Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara

Today's the last official day of Mascara Mondays. Next week I'll update with an overview of all the posted formulas and grade them based on performance. I'll also give you a list of my personal needs from a lash enhancer.

This week we're talking about Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara. Not that it's of any importance but I love the name and the metallic purple tube, so cute and easy to find in your makeup bag. In general I really like Rimmel's mascaras, they are really cheap but they work well.

I have had absolutely no problems with flaking or smearing with this one, I love that! I'm a chronic eye rubber and with lesser formulas I end up with mascara ALL over my face. Trust me, it's not a good look. I'm pretty sure top models couldn't even pull it off. Rimmel Sexy Curves might actually stay on too well. As usual I never wash my face at night, I just use a makeup remover wipe (series to come soon) and therefore I had issues getting it off my lashes. In the interest of journalistic integrity I'm going to try makeup remover on it right now. Be right back! Haha, can you tell I'm prepared to write this? Yep, just I suspected this mascara is super easy to remove with eye makeup remover, even my cheapie ol' Maybelline.

Although this mascara is intended to curl the lashes I didn't find too much curl, in fact I thought my lashes looked straighter than normal. I hardly ever use my lash curler but the formula definitely holds a curl better than other brands. My lashes were dark and wet, rich and shiny and they stayed that way all day. They were dramatically lengthened and slightly volumized (7/10 I'd say). I love that my lashes don't feel heavy, sticky or dried out, three of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to mascara.

As with other drugstore brands I did see tiny clumps on the tips of my lashes. These aren't from your lashes clumping together thankfully, just tiny bunches of mascara that goop up. They're tiny, it doesn't ruin the results and running a lash comb through lashes would rid you of any evidence. The rubber bristle brush also makes it easy to comb out any mistakes provided you don't add more mascara between rounds. This formula also takes a minute to dry so you have be careful with those blinks or you run the risk of getting black speckles on your upper and lower eyelids. That's what keeps the look shiny throughout the day, it's a trade-off I'm willing to deal with. I can see myself using this mascara often. Overall this is a good mascara but probably not one I would purchase again just because I like to experiment and what better way to do it with under $5 tubes of mascara.

Check back next week for an overview of all my favorite mascaras and a quick wrap up to the series. I'll let you know which mascaras are worth their money and which ones you should skip!

Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender

There was a time you'd never catch me buying a high end mascara, never. I still technically have not caved on that one since I only purchased the deluxe sampler of all the higher end mascaras but I digress.

Back in the day I was firmly attached to my Rimmel Lycra Lash Extender and for good reason, it not only made my lashes inky and dark but it lengthened them into the stratosphere. Talk about hawt! Since then I've become more of a volume girl but you know how I like to shake it up. One the days that I'm looking for some lengthening action I wish I had a tube of Lash Extender hanging around.

The formula is truly the real deal. It's the perfect black shade, so dark that it shines, it doesn't clump or smear all over my face and the applicator really grabs my lashes for lots of curl and length. The curl and length truly last all day and make me look fabulous without shouting "it's the mascara, people" to everyone who walks by.

I've had pretty hit or miss success with Rimmel mascaras but for the price you can't beat them. Plus, they have so many formulas you're sure to find one that you're going to love for less than your twice daily Starbucks fix. Come on, it's summer, you know you're hitting that drive thru at least twice a day for an ice cold frappaccino!

Have you tried this formula? Doesn't it make lashes a mile long? My bestie who was blessed with the perfect lash fringe can't even compete with me when it comes to this mascara.

Rimmel Volume Flash The Max Bold Curves Mascara

Phew, that is a long name! Really, all you need to know is that it's in the lime green tube with pink writing, the complete opposite of Maybelline Great Lash, thankfully in more ways than one. First of all this mascara works. The brush is big enough to really change the look of your lashes, not just darken them with a smidge of tint and clump them together, always a plus. Also, unlike Maybelline, I could really see the lift and curl my lashes had when I applied this mascara. As you can see, I'm not a huge Great Lash Fan and that will never change, especially not when there are so many better products out there. But back to Rimmel.

I'm not to proud to say that curved brushes kinda scare me, I mean, which way do you hold it, round part up or down? Once I got past that hurdle (it's always up for me!) I liked this mascara. Curl is important to me. It's one of those really overlooked aspects of mascara, one of the things everyone loves but most mascaras don't even pretend to provide, you'd need a lash curler for that. Not this girl. Of course I own one but do I ever bother to use it? No! Also, this mascara fattens my lashes right up, lengthens them to the max and leaves them super dark even though the formula is only straight up black, not extra black or very black, just plain ol' black. I love that.

Now for the cons. One huge thing that gets me, possibly so much so that I wouldn't re-purchase this product, is that too much mascara dispenses on the wand. Way too much! I find myself cleaning off not only the tip but the whole wand in order to avoid the clump city I can see coming from a mile away. That's a big bummer. I wish it didn't have to be this way but I see no way around it, nothing I can do to make it work better for me, that's all up to Rimmel. Are you listening Rimmel?

Also, even though I didn't remove my mascara at night (I rarely do) I still expect not to have dark smudges under my eyes two days later when I didn't wear any makeup on the day in between. I can still feel it on my lashes days later. Call me what you will because to many this may be a good thing, to me it's not. I want to be able to be lazy enough to leave my mascara on overnight and not have it running and flaking all over my face for two days, even after only one use.

Lastly, another con for me, was that I did get flakes of mascara after a few hours of wear. If you're going to work (and you're not an excessive eye rubber or contact wearer) you might not have a problem with it. It's just that for me, I'm always touching my lashes, call it vanity or sheer silliness but I call it dedication, anything for my readers and Mascara Monday. I'd often get flakes in my eyes (or at least it felt like it), maybe that's why my eyes have been so irritated lately when I had no other signs of allergies.

Honestly, when wearing this mascara I liked it but now that I'm sitting down to write the pros and cons I can see it's not the best fit for me. At least I came to this conclusion now, better late than never, right? I probably wouldn't repurchase and with the way my eyes have been lately, I might even have to concede and toss this one in the garbage.

Rimmel The Maxx Volume Flash Mascara

It's that time again- Mascara Monday. Woohoo. Excited? I know I am!

This time Mascara Monday is brought to you by Rimmel London! I've tried a lot of Rimmel products and their mascaras in particular. I love, love, love the length their Lycra Lash Extender mascara gives my lashes, there is nothing like it out there.

Today though, I'm reviewing the Maxx Volume Flash, the one in the pink tube if you're anything like me and catagorize them that way. LashBlast is the orange tube etc.

I don't hate this mascara, I'm not mad at it, I just didn't go crazy for it either. First of all with all the advancements in the way of brushes this one is nothing special, just a plain ol' spooly applicator, not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not enough for me anymore, ya know? The brush grabs entirely too much mascara and there's so much that I have to scrape off that the tube's edge is already full of leftovers before I'm done wiping. For that reason it can be clump city if you're not careful. It's not the mascara's fault, blame the brush.

What I do love about this mascara is that it's a wet formula. You either know what I mean or you don't but some mascaras have a drier texture and appear matte on the lash while others appear like patent leather on. This one is the latter. I love that. I got a lot of volume once combed out and length and curl were excellent as well. I'd love to see this formula with a rubbery comb-style wand, see what that can do for you, just not one of those flimsy combs that bends in half when you try to put it back in the tube *ahem Maybelline*.

Any mascaras you're wondering about that you haven't tried out yet? Let me know, I just might have them in my stash for review for Mascara Monday and I can speed up the process.