Benefit: They’re Real Mascara

For Christmas a good friend of mine gifted me with the Benefit Cosmetics: They’re Real Mascara. I am a self proclaimed mascara whore (obviously my friend knows me well) but I hadn’t heard much about it before trying it out. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and here are my thoughts.

 

PACKAGING

I have the full size mascara. It comes in a sleek tube, the typical average mascara size. It’s a metallic silver, almost lavender color. Its shiny and dirt or fingerprints would probably cling to the tube. I think the labeling could possibly rub off with a lot of pressure or wear and tear so keep that in mind if you’re a little rough on your makeup products. Towards the bottom of the tube the container is cut into angles so that laying on its side the tube itself won’t roll away. I appreciate that, not that I make a habit of laying my makeup on its side; wouldn’t wanna lose any product!

FORMULA

Speaking of losing product, some mascaras are really wet. This is one of those mascaras. I think this mascara is at its best once you’re about a third of the way into using it. When there is less product inside of the tube it allows for less product on the brush, less on your lashes, less waste…etc.

It is very black which I totally LOVE. As I said, it comes out of the tube very wet. It is not waterproof. It does not dry quickly, so be careful when adjusting your lashes. At its driest it is a waxy texture, like a melted crayon or eye kohl liner. I find it difficult to build up this mascara. I prefer applying a mascara primer beforehand or brushing out my lashes first to get a better finished result.

APPLICATION

I would say this is an ultra-black, lengthening mascara. I have never tried a tube mascara (check out Vintage or Tacky or ShaaanXO, I think they both have a video talking about tube mascaras) but from what I’ve seen this applies similar to that. By the end of the day I find it weighing down my eyelashes and rubbing off onto the areas of my face that my lashes touch. I also suspect that it isn’t the healthiest formula for maintaining naturally long lashes because of how rough you’d have to be when taking it off and how heavy it seems to be on each individual lash hair.

The brush itself is very unique, not at all like the thick wands with full bristles pictured below (which are both very good mascaras in my humble opinion)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Benefit They’re Real is spiky all over with a rounded tip. This mascara brush is great for really combing out your lashes so those of us with curly hair or long eyelashes can really maximize length. The rounded tip is perfect for getting into small eye areas like the inner corner or latching onto the outer edge of the eye and curling the lashes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FUNCTION

Overall I personally like this mascara, but I’m aware that it probably won’t be most people’s favorite. I tend to appreciate a mascara that has a very black formula, combs out my lashes to maximum length and is not waterproof. This mascara fits all of those requirements.

I do get a fair amount of volume from They’re Real, but not enough to really classify it as volumizing.

While it is water resistant it is not waterproof. Even so I have never experienced any black runoff in my eye area from tears or runny eyes.

I have noticed little black dots of mascara on my eyelids after application or after all day wear. Most of the time I do not apply mascara to my lower lashes and I notice the mascara rubbing off onto my lower lash line by the end of the day.

You’re going to shake your head at me for this but…I typically don’t remove my mascara very well. At night I wash it off and using an old, empty tube of mascara I brush a little more on combined with almond oil or whatever viscous oil I have handy that is safe for use around the eyes. So if I leave this mascara on I feel like my eyelashes are about to fall down from holding up the heavy mascara all day.

I don’t like how waxy the formula is. When washing it off water just causes it to seize up. I have a theory about very black eye makeup staining the skin around the eyes so I appreciate a flakier mascara when it comes to removal. Try removing in the direction of your eyelashes instead of back and forth to prevent stress on your lashes.

One thing I will say is that I only need one really good coat to get sexy, full lashes. I find it better to apply the mascara first on top of my lashes (eyes closed) to get enough product on the lashes and comb out any eyelash tangles, then go in and define them further with the rounded tip to get a wispy finish (eyes open). Make sense?

If you like to layer your mascara I would suggest applying this mascara as your finishing layer and using a mascara with a drier formula or volumizing effect first. Too Faced Better than Sex mascara would be a great first layer because it tends to be really volumizing but not so lengthening and somewhat flaky in formula. The Benefit would really seal in the volume and first layer.

I would probably purchase this mascara for myself but is it worth $23? I don’t think so. Since I am more in love with the wand as opposed to the formula I could just reuse the brush with another mascara. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This review is much longer than I intended it to be. Sorry! But I don’t play when it comes to my mascara =)