Review: MUFE Smoky Extravaganza Mascara

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I was fortunate enough to be able to receive a sample of this product from Sephora recently. 

I've never really used any high-end mascaras ever since my first one, the Estee Lauder one my mother gave me when I first started wearing makeup, ended up in a raccoon eye disaster. Also, I've always felt that drugstore mascaras were super awesome. In addition, since each mascara can only last 3 months before the preservatives in the product begin to lose their efficacy, high-end mascaras are often thought of as a waste of money.

Here is the ingredients list:

Water, Paraffin, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), Polybutene, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Acacia Senegal Gum, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Algin, Hydrolyzed Rhodophycea Extract, BHT, Serine, A13301/01.

Results.

What did I think of it?

Pros:

• Really defined my lashes well. Even with one coat.
• High staying power. Lasted for hours, even without a primer. This is the first washable mascara I've used that has done this.
• Really lengthened and volumized my lashes.

Cons:

• The cone-shaped brush does not allow for great precision for even coating of my lashes, especially given my eye shape. It's really hard to wipe off excess mascara at the tip of the cone.
• Lack of variety. Often times stores will have multiple shades of mascara - brown, dark brown, black, etc. This mascara only comes in black. A single shade.
• Made my eyes water for a bit. Guess that wasn't the best.
• Price. $24 for 0.23 oz on Sephora's website. Yikes.

Honestly, for the price point and for the brand, this is a nice mascara. However, I've encountered many mascaras (e.g. Maybelline, L'oreal) that produce similar effects and are only a quarter of the price. Truthfully, I could buy a year's worth of mascara at the drugstore for the price of one mascara from MUFE. Also, thinking of the watery effects of this product - meaning, the fact that it makes my eyes water - I don't think it's the best product that I could try in this category.