Last week, I finally ran out of my beloved Cover Girl Marathon Mascara. I had been using this product since high school. It was my never-fail, go-to mascara that defied my oily skin, outlasted trips to the beach, survived snow-packed ski days, and stood up to tearful showings of Strictly Ballroom and The Notebook. Now that Cover Girl has discontinued Marathon, I found myself needing to find another 'holy grail' of mascara. Enter MAC Opulash! This product debuted exclusively at MAC counters in Nordstrom and is now available in all free-standing MAC stores and online. Opulash retails for $14.00 USD and only comes in one shade: black. This mascara claims it will give lashes curl, tons of volume and last all day without flaking, smudging or clumping.
Due to my oily skin, most mascara, even so-called waterproof, tends to fail on me. I have tried everything from DiorShow, DiorShow Waterproof, Tarte, Lancome, Revlon, ELF, Maybelline to Yves Saint Laurent and beyond. Whether I paid $30 or $1 (ELF), mascara usually ends up being a major disappointment. I have experienced flaking, smudging, and even out-right disappearing. It is like my lashes are protesting or simply that my oily skin is hell-bent on destroying it.
Needless to say, I bought Opulash with huge doubts. I even kept the box, MAC bag, and receipt in case I needed to bring it back to the store for a refund. And you know what, despite a few flaws, I am keeping this mascara. I do think there is much better formulas out there but until I find them, I am going to keep it and here's why:
1. The color is a rich, deep black that pigments my pale lashes well.
2. It holds a curl nicely.
3. I can apply two coats and there is no clumping.
4. Unless I get my eyes wet, I cry, or as I discovered the other day, put my contacts in AFTER my mascara, the formula stays put until I wash it off.
Here are some factors that make this product fall a bit short:
1. Look at the size of this brush! It is huge! I have no idea why MAC decided to make the wand this big. Due to its size, I find that I need to be extra careful during application because the large brush tends to bump my eyelids, causing product to transfer onto my eyeshadow.
2. In addition to the large brush, the mascara dries very quickly so if you tend to do multiple coats, it can clump.
3. My lashes feel a little stiff but nothing really to complain too much over.
Overall, I say this mascara is average. It is not horrible like Maybelline Great Lash and it is not amazing like Cover Girl Marathon or Yves Saint Laurent Faux Cils, but for the price and the results, it is pretty decent. Like I said, I am going to keep looking for that perfect formula, but until then, I am sticking with Opulash.
The wand is key to the curling and the volume, hence the size of it. For instance if you use the tester wands to try it in store, you will get good results but not AS good as if you used the wand it comes with.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that after a week of using the bigger Opulash brush, I can understand what you mean. I had a lot of trouble getting used to it but now I am starting to 'get the hang of it.'
ReplyDeleteI wish Opulash came in waterproof. I wear contacts and sometimes I have to re-wet my lens during the day and if I get a little solution on my lashes, I experience flaking and smudges.