Long time no see everyone! Now that I'm on Christmas break, I thought I'd celebrate with a little review! I acquired the Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara in September after my Fairydrops Platinum/Scandal Queen Mascara (review here) dried out. I knew it wasn't going to be the same as the Fairydrops (nothing will be, to be honest!) but I hoped it would be a suitable replacement. It's a multi-awarded mascara in Japan by Cosme, and has been for three years! Knowing this, I had high expectations for this mascara.
Packaging & Wand
While not as cute as packaging for Fairydrops, the Heroine Make Mascara comes in a slim plastic tube with a magenta body and a black cap. I highly appreciate that the cap shuts tightly as it prevents the mascara from drying out faster. Its very lightweight and could be easily taken around in your purse or for travel.
The wand is a bristle brush, with a slight curve. I find the curve quite helpful as it fits the shape of the eye. I do wish there were more bristles on the brush, just so it would get more lashes in one swipe. It doesn't require a lot of coats, however, so this is a very minor issue. I will say though that product tends to gather at the tip of the brush, which could make lashes clumpy if you don't take away the excess. Trust me, this has happened more times that I can count.
Formulation
The formula itself is not too wet that it weighs lashes down, or too dry that it doesn't last long. I find it to be in a happy middle. As it is supposed to function more to lengthen and curl rather than to volumize, you will find little volume here. I will say, that it lengthens very well and separates lashes cleanly for the first few passes. I must mention that it does get clumpy and spidery with too many layers, which I attribute more to the brush and the stopper than to the formula. It's a shame, as I did want a mascara that would give definition, length, and curl to my very short, stick-straight lashes.
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| Left eye with mascara, right eye without |
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| Final result! Lets ignore my eyebrows for now haha. You can see that the look is pretty natural |
Lasting Power
The mascara dries within a considerable amount of time - enough to let you build but fast so it doesn't run everywhere. I find that it lasts all day without clumping or flaking, which is a big factor in my book and I am very happy with this. It takes a heavy duty make-up remover to get this off, and is 100% waterproof. Great if you're going to go swimming or watch a movie that will make you cry, haha! I find that I don't worry much about my lashes when I'm wearing this.
Price and Availability
I purchased this for 595 PHP at Watsons. Might be a little expensive, but that's just me who expects mascaras to be under 500 PHP. Its definitely cheaper than say, Max Factor (which is my next brand to try). This is widely available in most SM Department Stores that I've checked, and some of the newer Watsons stores. Otherwise, you can buy this in Japan - it's widely available in the drugstore!
Summary:
(+) Cap shuts tight
(+) Very waterproof
(+) Curved brush
(+) Holds a curl
(+) No flaking or smudging
(+/-) Price
(+/-) Availability
(-) Gets clumpy
(-) Stopper doesn't remove enough product
Repurchase: Yes, but not immediately. I want to try other mascaras first, but this is definitely a good back-up in case those don't work out.
That's it for my review! If you guys have any mascara recommendations of your own, or if you've tried this, feel free to leave me a comment below!
