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