Gimmicky Mascaras That Actually Work

Huge wands, thin wands, tiny wands, spiral wands, tapered, curved, combed, thick bristled, pear shaped, hour glass shaped, the types of wands and formulations of mascaras is endless. Makes for tough decisions too…but two mascaras that I believe were unique (in design at least) and revolutionized wand shapes is the Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes Mascara and more recently the Avon Mega Effects Mascara.

Let’s start with the Phenomen' Eyes. As far as formulation is concerned….I like it. It’s neither too thick nor thin and is very black. The only thing is, it is quite difficult to remove even with an eye makeup remover. In all fairness it is waterproof but still, pretty irritating to have bits left even after a major scrub down.  But my focus here is the mainly the application process with the wand. Yes you've heard right….it indeed does look like a medieval ball of torture. But it is phenomenal. You have to work this wand with the hand of an artist, slow careful stokes, and work it from one end to the other. What’s really nice is that you can really work those outer lashes in an outward direction and the middle ones in a straighter direction which gives that doll eye effect. You have total control over each lash. Soon after, many other brands came out with different versions of the Givenchy wand. 

Looks totally scary...but it is truly amazing. You can even sculpt your lashes at different angles depending on the look you are going for.

Next up is the Avon Mega Effects Mascara. The concept behind this is ingenious and yet so simple. It boggles my mind why something like this took so long to reach the market. It’s a comb-like wand, but horizontal, not vertical as are other wands. The handle can be inclined at various angles making it easier to approach the entire lash line at your ease. All you need to do is swipe it upward. The little bristles at the end really catch each lash and its quite effortless. The formulation is nice, end result is that eye lashes look enhanced and beautifully separated, not clumped up and spidery.

The handle can be bent for ease of application.

Fine bristles catch each lash as you comb your lashes upward.

Both wands totally opposite in design, yet work so well. One needs more effort, one not so much. And yet I love them both!