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A real mom of 4 reviewing various products & services with honesty & integrity. From natural beauty products to household items to groceries - the truth - so you can save dollars, time & sanity. No flames, no games, just a real mom reviewing.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Is High End Mascara Really Any Better? A Mascara Showdown!

So you know I've been all about the eyes lately. All kinds of eye product reviews going on around here. Well, I had heard so many wonderful things about Benefit's They're Real Mascara, that I was longing to give it a try and see if it would do amazing things for my lashes. Luckily for me, I scored a "mini" for only $8, instead of forking over the usual $22 for a full-size tube.

I decided to put They're Real to the test, comparing it to two mascaras I'm currently using: Essence Multi Action False Lashes Mascara and Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extension Waterproof Mascara.

The plan: to put They're Real on one eye & one of the other two mascaras on the other eye, testing them against each other on two separate days. I put the same time, care & effort, as well as the same amount of coats (in this case, 1) on both eyes for each test.
I took my time, wiggled the wand lightly (as all the "experts" suggest) as I pulled the wand up through my lashes, and tried my best to get all the lashes, including the ones in the very corners.

Try to guess which eye is the one with They're Real and which one is Illegal Length.


Whattya think? Above, the one on your right seems just a little bit longer to me. Maybe a touch fuller, too.

How about when I do a close-up of each eye by itself at a slightly different angle?
They're nearly the same from this angle, in my opinion.
 Can you tell much of a difference?


Here's the answer! in the above photos, the lashes on my left eye (your right as you're looking at my pics) were coated in Illegal Length. My right eye's lashes (your left as you look directly at me) is coated in They're Real.

RESULTS:
To me, the Illegal Length ($7- 9) looked just as good, if not slightly better, than They're Real ($22), and costs less than half the price!


Now for the results of Test #2: They're Real vs. Essence Multi Action

 



 I think that the one of your left shows a bit more definition of each individual lash, while the one on your right is a touch more clumped together.Also, the one on your left seems a bit longer.

And then, check out one eye at a time, slightly different angle.
The difference is a bit more pronounced from this angle. The one on your left is definitely longer and more defined than the one on the right.

 
 Not much difference from here.

The Big Reveal: The lashes on my left eye (your right as you're looking at my pics) were coated in Essence Multi Action. My right eye's lashes (your left as you look directly at me) were coated in They're Real.

RESULTS:
To me, They're Real ($22) looked a bit better than Essence Multi Action ($3.49). HOWEVER, at such a huge price difference, is it a big enough improvement to justify paying $18.51 more??
Not to me.

So, the lesson to be learned is that paying a higher price for your cosmetics doesn't necessarily mean that you have bought a superior product.
 After all, the proof is in the pictures!
Illegal Length vs. They're Real
Essence vs. They're Real


Double digits for mascara? A sucker is born every day!




21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with u and have done similar tests on my own with different ones but wow ur eyes r gorgeous any way u do them!

The Real Mom said...

Thank you, you're very kind. I hate how red my eyes were for this shoot.

Anonymous said...

I love illegal lengths, I have short lashes and it makes my lashes look soooo long for only 8.00 versus paying 22.00 for buxom and bare escentuals that don't even come close to making my lashes long! thank you for the comparisons!

The Real Mom said...

You're welcome, Anon. I will say that my Illegal Lengths didn't seem to last as long as They're Real, even though They're Real was a mini. It started drying up within a couple of weeks, while They're Real is still just the same in consistency and performance. So, if you have to replace the mascara more often, it might not be as good of a deal as first thought!?!

Shari Lynne @ www.faithfilledfoodformoms.com said...

Great Post!! I'm hopping over from the weekend hop at SITS! I totally agree..it just really seems ridiculous to spend soo much $$ on mascara..I try to tell my teen that all the time LOL

Rulissa @ Mustard Seeds in Oklahoma said...

Hi! Jean!!! I've popped over from the SITS Girls Sharefest... Your reviews are awesome - so helpful and packed with info! I'm following you now (so I don't spend any more $$ than I have too!). I'd love it if you visited me sometime!

www.MustardSeedsOK.blogspot.com

Louise Ducote said...

Great review! I don't even wear mascara but I enjoyed your comparisons anyway!

Laura Wells said...

I so admire you. First, you put your picture all over your blog which is awesome. Second, your review is helpful and fun. Great work.

mrsbonnbonn.com said...

great review! thank you:) Happy Sits day:)

Pam said...

Fun! I've been paying double digits for a mascara, I admit. (I am usually frugal, but the older I get, the less lashes I have.) I'm definitely going to try some in the review insteas! Stopped by from SITS. Have a great day!

Barb said...

Great tutorial. Great visuals (your lashes are amazingly, super long - so lucky) and great information. Stopping by from SITS today - Happy SITS day and have a great weekend.

Denise Malloy said...

This is pretty amazing to see the difference side by side. Nice to know we don't have to spend the big bucks for great lashes. Thanks for this post!

Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos said...

Happy SITS Day! I tend to not buy Benefit Macacaras - but I do use Dior Show. I will have to give the Maybelline a try.

Elena said...

I've done the same test and found my $7 Loreal Telescopic Mascara to be actually better than most of the high-end mascaras I've tried (with the notable exception of my Yves Saint Laurent).
Happy SITS Day (I'm following you now)!

Patricia said...

I don't care how good the mascara is, I would NEVER pay $22 for them but then I'm cheap. *L*

Good review. It goes to show that more expensive does NOT mean better!

stopping by from SITS! Happy SITS day!

Jen + Jeff said...

Happy SITS day!

I love a good mascara. I am currently wearing Revlon's Photoready 3d Volume. It has the same brush as Benefit's They're Real mascara. It's worth trying. :)

Anne Galivan said...

I came over from SITS because I too LOVE playing with make-up. In fact, I am something of a Sephora.com addict.

One thing I love about Sephora.com is that they post reviews from real users of the products along with a short profile. So I can check the reviews written by women around my age (I'm 50) to see how the products ACTUALLY work.

Granted, what someone else loves about a product isn't necessarily going to work for me but I've done pretty well by it. One of my problems, however, is that I so love to play with make-up that I'll buy something different just for the heck of it even though I already have a product of that type that I love!

As for mascara, I will probably never settle on one. I have two full-size mascaras and a sample size, all different brands, and I love them all. Why choose? :)

Now if I can just find something that actually DOES work on my undereye circles, I'll be in business...

Brandie @ Home Cooking Memories said...

I totally thought the Illegal Length's looked better too! Excellent comparison...can't wait to see more of these.

PS...I'm visiting from SITS...congrats on being featured!

New York Cliche said...

oh who hasn't wondered if the price really makes a difference? great post! visiting from SITS!

krystle said...

My fav mascara is Lancome Definicils. I love it!

Cater Hater said...

I'm popping in from SITS to let you know that I love, love, love Estee Lauder mascaras more than anything. I also use Maybelline Great Lash.

I hope you enjoyed your SITS Day! It's nice to eMeet you. Thnak goodness for SITS or I may not have met you. Glad I did!