L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara
Budget beauty products seem to be everywhere at the moment and with the credit crunch it couldn't come at a better time.
Mascara for a pound and lip gloss for under a fiver seems perfect but how well does it actually work? Are cheaper products just as good as their more expensive counterparts or is some stuff just worth splashing out on?
Female First hit the make up counters to find out how products up and down the price scale compare.
Today we look at lengthening mascara.
For only £1 you don't expect too much from Primark's Opia Lash Lengthening Mascara, but you would expect it to do what it says on the tin. It doesn't lengthen your lashes as promised but on the plus side it is quite good at separating and lasted all day.
Prestige Lash Matrix Mascara, £5.99 promises to add length, lift and volume to your lashes. While it certainly lifts and volumises them it doesn't really lengthen lashes. If it's not specifically a lengthening mascara that you're after then this is a good bye but if you want lashes longer than your hair then this one is not for you.
L'Oreal's Telescopic Black Mascara, £8.99, is great at lengthening your lashes. It goes on really easily and lasts all day. You couldn't really ask for more from a lengthening mascara.
Another great lengthening mascara comes courtesy of No 7. Their Extreme Length Mascara, £12, really lengthens lashes and also adds a bit of volume. It is a bit clumpy going on so you need to add a few layers to brush it out.
Blinc Mascara, £15.95 at feelunique.com, is something a bit different. It claims to tube your lashes rather than coat them with mascara. This new formula is long lasting and goes onto lashes easily. It set very quickly so lashes don't feel wet. As a general mascara it is good but it doesn't really lengthen as promised. It does however separate lashes well to leave them looking thicker.
Middle of the range, L'Oreal proved the best in this test. Their Telescopic Black Mascara has fantastic lengthening properties and in fact was one of the few in this category to do what it promised. That's £8.99 well spent!
FemaleFirst - Jessica Watson