I always used mascara all the time, even since high school, so it’s definitely one of my staple makeup items for me. No matter how in a rush I am or how sick or sad I feel, I always add some mascara and some lipstick and I feel like I already look more polished.

So for me, mascara is one of those things that I tend to get at affordable prices because I go through them so fast, but I also see why a more expensive mascara is worth it, if it’s really good. I got this mini mascara in the Lookfantastic advent calendar and about now I think it’s done because I have to scrape to get some more product on the wand.

Packaging:

I have to say the packaging is really cute, with that bronze-black color. It looks elegant and it appears to be metallic because it also has some weight to it. The wand is nothing special, I would prefer a more thinner wand to reach the lashes in the corner of the eyes better, especially since my lashes are facing down for some reason and they hardly hold a curl.

Texture:

This is a thicker formula, but it doesn’t make the lashes look clumpy or like “spider legs” which I do like, because I’m just not a fan of those thick clumps of lashes.

Ingredients:

WATER/AQUA/EAU, PARAFFIN, ACACIA SENEGAL GUM, GLYCERYL STEARATE, SYNTHETIC BEESWAX, STEARIC ACID, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PALMITIC ACID, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN WAX, POLYBUTENE, OZOKERITE, VP/EICOSENE COPOLYMER, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX/COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA/CIRE DE CARNAUBA, GLYCERIN, CELLULOSE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, STEARYL STEARATE, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, POLYESTER-11, PVP, DISODIUM EDTA, AMINOMETHYL PROPANOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, BLACK 2 (CI 77266) [NANO], IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)

The first ingredients are water, paraffin, acacia senegal gum, glycerin stearate and synthetic beeswax (yay for being vegan), which are all common ingredients used in mascara formulas.

Price and accessibility:

Anastasia Beverly Hills products can be easily found at Sephora, Douglas and in their official online shop which also has a Romanian version. This mascara is actually sold in the mini size (5 ml) and it retails for 12 euros. I think it’s a decent price for a high end brand and I don’t think it’s too far out there.

My overall opinion:

I enjoyed the mascara very much and I like that fact that it’s also available in a mini size because it’s better in my opinion to buy mini sizes as mascara tends to dry out in a couple of months, so those big tubes are sometimes useless if you aren’t able to use up the entire product.

Compared to other high end mascaras, I don’t think it’s better than the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara or the Eyeko mascara (the only other more expensive mascaras I have used), but the price is about the same. And yes, it is better than some drugstore mascaras because it does make a difference to the lashes with just one coat application.