In 2016 I gave up wearing mascara completely. I had searched high and low and I could not find a mascara that didn’t end up a smudgy mess under my eyes by mid-day. It got to the point where I became completely self conscious about my appearance, needing to check a hand mirror every 30 or so minutes to make sure I hadn’t transformed into a raccoon.
It just got ridiculous. So I quit.
I went mascara-free for a while, but to be honest, I never felt like my makeup look was polished without lashes. So eventually a friend convinced me to try lash extensions, and I LOVED them. But it turned out that my lashes grow very fast, so I needed to go in every week for touch-ups, and that just wasn’t sustainable. Plus I developed a sensitivity to the glue. No bueno.
So I switched to fake lashes for a few months, but no matter how meticulous I was about their removal, I noticed my lashes breaking off in time. Additionally, because of the way my eyes are shaped, the inner corners ALWAYS lifted and I got tired of feeling self conscious about that, too. More things to worry about on my face I did not need.
I was about to give up again and just resign myself to a lash-free existence when I got the Ciaté Wonderwand mascara in my Ipsy bag and everything changed.
Wonderwand retails for $22.00 from Sephora.
This mascara is the real deal. When the package says it doesn’t smudge, it means it. I live in Texas where it is hot and humid. Furthermore, I wear dewy concealer and extra moisture under my eyes, because this area gets so dry. So it’s no wonder that no mascara could stay put, but somehow…this one did. The Ciaté never, not once, ended up under my eyes.
As far as flaking goes, they claim it won’t flake, but I’ve found that not to be entirely true. I can usually get about 6-8 hours of wear without flaking, but the flakes do show up eventually. That said, they are very minimal and don’t bother me at all. Probably no one else notices but me. And even if the mascara does flake off, it still doesn’t smudge, which is a big fat win in my book.
I have been wearing this mascara for the past few months and have not noticed that my lashes have become dry or brittle. In fact, they’ve finally regained their length and curl.
As far as volumizing goes, it’s not exactly amazing. I’ve definitely worn more luxurious, glamorous mascara, but not without smudging. The Ciaté shows up; you can actually see my lashes, but it’s not gonna make you look like you’re wearing falsies. It accentuates what you have, but va-va-voom it is not.
The mascara does clump a little, but I find that happens with pretty much all volumizing mascaras. It feels a little dry going on, but that’s understandable given that it is so smudge resistant.
Overall, I got nothin’ but love for this mascara. I’m so glad I finally found a product I can use daily that looks good, doesn’t smudge, and won’t break my lashes. I call that a big win.
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