It’s been almost four years since I conducted “The Battle of the Mascaras”.
Eek! Where did the time go? Other than the date stamp reminder – the post was first published in October 2008 – I am also quite horrified to acknowledge that I look four years younger in the photo.
Paging Doctor Botox.
But since I receive approximately 10 e-mails per month from readers asking about my preferred beauty brands (especially mascara), I thought now would be a splendid time to dig “The Battle of the Mascaras” out of the vault. Of course, the title is terribly misleading; I don’t actually conduct an epic battle between a variety of mascaras. Just two: a drug store brand and a department store offering. But, they still happen to be two of the most popular products on the market. So without further ado, here you go!
Original Post, circa October 2008:
Since I love trying new face candy, I couldn’t help but snap up a tube of Dior’s DiorShow Iconic Mascara. Touted as the best mascara on the market, I dismissed its $34.00 price tag with hopes of lashes galore. Yet as I walked away with my purchase, a tidal wave of doubt flooded my senses. Did I really need to spend close to $40 on mascara? Is it really so superior to drugstore counterparts? Couldn’t I just be happy with tried and true Maybelline? Will they ever remake Dallas?
So I decided to put my “eye” where my money is and compare DiorShow right next to a leading drugstore mascara. The battle would be fought at 18:00 hours, East eye vs. West eye. The winner was to forever hold the title “Queen of Lash Candy”. The challenger: Cover Girl’s LashExact Mascara. I had heard many good things and concluded it would be a worthy opponent.
(1) Marketing Verbiage
What the two brands have to say about their product:
LashExact: Get no clump, no glob, beautifully-defined lashes. The LashExact brush is a patented technology with bristles that are aligned and clean, so you get the Exact look you want.
DiorShow: Iconic mascara features an oblique cut brush that gives an extra lash-curling effect. With its long, skinny teeth, the plastic comb brush allows you to precisely coat each lash one-by-one-creating a long, separated fan of lashes that usually takes the skill of a makeup artist.
Both mascaras applied surprisingly easily – no clumps, no smears, no tugging. While I was surprised at how precisely CG’s brush coated the lashes, even more shocking was Dior’s ability to bring all my lashes out of hibernation, coaxing each and every one to come out and play. I had almost double the amount of little flirts winking back at me.
(3) Conclusion
Both mascaras lengthened equally, and overall I am happy with both contender’s dramatic effects. But Dior’s ability to seemingly multiply my lashes has me hooked, and in my humble opinion, I concur that it truly is the better mascara. Queen of Lash Candy has been crowned!
Will I re-purchase the mascara at its posh price? Probably not. But I will cherish the tube I have, and save it for those occasions when I want to knock ’em dead at 40 paces.