The Mascara Chronicles: Part V

The verdict is in!

Lancome Hypnose Mascara gets...(girly drum roll, please)...

A big old A, ladies!

Hearts and flowers indeed. We won't talk about the things my local Sephora didn't have but totally should have (which means I've got to go to the one five blocks further away!). Instead, we're talking Hypnose! Or is that HypYESse?

Mascara. That elusive beast. First, she must lengthen. The Hypnose is perhaps not as lengthening as its popular cousin, Lancome Definicils, but I would say it's certainly close! To get the optimum length from your Hypnose, a wee bit of effort is involved.

SKB noted in last post's comment section that her lashes uncurled when she used Hypnose after her lash primer. I can see how this might happen--especially with a primer. Without primer, the Hypnose slightly uncurled the upper tips of my lashes. HOWEVER, ladies, this can be easily corrected. Just hold the wand at the tip for a few sections and gently press the curve. After holding the wand at the tips for very little time, I was fully satisfied with curl and length. Quite lovely!

Now, about that wand. It's not my usual favorite, which is a fat tip with closely packed, soft bristles. (That's not dirty sounding, right? I mean, unless you're an Ewok.) This wand (as pictured above) is a stiff, separating dealie, but I must say it's one of the best separating wands I've ever used. I'm thinking this is why Hypnose is low on clumps. Yay for that! Low clumpies!

And volume!? Check plus! What a nice volumizer--especially since I'm so impressed how the wand manages to make lashes look both plumped and separated. I've seen mascaras that offer more volume, but not without the clumpy consequences.

But do we get the dreaded Racoon Eye Phenomenon? Nope! The non-waterproof worked just fine in this God-awful NYC humidity. So unless you're thinking of crying up a storm (and by the way, why did the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants make me bawl like a baby??), don't worry about getting waterproof.

A side note, my friends, on that volume. It's adjustable! Adjustable mascara volume! That should be written on the bottle! See, the beauty of the Hypnose separater wand is that you can layer your coats with only minor risk of clumpage. One layer would be fine for day--a nice dose of oomf without a theatrical result. But if you go for two or three coats? There are those knock-out, take 'em out at night, lovely lashes.

Finally, in comparison with the Maybelline combo of the World Renowned Mascara Chronicles Part IV, I'd say the Hypnose offers more volume, while the Maybelline combo gives a bit more length. Both rock, though, and will remain Real Girl Beauty staples.

Which means they have been blessed by the goddesses of the Cosmeticos. (You know, the little fairies who live under my bed. What, you don't have any?)

Come on girls, we're talking mascara! Or anything else you want to share!

With love,
From one Real Girl to another
xx