Fab or flub: New mascaras claim to give users curling lashes

Just call this week’s Fab or Flub a two-for-one special. With so many new mascaras being pushed onto the market each month, it can be hard (i.e. expensive) to try them all.

To help make your decisions a little easier (and save you the heartache of buying another dud), I decided to review two new mascaras at once.

During the past month, I’ve been trying out Benefit’s Roller Lash ($25 at Sephora) and L’Oreal’s Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara ($7.99 at Target). They differ in price points, but both mascaras caught my eye because of their potential curling powers.

If you’ve read Fab or Flub before, you might recall that I’ve mentioned having long lashes that refuse to hold any curl. An eyelash curler wasn’t the answer to my problems, so I’m always on the lookout for a mascara with the power to transform my straight lashes once and for all.

First impression

I’ve learned over time that the effectiveness of a mascara often comes down to the design of the wand, and, not surprisingly, both of these mascaras feature a curved wand. For any mascara that claims to have curling powers, this is standard practice.

Inspired by hair rollers, Benefit’s Roller Lash is described as a super-curling and lifting mascara that gives users a sexy, wide-eyed look. The vitamin-infused mascara features short, tiny bristles that are made to lift and curl even the shortest lashes.

On the other end of the spectrum is L’Oreal’s Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara, which features a wand densely covered in bristles and packing a ton of product. Intended to stretch and extend lashes like the wings of a butterfly, the mascara claims to produce a curved, winged-out effect.

Given the differences between the wands, I was pretty sure I’d probably get very different results with these products.

Fab or flub?

Flab. In the end, both Benefit’s Roller Lash and L’Oreal’s Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara proved to be great at emphasizing lashes in two different ways.

Benefit’s Roller Lash did a wonderful job of separating and lengthening my lashes, giving me a more natural look. By comparison, the lash thickening and lengthening of L’Oreal’s mascara produced a far more artificial look.

Both mascaras held up well throughout the day, and I did not have any problems with smearing or flaking.

At night, Benefit’s Roller Lash proved quite easy to remove, thanks to its vitamin-infused formula. Because of its waterproof formula, the L’Oreal mascara was a bit harder to take off. To solve this problem, I used eye makeup remover instead of my usual makeup wipes.

Make no mistake, both mascaras are great at making lashes look fabulous, and I liked the results. However, I can’t ignore the inescapable disappointment of the original mission.

Neither mascara produced the promised curls. So, if it’s curl that you’re wanting, continue your quest.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Fab or flub: New mascaras claim to give users curling lashes."