Review: Maybelline Full N' Soft Waterproof Mascara in Very Black

As you all know, every 3 months, I toss my old mascara and go to the store to buy a new one. I've been trying different kinds in my search for a really good one (called the HG mascara, aka "holy grail", although I wouldn't like to use that term for realz).

Thus, I watched one of Michelle Phan's old YouTube videos on drugstore mascaras that were really good, and decided to try out this one - Maybelline's Full N' Soft Waterproof Mascara in Very Black.

I bought it at Kroger for around $5. What a steal!

After unpackaging.

Comparison to The Colossal Cat Eyes Waterproof in Glam Black

Comparison to The Colossal Cat Eyes Waterproof in Glam Black

As you can see, the Full N' Soft has the traditional mascara wand that you have to wipe off the sides in order to not have too much clumping on the brush. It has a full mascara brush, as opposed to the Colossal Cat Eyes Waterproof, which has more of a curved, thin wand.


Here is the Ingredients list, according to Drugstore.com:

Petroleum Distillates, C8 9 Isoparaffin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera) Wax, Water (Aqua), Synthetic Beeswax, Allyl Stearate/VA Copolymer, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Propylene Carbonate, Polyvinyl Laurate, Silica, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Methylparaben, Isoceteth 20, Lecithin, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl/Methacrylate Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, 2 Oleamido 1,3 Octadecanediol, Simethicone, Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, May Contain (+/-):, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), Carmine (CI 75470) (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens) (Chromium Oxide Green), CI 77299 (Chromium Hydroxide Green), Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77510 (Ferric Ferrocyanide)

I'm definitely not an expert on mascara ingredients, but I do see a lot of polymers and beeswax-derived ingredients that provide for both lengthening and waterproof properties. There are also a bunch of preservatives in the form of parabens, which is actually a good idea, especially for mascara, which contacts the outside air and eyes very frequently. It is especially important for mascaras in general to have preservatives, or else one may get eye infections due to bacteria accumulation or eye styes (which I have gotten!).

I usually look for a mascara with the following properties:

• Doesn't irritate my eyes with contact lenses
• Truly waterproof
• No clumping
• Holds a curl well
• Long-lasting
• Adds volume and length to my lashes

In other words, my puny Asian eyelashes need a lot of help. Lolz.

The Full N' Soft line is one of the older lines produced by Maybelline. It has been around for quite awhile as a favorite. So, after 3 months of use, what did I think of this mascara?

Pros:

• Waterproof for real - no kidding, I needed a lot of makeup remover in order to remove it properly, and even afterward I had to wash my face in the shower before it would completely come off (in bits).
• Long-lasting - did not come off of my eyes all day
• Did not irritate my eyes, even with contact lenses in all day (12+ hours)
• Added volume and length to my lashes

Cons:

• Clumping - unless I wiped off the brush very well, I would get random clumps on the brush that I would have to otherwise brush out using a wand brush.
• Did not hold a curl - my lashes went from curved up to drooping daisies within a period of about 1 hour

Bottom line, I think this mascara did a pretty good job. The clumping issue can be fixed with a conscious user and the curl issue is definitely not a problem for those who have naturally curled eyelashes. I'll still look for another mascara to try, but in the meantime this is a good one to use.