Review: Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara, Waterproof, Carbon Black

Yeah, you can see my feet.

Gah. Yes. It's another mascara review.

Why do I always search for different mascaras? Why am I always trying out different ones?

Well, the simple answer is that my lashes are not the best ones I would like to ideally have.
Short, stick-straight, thin, all that stuff. I guess it's a blessing that I less body hair (don't need to shave legs! lolz) but my eyelashes are pretty skimpy. Thus, the whole mascara drive.

I've been trying out different mascaras for years. Every 3 months (the normal life of a mascara) I go out and buy another mascara to try. Thus, when the life of my L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof ran out, I went to the store and bought another new one.

Enter Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara in Carbon Black, Waterproof.

I bought it at HEB for about $6. Normally it costs $8 a tube but the store was running a promotion so I got a bit of a discount. Nice.

Here's a first look, comparing the two L'oreal Carbon Black and Neutrogena:

The L'oreal's label is completely gone because it's smudged off from the
 multiple times I've used it.

Upon initial glance, I would think that the wand needs to go on a diet. Lolz. It's huge. The L'oreal was middle-sized, okay-sized, but the Neutrogena is pretty big. (how do you make inanimate objects go on diets anyway?)

What I look for in a mascara:

1. Waterproof (doesn't smear or smudge)
2. Dark
3. Voluminizing
4. Lengthening
5. Doesn't irritate my contact lenses
6. Hypoallergenic (hopefully)
7. Affordability

So, how did the Neutrogena go?

1. Waterproof - YES, this mascara DID NOT smear or smudge, even after 12+ hours of wear. Seriously, from 8 AM to 11 PM. Seriously.
2. Dark - YES, did make my lashes look dark. Really carbon black!
3. Volumizing - YES, this did do the trick. Somehow my lashes looked 2X thicker than my normal lashes, lolz.
4. Lengthening - YES, it lengthened my lashes quite considerably
5. Contact lenses - DID NOT irritate them
6. Hypoallergenic - DID NOT make my eyes watery during the first 8 hrs of wear; afterward made my eyes tear up more and flush out more rheum. 
7. Affordability - Kind of pricey for a drugstore mascara but is still cheaper than high-end ones, and does a great job.
8. DOES NOT CLUMP!!!! And the brush comes out clean - no need to wipe on the edges and stuff after the wand comes out.
9. No flaking. Yay!

Thus, the above qualifications are definitely pros.

Cons:

1. Hard to get off - but it is considerable since it IS a waterproof mascara. Use olive oil and several cotton pads to do this.
2. It's pretty hard getting the lashes on the inner corners of my eyes because the wand is so big. Need lots of skill. I've been trying to work on this (trying to develop skilled hands so that I don't look like an idiot when I get onto surgery rotations? I dunno) but still I'm not very good at it (been going at it for about 2 months already)
3. Doesn't hold a curl - even after curling, the mascara makes my eyelashes go right back to stick-straight.
4. It DID make my eyes feel really dry - I felt like I needed to put in eye drops to compensate for the dryness. Ech.

Note - this mascara has a formula which is on the drier side, which is good. This way it isn't as likely to smudge.

So, overall, what did I think of this? Well, it isn't the perfect HG mascara, but it's the closest I've gotten to a great one. Perhaps even better than the Maybelline Falsies in Black Drama I tried. I like it. It's definitely worth trying if you're looking for a waterproof mascara that thickens, lengthens, and does not smudge/flake/clump.

Still looking for the ideal one!


Previously tried mascaras (chronological order):

1. Estee Lauder MagnaScopic Maximum Volume, Black (not waterproof)
2. CoverGirl VolumeExact, Very Black, Waterproof
3. CoverGirl LashBlast Length, Black, Water-resistant
4. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume, Black, Waterproof
5. Almay One Coat Thickening Mascara, Black, Waterproof
6. Maybelline Falsies in Black Drama, Waterproof
7. Maybelline Colossal in Classic Black, Waterproof
8. L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black, Waterproof

Source: 1