Cover Girl LashBlast Mascara

From LoveToKnow Makeup

Since everyone and their mother has been raving left and right about Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara since it hit stores several months ago, I, being a rabid makeup addict, considered it my duty to womankind to test it out fully for a couple of weeks. For the final verdict, read on.

Wow the world with your lashes!

The Challenge

Despite being a makeup artist and having a rather compulsive passion for cosmetics, I was never quite as fond of mascara as other products. I always admired the way it made other women's lashes go for miles, curl for days and stand out for eternity, but I couldn't personally find The One for me.

A year or so ago, though, I was gifted with a tube of Prescriptives Lash Envy mascara and haven't looked back since. In fact, I can barely recall life pre-mascara, when lashes lacked volume, curl and strength. Of course, now that I've delved into lash enhancement with full force, I'm more interested than ever in new, raved-about mascaras that promise to shake the world and, oh yes, make my eyelashes look the best they've ever looked.

When I heard about Cover Girl LashBlast mascara, I was dubious at best. I've never had much success with the brand, and their wall full of mascaras at the drugstore always looks a bit bland and studious to me. It was a pleasant surprise to find that Lash Blast was packaged in a bulbous, bright orange tube.

More important than aesthetics, though, was the challenge. Could it possibly top my beloved Lash Envy? Previous experiments with other brands were all big failures, yet the buzz surrounding LashBlast was so great that I couldn't resist.

So I took the plunge.

The Two Week Test

I like to give products a couple of weeks to agree (or disagree) with me. Of course, with mascara the results are pretty instantaneous, and allergic reactions are rare so there wasn't much to worry about from that standpoint. Still, I thought retiring my Lash Envy for two weeks in favor of the Cover Girl mascara was enough time to give it a fair shot.

The Buzz Surrounding Cover Girl LashBlast Mascara

The out of control hype, the press coverage and the fact that it was sold out everywhere for a few weeks led me to believe I was about to experience the best mascara in the world, hands down. I really should have known better!

I picked up a tube of LashBlast (advertised on the packaging as "volume blasting mascara") in Black Brown. The store display promised instant volume, full and lush lashes and the "ultimate big lash" I'd always fantasized about. Based on reviews I'd already read about LashBlast making lashes look like those decadent false eyelashes seen on the likes of Jennifer Lopez, I assumed there had to be some truth to the claim. In addition, the mascara is advertised as smudge- and smear-proof, hypoallergenic and suitable for contact lens wearers – all great traits that spell perfection as far as I'm concerned.

Pros and Cons: The Verdict

After two weeks of wearing LashBlast – sometimes with a full face of makeup, sometimes on its own to see how well it really made a statement without anything else competing for attention – I was moderately pleased with the experience.

First, the pros:

The mascara does an incredible job of separating lashes! Clumping was not an issue at all.

It made my lashes pop! They didn't necessarily look like false lashes, but they were voluminous, dark and really stood out.

When worn with a simple face (just foundation and dusky pink lip gloss), the mascara helped my lashes stand out strongly. The result was a very mod, sixties-inspired look.

A couple of people complimented me on my long lashes – that's always a day-brightener!

Now, the cons:

The tube, while adorable and even sort of kitschy, is also far too fat and clunky to be practical. If you're more comfortable using something slimmer, you'll find this takes some getting used to.

It smudges, despite its claim that it doesn't. This is really the final test of any mascara's greatness, as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing worse than coming home at the end of a long day, peering in the mirror and seeing traces of mascara underneath your eyes – or worse, on your cheeks!

It was tough to remove, even though I picked up the non-waterproof version. It took more rubbing than I am comfortable with; I believe the delicate skin around the eyes should be treated gently, and rubbing vigorously just doesn't fit in!

The final verdict? I liked it, but in the end it just didn't compare to what I was using before. I wasn't convinced to make a permanent switch.

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