Now, time for a little present! This is the MUA Lash & Brow
Clear Mascara!
Yep, this was a gift with purchase! I really wanted a MUA
brush, but what I didn’t know at the time is that I would be getting a free
clear brow mascara as well! I only noticed it as I was adding the brush to the
cart. Well, isn’t this lovely! And it’s something brand new to me as well, as
I’ve never had a brow mascara before. I prefer to fill in my brows, but there
are definitely days when I don’t feel like doing a whole face of make up, when
this will be really useful. I guess it could be used to prime the lashes as
well? My curiosity is piqued, so let’s finally see what this is like!
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Packaging: pretty simple, just a clear plastic bottle with
black text and a black cap. Although, the text is big and bold! Information
about this clear mascara is in the back, with noticeably smaller text. But,
since the bottle (and mascara) is clear, it is easy enough to read. I love the
contrast that the black cap creates with the clear bottle! It makes the bottle
look very fancy and modern. The cap closes super tightly.
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| www.muastore.co.uk |
Ingredients: glycerine, panthenol/provitamin B5 for
nourishment. No parabens. The scent is kind of like algae?? It smells chemical
and almost salty, like the sea. I... kind of like it. Also, it smells kinda
like fresh cucumbers! It’s definitely a very fresh scent, which I like. The
expiration date is just 6 months after opening.
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Let’s first take a look at the applicator. This is a
lash/brow mascara, so it comes with a classic mascara wand, although it sure is
supersized! Not only is it giant, it is also pretty dense, so that it can apply
a thick layer of gel to both your eyelashes and eyebrows. The bristles of the
spoolie are soft and feel gentle on the skin, both on the eyebrows and the
eyelashes, so it is good for sensitive skin and eyes. Even when I accidentally
poke my eye with the spoolie, it doesn’t cause my eyes to water a lot, that
shows just how appropriate for sensitive eyes it is! The spoolie picks up a
large amount of gel, and it applies it evenly across both the eyelashes and the
eyebrows.
I really like how it combs through the hairs so nicely, separating
each hair so that you end up with fluffy eyebrows and nicely fanned out
eyelashes. And it’s pretty precise, so it’s easy to apply the gel to a smaller
area. I didn’t expect this applicator to be quite this good, I thought it would
be meh, but it’s actually really great! I especially love its huge size... I
sometimes wonder how such a huge spoolie even fits inside the bottle, and the
even tighter stopper.
Now, there is no pigmentation to speak of – this is a clear
mascara after all. So, no matter how many layers you apply, it will still be
clear and colourless. This allows you to layer it over other brow products to
set them, or use it as a brow/lash primer.
Just note that the gel becomes cloudy in the bottle after a
few uses. It looks unappealing, but it doesn’t seem to affect the gel
negatively so it’s just a visual issue.
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The formula is every bit as refreshing as the scent! It
feels very hydrating immediately after applying it, which is especially great
in the summer. This watery, hydrating feeling lasts for a few minutes, until
the gel dries, after which it feels quite literally invisible on both the
eyelashes and the eyebrows. You can definitely tell that this is water-based,
given how watery and hydrating it feels, but this is a good thing! It feels a
bit tight after it dries (mostly on the eyebrows), but it’s not an uncomfortable
feeling. It actually feels quite comfortable, even if I end up sweating a lot. This
lightweight formula is crucial to its ability to fan out the lashes, as it
doesn’t weigh them down or make them clump. And it doesn’t irritate my
sensitive eyes. Very nice!
Thanks to the superb spoolie, applying this gel is a breeze!
It applies evenly and richly with no effort needed at all, so it’s great to use
in the mornings before work if you just need to define your brows and lashes. The
spoolie combs the brows into a neat shape, so it’s easy to get fluffy, natural
looking brows, and the eyelashes are always separated and fanned out. It’s also
precise enough to apply the gel into the eye corners without making a mess.
Just no fuss at all! And it dries pretty fast, too!
This is a hydrating clear mascara, but it doesn’t add a
moist sheen to the brows. It dries down semi-matte; not quite matte, exactly,
as it looks like it has some natural sheen to it. This is ideal to me, because
it won’t mess with the finish/texture of anything you put under or over this
mascara.
Longevity is honestly not terribly too good, sadly. But it
is water-based, so I am not surprised it doesn’t tolerate my oily skin all that
well. Or water, for that matter. It is not at all waterproof or
water-resistant. So it will get washed off if you get caught in rain, or during
showers. It doesn’t last very long on oily skin, as the oils break it down so
you’ll have to reapply it multiple times during the day (if you aren’t wearing
anything on top of it, that is). But honestly, since it feels so refreshing and
hydrating, I don’t mind having to reapply it. I am pretty positive that it will
have better longevity on dry skin, but it still won’t be excellent longevity. Although,
it seems to me like it wears nicely under mascaras and eyebrow products, so
it’s not all bad.
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There is one good thing with this gel being water-based: it
is super easy to remove with just water and a cotton pad! Most of it comes off
during a shower anyways, but if anything remains, just use a bit of micellar
water on a cotton pad and it will come off with literally no rubbing needed.
All in all, as my first ever clear lash/brow mascara, I
don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I like it! Listen, it doesn’t
have good longevity at all, and the gel becomes cloudy way too soon, and, yes,
the results aren’t spectacular, but I like what it does to my eyebrows and
eyelashes. It makes both look sharp and defined, and, since it is colourless,
it doesn’t mess with anything that you apply before/after this gel. This is
definitely a defining mascara, which is especially evident on my lashes. They
are separated and fanned out really nicely, for a more awake look, even without
any “real” mascara. It can also be used as a mascara primer, but I am worried
that the fact that it might cause severe problems with any
mascara applied over the gel. See, it’s water-based, so it has pretty poor
longevity. It doesn’t take long until sebum dissolves the gel, and don’t even
think about going into any sort of water with this on your eyebrows/eyelashes! It
will be washed off very quickly. So, evidently, it’s not made for oily skin.
That’s okay, I don’t mind having to reapply it multiple times during the day
when I’m not wearing any other makeup. I don’t mind because it feels so very
hydrating and calming! It feels like it is soothing all irritations, and helping
prevent my eyes from becoming dry and like there’s sand in them. It is enriched
with panthenol, after all! So, if nothing else, at least it can condition brows
and eyelashes, which is already a great thing! But sadly, it just doesn’t last
long and that’s a huge bummer. Oh well, I got it as a GWP, and I am happy with
it, despite the poor longevity. However, this poor longevity is precisely what
prevents me from actually recommending it, sadly.
Rating: 6/10
Would buy again? YES, why not?
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