Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Great Mascara for Less



Even in tough economic times, women spend money on makeup. And you might be surprised to learn a seemingly small item—like mascara—is a multimillion-dollar product. Last year women spent more than $400 million on it.

Consumer Reports staffers tried 16 mascaras to determine whether more money gets you longer, thicker lashes. They tested expensive department-store brands such as Estée Lauder and cheaper ones such as Maybelline. The staffers used each of the mascaras for two days in a row. They rated how each one looked at the beginning and the end of the day, as well as how easy it was to put on and remove, and how well the brush worked. Labels were covered so that no one knew which mascara they were using.

A lot of the mascaras did the job very well, but some of the wands were too long and were hard to control. And some mascaras were difficult to take off.

Which mascaras were not the panelists' top favorites? One of the most expensive—Christian Dior's $24 Diorshow. Also, Maybelline's top-selling Great Lash Washable mascara.

In the end, Consumer Reports found that you don't have to spend a lot to get a great mascara. Max Factor's Lash Perfection Volume Couture was one of our panelists' favorites, and at $7 it was one of the cheapest tested.

Consumer Reports ShopSmart points out that a mascara tube is an ideal place for bacteria to grow because it's a moist environment, so you want to get rid of a mascara after about three months. And take care not to share mascara with someone else.

2 comments:

  1. I had to do a double take. I like your new look. Very well done.

    Have a terrific day. Big hug. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohhhh thank you for posting this. I can't find a good mascara and needed to read this. I'm getting some of Max Factor's when mine runs out.

    ReplyDelete

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