I jumped at the chance to try a new Maybelline mascara when The Falsies Volum'Express ($7.77) was introduced during the summer. I love - totally love - Maybelline's Define-A-Lash mascara, and I expected great things from The Falsies. After many weeks of on-and-off testing, I've concluded The Falsies is a nice enough volumizing mascara, but not a great one. I'm sticking with Define-A-Lash. At roughly the same price, why would anyone buy the newest one when they can have a great Maybelline mascara?I toyed with not mentioning The Falsies. I don't enjoy writing features about products I can't recommend. Then I realized that I could save you the trouble of buying it to try it. I wouldn't use a tester of a mascara for any reason, but I know many women do at department stores. You can't test at a drug store. Most of the chain drug stores (e.g., CVS) will accept returns of used beauty products, but why bother when you know another mascara is better? Besides that, in my area, customer service at CVS has evaporated this year - must be tough times for them.
I have to start my description with the curved brush, which is intended to mimic the curve of your lashes and sweep them from root to tip. It doesn't. That's a tall order anyhow since all of us have eyelids that are different in size and contour. The brush is big, klunky, and hard to use. I find myself using the tip more often than not. Forget using the brush on your lower lashes. I have to apply mascara to mine - they are so blond they are missing in action if I don't. I can't use the brush on my lower lashes unless I use only the tip. There's too much clean-up to do.
Maybelline says you'll love The Falsies mascara because...
- It has the patented spoon brush. In my opinion, the brush is the greatest drawback to the mascara.
- The Kera-fiber formula instantly builds eight times more volume without clumping. This is true to some extent. I'm not sure about eight times; that would be excessive. I can tell you that it adds very nice volume that lasts all day and doesn't flake off. Maybelline also says it fills in the gaps between your lashes; that's just plain scary. It is volumizing - nicely so - but it doesn't create a shelf over your eyes.
- The unique flexible wand helps to lift and separate lashes to provide the look of 300% more lashes. There's that wand again. If that's its greatest feature, forget it!
- It's ophthalmologist tested and safe for contact lens wearers. What mascara isn't ophthalmologist tested these days? As for contact lens wearers, I can tell you that it didn't bother mine at all.
I can't figure out why mass market beauty retailers who already have fabulous mascaras keep rolling out new ones. CoverGirl does the same thing. They have a winning mascara, but tweak it and introduce a new one. Are we so fickle that we need to try a new mascara every month? I try new ones so that I can tell you about great ones. I do have a great one to tell you about (high-end, of course). The Falsies isn't it. Try Define-A-Lash. It's available in volume and lengthening formulas.
You can purchase this mascara, if you can't stand the suspense, at mass market retailers everywhere.
Photo at top courtesy of Maybelline