I’m back with the never-ending quest for my favourite mascara. I’ve been around the block mascara-wise, and although I don’t have seven currently on-the-go like I do with foundations, I feel like I’m closing in on the best mascara for me. I’ve tried the big boys; Too Faced Better Than Sex and Urban Decay’s Perversion. I’ve tried the cheaper boys; NYX More To Love. And I’ve had a fair old go at the utter shite boys; *cough cough* L’Oreal Paradise Extatic *cough*. So when I was asked by the girls at CODE Beautiful if I’d like to give their VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara a try, it’s safe to say I was keeeeen.
I wanted to wear it for a solid week to get a real feel for it before I went writing my review. I’ve been known to try something once and dash to my laptop to exclaim my love for it in a blog post. Only to come to my senses later on and despise the product, scrub it off my face, cast it into the metaphorical flames (the bin) and move on with my life. But we have learnt from our mistakes. There shall be no more off-the-cuff adoration for things I have no idea about; only scientific research from here on out! I’ve actually had this mascara for about two and a half weeks, so I feel like I’ve really got to grips with it. I know how to use it to get the best results, and I feel like I know what it’s meant to do.
CODE Beautiful stock the VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara in two sizes. The full-size product is 12ml and retails at £19.95, which is about what I’d expect to pay for a high-end mascara from the likes of UD, KVD or MAC. The travel size (which is what I was kindly sent) is 3.5ml. It’s sold out on the CODE Beautiful website at the moment, but I’ve found that you can buy it for £10 on the Boots website, or £7.45 on Luxplus (a website I have never heard of until this very moment). CODE Beautiful currently only stocks five products, but I can only imagine there are more in the works. Their focus seems to be primarily on mascaras, but two lip products are also available online.
I quite enjoy the slightly tongue in cheek product description; “It won’t make you feel like Angelina Jolie. It won’t get you that pay rise or get you on the next rung of the ladder. And it won’t change the patriarchy you can do all that by yourself. This is just a mascara, but it’s the only one you’ll ever need.” It certainly makes you feel like the brand is honest and isn’t trying to sell you sex, money or any number of other false ideals like EVERY perfume ad that I’ve seen this Christmas period. CODE Beautiful describe the mascara as a glossy, black fibre-based mascara and claim it is enriched with vitamins and waxes to encourage lash growth. It’s water resistant, anti-clump, vegan and cruelty-free (BIG ticks from me) and specifically designed to volumise and thicken.
And you just whack the mascara on your lashes. Right? WRONG. The VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara comes with a three-step set of instructions for the ‘perfect’ application:
“Roots: Pop the brush on to your lashes as close to the root as you can.
Wriggle: Give the brush a good wriggle back and forth, this will make sure even the tiniest of lashes are covered.
Roll: Gently twist the brush from root to tip.”
I kind of like the idea that there’s a proper way to apply the mascara to get the best results from the product. Then again, this is how I was taught to apply mascara anyway, and how I would encourage everyone to apply any mascara they buy.
But anyway, here are my thoughts…
I was pretty surprised at how ‘dry’ the mascara was when I first unscrewed the tube. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I’ve been so used to scraping off excess product onto the rim of the tube for years that it was weird to have the wand come out ‘clean’. The team at CODE Beautiful have developed a wiper of sorts on the inside of the tube so that you get the right amount of product on the brush. So it isn’t necessarily what I’m used to, but I thought “this is a bloody good idea”.
The VLM Mascara has ‘build on build’ technology (whatever that’s supposed to mean), but I am assuming it means you’re supposed to be able to layer up the product. And you can, but as I found during the week, you need to do it quickly! Where there’s so little product on the brush to begin with, it dries on your lashes quite rapidly. And if there’s one uncomfortable, cringe-inducing sensation on this earth, it is trying to put more mascara on already-dry-mascara. So, yes, this mascara builds up really nicely, but you’ve got to be quite speedy about it. Once the most recent layer of mascara dries, I always find it difficult to do much more with. Maybe it’s different for each person, but the dipQUICKdipQUICK method seemed to work the best for me!
One coat of the mascara provided me with a nice ‘no makeup’ vibe. It definitely lengthened and darkened my lashes, but not noticeably so. Ideal for a nip to M&S where a bare face and pjs certainly don’t cut it, but a bit of minimal effort ensures you don’t stick out like the unwashed, onesie-wearing troll that you are. Two coats, however, hits you like a tonne of bricks, and really is the optimum level of mascara for a day-to-day face for me.
I’ve always acknowledged that I was definitely blessed by the lash Gods, and that I’m usually quite lucky with most mascaras; even if they’re not the best products, I still end up with decent-looking lashes because they’re already quite long and thick-ish. With that being said, I do think the VLM Mascara did some THINGS for me. With one coat, I’d take it or leave it. But with two coats, I really enjoy how the lashes look. I find them to be volumised a fair bit, but the real magic comes in how l e n g t h e n e d my eyelashes are. For me, that’s probably the best thing about the mascara.
As well as that, the formula really is rock-solid. There’s no running or transferring. Of course, if you mascara your eyelid when applying (as I am an expert in), then it’s a bugger to get off because the formula is so pigmented and longwearing. Once it’s on: it’s on. But the lift and length is my absolute favourite thing about the product. And finally, a big thank you to CODE Beautiful for allowing me to try out this mascara!
Lots of love,
Jasmine x
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*Disclaimer - While I have been sent these products for review on my blog, this has not affected the review I have given. All products reviewed are still done so with 100% my honest opinion.
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