Sephora LashStash Part 2: Makeup For Ever Smoky Lash and Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Review

When deciding what mascara(s) from my Sephora Favorites LashStash box to review, I noticed that two mascaras had very similar wands and claims.  So I decided to test and review them together, to compare them directly!

MUFE Smokey Lash at Left, Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing at right

First up is Makeup For Ever’s Smoky Lash.  I know this is a pretty popular mascara and I’ve seen the Pixiwoo sisters use it a lot in their videos so I was really excited to try it!

Makeup For Ever Smoky Lash

Makeup For Ever Smoky Lash

The brush is one of the bristle-brushes that I tend to think of as old-fashioned but that I quite prefer.  The brush is fairly large but not hard to use and didn’t get mascara all over my eyelid so long as I was careful.  The mascara itself looks inky-black even in the tube and there was no unpleasant scent or smell at all.

According to the Sephora website, this mascara claims to be “specially designed to give the lashes an exceptional volume-enhancing effect with infinite lengthening and immediate curling.”  Huh.  Yeah. Well.  Let’s see about that!

Right eye, no mascara

While my lashes are very blonde, you can see they’re well curled (thanks to my Shu Eumura lash curler).  You can see even the lashes on the outer edge are curled upwards.   This is important because…

Right eye, Makeup For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara

… they have started to droop once the mascara is applied.  And the lashes on the outer corner are pointing down — which is what they naturally do when they’re not curled with a lash curler.

So what did MUFE claim again? “specially designed to give the lashes an exceptional volume-enhancing effect with infinite lengthening and immediate curling”

Volume-enhancing?  Yes, I’d say so.

Infinite Lengthening?  Slightly but not much.

Immediate curling? *hysterical laughter*

What I did like about this mascara was that it’s very dark and gave plenty of volume.  Even though my lashes are drooping (and they continued to droop throughout the night until they were all straight or pointing down), there is enough volume to make them noticeable.  I liked that the mascara didn’t smear or flake or smudge and that it was easy to remove at the end of the night.

Would I buy the full size version?  No.  But I might try the waterproof version as waterproof mascaras are generally much better at keeping a curl in.  I will continue to use the small sized tube I have — BUT I’ll be using it over a lash primer (I use a Wet N Wild waterproof mascara as a sort of primer.)

Will I fare better with Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara? 

Bare Minerals Flawless Definition - Volumizing Mascara

Bare Minerals Flawless Definition - Volumizing

Bare Minerals claims that this “100% pure bareMinerals formula is paraben free, clump free, and smudge proof, for lusciously thick lashes with superior volume.”  And also “This mascara contains the exclusive NutriPlump™ formula that dramatically plumps lashes up to 600%* for unheard-of thickness, fullness, and flutter.”  Ok, then!  I think the whole “NutriPlump” stuff sounds absolutely ridiculous so I’m going to ignore it for the purposes of review and stick to the former claims that seem much more reasonable and achievable.

The first thing I noticed about this mascara was the smell.  It smells like dirt.  Like actual dirt.  Thankfully, the scent dissipates pretty fast and there’s no lingering odor once applied.  I think I actually would prefer the dirt smell to something with a heavy fragrance.  Since Bare Minerals touts itself as a more natural brand, I suppose it’s only fitting for there to be an… earthy… scent.

Left eye, no mascara

Again, I’ve curled the ever-living crap out of my little lashes.  Except for that one lash that always stubbornly evades my lash curler and insists on hanging straight down in the middle of my eye.  Bugger it.

Left eye, Bare Minerals Flawless Definition - Volumizing Mascara

Again with the droopage.  Sad.  However, this mascara makes NO claims that it curls lashes or keeps a curl in, so I can’t fault it for that.  Let’s look again at what it does claim to do:

clump free — yep, I think so.  I used two coats and there were no clumps

smudge proof — yes.  No smudging even after about 7 hours

lusciously thick lashes with superior volume — Ehnn… how about medium thick lashes with ok volume?

What I liked about this mascara — it’s also a nice, inky black.  It left my lashes feeling soft and yes, even fluttery.  It didn’t feel heavy or sticky.  It didn’t flake or smudge at all and was also easy to remove.  I also found the brush easy to use on my almost microscopic bottom lashes.

Would I buy the full sized version?  I don’t think so.  It didn’t really WOW me, even though I think it’s a nice mascara. It didn’t wow me enough to even want the waterproof version.  I would continue to use the small version I have over a primer. And I do think it’s a nice mascara, especially since Bare Essentials is a brand that is made without

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

For something being used that close to the eye, that is important, I think.

While making the pictures for this post, I realized how weird eyes look when that’s all you see of a person.  So here’s like my whole face!  Just to say hello.

Hi.

Even though I only took this picture a few days ago (and actually I’m wearing both kinds of mascara in it — MUFE on the right eye and BE on the left along with elf cream eyeliner in gunmetal., I’ve already changed my hair.  Because that’s what I do.  Call it an intro to a massive biggie post about my obsession with hair dye that I’m working on.