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If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know about my undying love for ColourPop. It’s one of those brands I fall back on when I want something fun but not super fussy or when I want something basic and reliable. And they have finally made a full face of ColourPop possible with the release of their BFF Mascara last week.
Some of my favorite products from the brand are the Super Shock Shadows, pressed eye shadows, lip glosses, and satin liquid lipsticks. I’m also a big fan of their bullet lipstick and highlighters. But while I love most of the products, there are some I’m not a fan of. Which category will the BFF Mascara fall into? Keep reading to find out.
the basics
Colourpop’s BFF Volumizing mascara retails for $8 and comes in 7 cutely named shades: Black on Black , Left on Red, Yellow Goodbye, Kiss ‘n Teal, Blue Ya Mind, Purple Prose, and Pink Inc. It’s also vegan and cruelty free.
The price is amazing, especially when some drugstore mascaras are more expensive that $8. I have been trying out Black on Black, which is just a standard black color.
The wand is very similar to the wands of both Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara and L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise mascara–which I like. It’s the fluffier bristles that are a little spaced out, and there is a little divot in the middle of the brush, giving it almost an hourglass type of shape.
the formula
ColourPop describes the BFF Mascara as instantly lifting lashes while volumizing and lengthening. They also claim is won’t clump or flake.
The formula isn’t too wet but is definitely what I’d consider a wet formula, which I don’t prefer. I tend to prefer a mascara that’s a little drier than this one. And I do think it clumps a little bit if you apply too much, which isn’t a con because a lot of mascaras do, and I actually don’t mind when my eyelashes look a little clumpy.
the review
I didn’t get this as PR, but I was able to test it out before it launched (because it came in a mystery bag), so I’ve been using it for a little under 2 weeks.
Upon first application, this is a beautiful mascara. I’ve included comparison photos between bare lashes, one and two coats of product below. My lashes were instantly lifted, lengthened and looked more voluminous. I loved the finished result. There was a ton of definition, and the color wasn’t an inky black, but it was a really good black for every day.
My eyes aren’t particularly oily, but I do tend to struggle with a little transfer, especially to my bottom lash line. But having said that, I have mascara that I don’t experience any transfer at all, at least not until I’ve worn it all day. Unfortunately I noticed a ton of transfer from the BFF Mascara throughout the day, and not 6 hours after application. I’m talking raccoon eyes after about 2 hours of wear.
I watched a ton of influencer reviews on this mascara to see if anyone else was struggling with the same issue, and not a single reviewer had a single complaint, especially about transfer.
Over the past week or so, I’ve used multiple concealers and powders under my eye to see if I could find a combination that didn’t allow for transfer. But I haven’t been successful.
This might not be an issue for everyone, but my eyes get really watery, and this formula stiiiings when it gets in your eye. I’m not counting this as a con against the product, but just noting it.
the bottom line
As much as I love the look of the BFF Mascara when I first apply it, I don’t like it throughout the day. And I don’t think I’d recommend it right now.
Sometimes I enjoy a mascara about two weeks after I open it and it dries out a little. I want to continue playing around with it, and I’ll probably post an update on my Instagram in a couple of weeks, so make sure you’re following me over there ( @jacqie__ ). I wanted to love it, but right now I don’t.
My favorite mascaras are the Hourglass Caution and L’Oreal Voluminous mascaras–neither of which flake or transfer on me.
I get a ton of transfer under my eyes after a couple of hours. It smudges like crazy and I would definitely return it if I could.
I thought that maybe I was losing it, because no one else I saw review it had that issue. But it definitely transfers so bad on me! Which is unfortunate, because it looks really pretty on the eye and there are so many cool colors!
-Jacqie