Mascara Drama

OK, so even if you DON’T do your full face every day there is a good chance that you paint on a little mascara to make you feel a little more “done up”. I definitely fit into this category and am always on the look out for a product that doesn’t leave me looking pandery eyed. You see, like many working mothers I get approximately 3.5 minutes to get ready to go anywhere. I get out of bed, turn on the shower and kids wake up. They talk AT me while I rinse out the shampoo, they demand assistance while I am fumbling for the conditioner and I give up shortly after. Then as I attempt to get close to the mirror to apply the foundation, powder and mascara they can’t find their shoes, need help tying their hair and have to know what another way of writing 8.45 is. Life! It happens. And I go out looking marginally more groomed than Alice Cooper.

Anyway, back to the mascara.  Now, I slather on the moisturiser every day as being an Eczema girl I need all of the help I can get! The down side to this and my break neck get ready time is that I am often applying mascara to moisturised eyelids.  The problem with this is that as most mascaras are oil based, they don’t get a good enough grip on my eyelashes to go the distance and I end up looking a little smudged.

You can imagine my excitement when I heard about a new type of mascara that wasn’t oil based. I got a chance to try it at the Beauty Expo. The mascara is from Blinc.

In order to appreciate the difference we have to understand the status quo…

So, what are mascaras made from usually?

They are most commonly a waxy and oil based paste that is coloured with inorganic pigments such as iron oxides. The cheaper the mascara the more likely it is to be just the above with a little preservative and maybe some additional colours.

And then what?

Well, on top of that you can get waterproof mascara’s that have film forming (water resistant) properties and usually contain a volatile solvent which means they set quickly. These film formers are like putting a little plastic rain-coat onto your lashes. They need removing with special eye make-up remover as they build up quite a film! This stops them from being so likely to run when you cry or smudge when you have greasy eyes!

Some mascaras contain fibres to make your lashes look fuller and others contain conditioning agents very similar to those found in hair styling products. These can give the lashes some shape and again make them look thicker!

Great, so why do they run?

They run because the majority of mascara formulations contain a relatively high percentage of waxes and oils. Like disolves like and as your skin has an oily layer over time it will start to break the mascara down.  A thick coat of moisturiser will hasten its demise!

So, what is this Blinc then?

The thing that I like about blinc more than anything is that it has an interesting formulation. The mascara is based on acrylate technology – acrylate based thickeners are used in a wide range of products spanning bubble bath to hair gels, toothpastes to cleaning products.  The acrylate polymer used can be completely removed by water yet it doesn’t budge at all when you cry. Weird? Slightly!

This  polymer also acts differently on the lash. Rather than paint them the formulation surrounds the lashes in little tubes – this isn’t just marketing spin, you can actually see them come off when you wash.

Another thing that makes this formulation stand out is that the mascara contains no oils or waxes at all. This makes it very light to wear and adds to its ability to stay put all day. The key ingredient here is the ammonium acrylates copolymer. This holds the product together, gives it some viscosity and disperses the pigment evenly upon application. The polymer sets on the lash to form the tubes – again, like a little plastic jacket that can be removed easily with a little warm water and some soap.

Now this formulation isn’t magic and it isn’t 100% water resistant so swimming, excessive crying and rubbing of eyes and a savage dose of hay feaver could see it start to fail. However, for the most part this is a neat piece of science and beauty.

So does it offer any of the good stuff such as lengthening and thickening?

The mascara alone does make the lashes look a little thicker due to this tubing effect. However, for best results Blinc recomend using it with their primer.  Interestingly enough the primer is just like a traditional mascara (in as much as it is heavily oil and wax based) but without the colour.

I would buy both and make up your own mind as to which way to go.

Can I buy some now?

Here in Australia you can buy Blinc through the Adore Beauty website and possibly some other retail outlets. Check out their website for more details and have fun trying this piece of chemistry magic.