Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara Review & Demo

Eep! Sorry I've been a little MIA as far as July goes. I've had such a busy month and I'm not sure why or where it came from. I've missed sitting down and typing blog posts but since this one took a while to construct I've had time to get other ones started so I should be on top of posting now! :)
I've been looking into getting this for a while since my favorite waterproof mascara is the Maybelline the Rocket Volume (I did a review for it here), but I have problems with it drying out and getting clumpy about halfway through the tube. I will say, though, I wear mascara rarely so they do sit for a while in my drawer between uses. Anyways, a bit ago I was at Ulta and decided to finally buy the Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara!

| PACKAGING | 

I love the bottle for this! Most likely because I fancy nautical themed things (especially anchors) and this has one right on the tube in pretty metallic gold. It feels like a good quality mascara when I hold it- something I think is important since it's a "high end" mascara. I'm generally not a fan of anything animal skin or fur (faux or not) but I think the snake-y kind of texture is toned down enough that it still looks classy and doesn't even borderline hooker. 

| APPLICATION AND FORMULA |

I used the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara many years ago and I loved it but it was before I discovered eyelash curlers and waterproof mascara for my stick-straight lashes. I was really excited to try this out since I loved the effects of the original mascara. Once I opened my Lights, Camera, Splashes and started brushing it on my lashes, I noticed it was a pretty wet mascara. I've had quite a lot of experience trying different mascaras, and I know that generally wet ones don't work as well on me. After applying the first coat, I noticed that my eyelashes fell a tiny bit but they still looked pretty good! After the second coat, I could see that they were darker and definitely thicker but they fell enough that I had to recurl them once they dried and I also applied some eyeliner to my tight line like I usually do.

I'm a little disappointed in this mascara. I was expecting it to hold a curl as well as Maybelline The Rocket or The Falsies especially since it was $20 and I don't have to re-curl with those fellas. I liked it a lot on my first go, but the second and third time I used it I was unfortunately less impressed. I was applying one coat like I typically do when I decide to wear makeup, and both times it made my lashes fall a bit almost immediately and get clumpy. I'm not really sure how I got my lashes to look how they did in the "one coat" picture since with the next two trials I had to recurl (thank you, straight eyelashes) and separate my lashes even after one application. After wearing this for a full day I was excited to find that it doesn't flake or smudge at all! The Rocket tends to flake after a while, so this feller works better than it in that aspect.

I know I'll continue to use this mascara, but it'll be when I have time to fidget a little since my Rocket is grab and go and takes no time. I really wish this worked out for me since it's so pretty and Tarte is such a good brand. Has anyone with curly eyelashes tried this? Or anyone with straight eyelashes who liked it?

Thanks for reading! xo

Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express Mascara Review (waterproof)

I have really straight eyelashes. They literally grow straight out and down. But, with my Tarte Picture Perfect eyelash curler and waterproof mascara, they actually look pretty good. 

Several of the girls I watch on Youtube has been raving about the Rocket mascara since it came out so I figured I would give it a shot. LeighannSays and MissGlamorazzi both have straight eyelashes like me and love it. So, in September while I was in Target and naturally stopped by the makeup section, I ended up grabbing for the Rocket Volum' Express mascara.

| PRICE |

The price is absolutely yay. I bought it for $5.99, which is crazy cheap for how awesome this mascara is. I would definitely pay more for this since it works so well for me.

| PACKAGING |

This is pretty standard to the Maybelline Volum' Express line of mascaras; a tapered bottle on both ends, brightly colored, with some large, bold font. The packaging is blue with hot pink writing (sometimes I've seen blue writing on the waterproof version). The outside is pretty standard for the brand, although the tip of the wand end doesn't have a flatter end. Instead, it tapers more to a point than the others. It looks more similar to how the Volum' Express mascaras look other than in the U.S packaging.

| WAND |

The Rocket has a silicone-y, plastic-y wand. The center is baby blue with the bristles being clear. It tapers at the end and as it gets smaller the bristles do as well. All the way down the wand the bristles also have a pattern of being slightly smaller and larger so that they can get every eyelash. The tip, however, does not have any bristles which I find odd but not bad. I can still get all of my inner and outer lashes. For being flexible, I'd say it's in the middle. Not stiff by any means, but also not super bendy either. I love that it can really get the base of my lashes but can also get to all of the hard-to-reach areas.

| FORMULA |

This is what takes the cake. The whole cake. The All-American chocolate cake that my family used to get for every birthday for like, four years straight. The formula of this mascara is wonderful. The black really is black. Not that I can tell the difference between black, blackest black, carbon black, or very black, but it's pretty dang black. The formula is the right amount of wet/dry combination as well. I don't like when mascaras are so wet that they take a long time to dry, pull down my lashes, and leave marks on my face when I blink. I also don't like when they're so dry that they don't seem to stick to my lashes and flake off easily. This does neither. It dries fast enough to really hold a curl, but it is able to lengthen my lashes (at least a little, I think. The tips are blonde so I can hardly see them otherwise), and it doesn't flake or come off by the end of the day.

| APPLICATION |

Whenever I wear mascara, which is less than once a week usually, I apply it the same way. I always curl my eyelashes at the root a lot and slightly in the middle and ends. I then carefully apply my mascara focusing on my roots and working towards the tips from the top and bottom of my eyelashes. Repeat (don't rinse though). After I'm done with the top lashes, I do one coat on the bottom and that's it. This mascara looks awesome with one or two coats. For me, three is too clumpy but I'm sure if you combed out your eyelashes you could pull it off.

| REMOVAL |

I always use coconut oil to remove my mascara, and it works perfectly well with this one. Although it takes a few minutes like waterproof mascaras usually do, I can still get it off pretty easily. I haven't tried this with a regular makeup remover but I haven't heard any complaints about it. 

| OVERALL |

I really love this mascara. Some waterproof mascaras that I've tried kind of hold a curl but still weigh down my lashes, but this one doesn't at all! You can probably tell in the before and after picture. I think it may even make them curlier. Someone give this mascara an award.
Thanks for reading! xo