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As you probably know I am on a day-to-day basis a blue lash kinda girl and it takes a special mascara for me to put down my midnight or navy tinted wand for any real length of time, however back in 2014 (when I originally wrote this post) I had been trying doggedly to work my way through an almost excessive stockpile of clean black mascaras. Some went by the wayside pretty quickly but there were one or two that stuck around and this is one of the few that I actually repurchased. Let’s see what I had to say about it…
Lengthening Black Mascarafrom Neal’s Yard Remedies (£16.00) launched last autumn (apologies for my tardiness; I said I had a stockpile), this is the first mascara from the natural health gurus at Neal’s Yard Remedies and a welcome addition to their existing collection of mineral based shadows, blushers and lip glosses.
The sleekly packaged, streamlined silver tube plays host to an inky but not hard black mascara designed to enhance and volumise the lashes by adding length and a little bit of a curl. I love the finish that this mascara gives; one coat for a completely natural looking but enhanced lash and two plus for a little more ummph!
Soil Association certified, as with all organic mascaras this isn’t waterproof (it doesn’t claim to be) however despite its un-waterproof formulation, it does need a little bit of work to remove it; I find that rather than running when it gets wet it can go a little panda-y around the under eye area (not something that I mind on myself but not so good for work purposes). Pandas and raindrops aside, it is very long wearing with little lash droop as the day goes on and I haven’t personally found it to flake either – unless you rub your eyes vigorously.
Enriched with omega-rich argan oil and white tea (a known antioxidant founding so many of the NYR products), this mascara also contains tetrapeptides (natural occurring biological molecules) to create the lash lengthening effect. On removal the lashes feel conditioned thanks no doubt to the numerous waxes and oils that are also packed into this little tube.
The fly in the ointment for me is that darn spiky wand! I hate this new style of applicator with passion; all scratchy and eye-pokey :( Technological advancements they may be but in my mind if you are going to use the applicator provided to put on your mascara (I prefer using a separate brush), then you can’t beat the old fashioned wand.
Clinically Proven to lengthen and curl. I admit to being always a little sceptical when I see clinically proven (by up to 85%) on the packaging; surely a product can’t really be that good if it needs to sell it to you in this way? I however have the perfect eyelashes for putting mascaras through their paces and when I first used it was game for seeing if I could prove my point.
I have super straight (and super stubborn) eyelashes that naturally point slightly downwards and so anything that could possibly give them a helping hand to look anything other than poker straight is a plus in my book. After one coat there is very little difference in the appearance of my lashes but after two I notice a visible upward turn to my lashes; three and I am almost batting my brows! Ok, that was a slight exaggeration but there is a distinct increase in lash lift and there is a noticeable upward – dare say curl..? to the ends. Clincally proven? I stand corrected.
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Fast forward four years and I really liked this mascara however admit I haven’t re-purchased for a while as I’ve made new discoveries (as you will see in a few posts time) and found some mascara’s which I prefer.
On revising the Neal’s Yard Remedies website it seems that sadly this mascara will be discontinued in the near future (so it’s on offer if you fancy picking yourself up a wand or two). I contacted Neal’s Yard to find out why this was and apparently they are focusing on their skincare products. I can’t seem find any other make-up products on their website so can only assume it’s across the whole range.
I’m not sure it was a particularly popular product (it doesn’t rate highly on the review scores online). It is quite a wet (runny) mascara, which can be off-putting for many people, so did require carefully application and possibly a little pre-mascara lash powdering (i.e applying a little loose powder to your lashes prior to the mascara) to help give it bulk. Maybe this was the reason for it’s unpopularity..?
Ingredients:
(*denotes organic ingredient)
Aqua, Copernicia cerifera (Carnauba) wax*, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil*, CI 77499, Glycerin, Cetearyl glucoside, Ricinus communis (Castor) seed oil*, Argania spinosa (Argan) kernel oil*, Glyceryl caprylate, Bambusa arundinacea (Bamboo) stem powder, Dextrin palmitate, Xanthan gum, Sucrose laurate, Heptyl undecylenate, Camellia sinensis (White tea) leaf extract, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera) leaf juice powder*, Sigesbeckia orientalis extract, Abies picea (Spruce) extract, Caprooyl tetrapeptide-3, Tocopherol, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Pullulan, Sorbitol, Trehalose, Glyceryl undecylanate, Acacia Senegal gum, Vanillin, Maltodextrin, Alcohol, Sodium levulinate, Dextran, Levulinic acid.
Details:
www.nealsyardremedies.com
Images: (1) Via WikimediaCommons; (2) Neal’s Yard Remedies
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