy". It was horrific however you slice it. Also, I totally want the Jessica Biffi Winner's dress now! Oh to have $100 extra. Or $400 extra, so I can get it in all those colours. Mmmm... sherbet-y.

Product Review: Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara

Okay, this is probably semi-old news for most of you, but I figured I should post about it anyway. I finally got my hands on some Volume Exact mascara! And as predicted, it's a winner!





If you've tried and liked Lash Exact, you'll probably love Volume Exact. It's got a similar brush and formula in that it defines lashes really well, and prevents clumping. However, Volume Exact definitely gives more oomph, and a bit more length as well. We're not talking an outrageous, "falsies" look here, but it is a very attractive, full & feathery effect.

Also great is that Volume Exact has kept the long-wearing factor of LashExact ... while still not waterproof, it lasts through a normal day no problem. I do notice a bit more flaking than Lash Exact if I've slept in it (I do it in the name of science people! Not drunken & uncoordinated laziness, as many might imagine), but for your typical work day or night out, it's not a concern at all.

As for ease of application, if you've never used the spindly-plastic brushes before, it'll take a bit of getting used to. Otherwise, it's a snap. There is a teeeeny bit of clumping sometimes, but it's easily fixable with a couple light strokes of the mascara wand... I've never had to reach for a lash comb. So, while the effect is not quite as dramatic as Rimmel's Magnif'eyes*, it's also a heck of a lot quicker to apply.

So yeah, continued kudos for the Cover Girl mascara people. Big loud BOOOOS to the Cover Girl ad people who put "Andrea, Canada's Next Top Model" in a TruBlend lipstick print ad that I saw in a Chatelaine** at the dentist's today. Why can't they make her look pretty, dammit???



* By the way, Magnif'eyes has been in Canada & the US for some time now. They changed the name to "Eye Magnifier" for some reason. I guess they figured that the oh-so-clever pun wouldn't travel well across the pond? Whatevs, as far as I can tell, it's the exact same product.

** A Canadian women's mag, possibly similar to Redbook. They have nice recipes in there.