I am a serious waterproof mascara wearer. If its not waterproof, I don’t wear it and if I ever did, it would melt off my eyes within an hour of application. I have oily lids, maybe I blink a lot too? And, I rub my eyes. All of these things do not bode well for normal mascara. In all my years of testing and trying different formulas, nothing held up better than L’Oreal Voluminous. It was cheap; it didn’t clump, made my lashes longer and lasted all day. Paying $25 for mascara that was no better than a $10 one just didn’t make sense. Especially considering that most waterproof mascaras tend to dry out and not last as long in your makeup drawer as normal mascaras. And, like it or not, the dryness would translate to the eyes, especially by the end of a long day. I couldn’t wait to wash it off. Then I found the amazing Kiehl’s Mineral Mascara and fell in love. It has a lovely thin and light texture, which I love and probably will for a long time, and it has earned a permanent spot in my collection.
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| Cry all you like…it won’t smudge! |
Urban Decay Cannonball mascara sounded interesting though, as it brought a new science to a long wearing mascara formula. It has the paraben-free gel formula I love so much in the Kiehls but with something different- fibres. This gel formula seems to be a common thing in Japanese cosmetic mascaras- I did enjoy the Shu Uemura Basic Mascara years ago, and I think that Kiehls offers a similar formula in their Mineral Mascara. But the fibers add a whole other dimension- literally- to Cannonball. Another fiber mascara is the hard to find Imju Fiberwig mascara, which had great lengthening abilities but was not waterproof. I also have Blinc tubing mascara, which is great and lasts well enough, but does come off in tiny little bits by the end of the day, and also felt quite dry and tight on my eyes. The little bits would sometimes get in my eyes- very annoying. And the only way to remove it is to wet and then pull off the fibres- ouch!- and end up with a sink full of little spider legs. Ew.
Cannonball seems to have all the good and none of the bad of all these nifty mascaras. It lengthened without clumping, felt soft and fluttery, and lasted all day while driving in a convertible in hot face melty weather. I didn’t swim, but I did sweat and rub my eyes and I also cried a little bit as my baby came home from a month away at summer camp while I was wearing it. It added a little more “oomph” than the Kiehls and is perfect when I want a slightly more glam look. I took it off at bedtime with my standard Almay waterproof eye makeup remover pads lickety split. No tugging and it actually just wiped right off. I have sensitive eyes as well and I did not experience one bit of irritation- another reason to love Urban Decay. Their 24-7 eyeliner does not bother my eyes either so they must be doing something right. Amazing! Cannonball gets a permanent place in my makeup drawer. It comes in one colour so far, a perfect black, which is all I ever buy. Unless you are very fair, black is the only mascara you need.
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| Even if smoke gets in your eyes, Cannonball stays put! |
I got my Cannonball at Shopper’s Drug Mart for $24. Which is ok, but considering it is $20 in the US and our dollar is stronger, again I am irritated by the price issues. If I go to the US I will stockpile it, as I did with the Kiehls. The Kiehls is $23 in Canada but $16.50 in the US. Seriously? Anyhow, you can also get Urban Decay at Sephora.
Photos: Man Ray L’Armes & Marlene Dietrich being a bad ass.