LORD & BERRY Mascare Black 1350 Review

This is a review for LORD & BERRY Mascare High Definition and Treatment - Black 1350. Other names: Lord & Berry Mascare eyelash code 1350, Lord & Berry treatment mascara, Lord & Berry Wardrobe Mascara. The 1350 variation is available only in India. Internationally, 1351 is available as the wardrobe mascara. I am not sure of the difference.

I wanted to do this review for a long time, but had mixed feelings for this product. I didn’t find ANY reviews for it, when I bought it. But I have now used it extensively. So this review is as honest as can be.

Product	Black Treatment Mascara for sensitive eyes
Quantity	10ml / 0.34 FL OZ
Price	INR 890 (Not mentioned on the package). Available for Rs 699 at urbantouch.com.
Shelf Life	Not mentioned on the pack. To be used within 6 months of opening.
Make	Made in Italy
Package Description	LORD & BERRY treatment mascara enriched with LXB Complex. Opthalmologically tested, for sensitive eyes. MASCARE: High definition, Volume and Treatment.
Details mentioned on online store	Lord & Berry Mascare Black 1350 is supremely soft and creamy texture. Never gets smudgy or blurry. Magically seals in 30 seconds. Long-lasting and water-resistant. Opthalmologically tested and safe for sensitive eyes.

Lord & Berry is an Italian brand in business since 1992 and is presently selling in 25 countries. I first saw this brand on goodlife.com, when searching for a black waterproof mascara. I actually wanted to buy their Raincoat Waterproof mascara, but that went out of stock on goodlife.com. I needed one for an upcoming party, so bought this water-resistant alternative from urbantouch.com.

UNIQUE QUALITIES CLAIMED BY THE BRAND:

MASCARE is a holistic approach to mascara that strengthens and treats lashes, as well as enhances their volume, definition and length. It is infused with Silk Proteins, Panthenol and Vitamin E to keep lashes fit. Black metallic pigments give colour, both light reflecting and defining. Mascare is an ‘Eyelash Spa’: healing and beautifying lashes simultaneously.

MY TAKE ON THESE CLAIMS:

High Definition: Somewhat, makes lashes look black and long.

Volume: NO Volume.

Treatment: Not sure. But it does not make lashes hard like other mascaras.

Opthalmologically tested and for sensitive eyes: Though the formula itself doesn’t sting, it withers off in very small black particles (highlighted in the pic below in pink stars) which at times get into the eyes and cause irritation.

It takes a while to master applying this mascara as the tip of the wand is unusually long, and needs a lot of precision to handle. I have usually seen women craning their neck forward near the mirror and opening their eyes WIDE open to apply mascara. But if you do that with this mascara, you will only end up with a lot of black mess around your eyes.

HOW TO APPLY?

This mascara has a very particular way of applying it, especially if you have long lashes. Have you ever watched eye makeup being applied to models on TV? Well, that’s how this and any other mascara should be applied to get well defined highlighted lashes, without straining your eyes, neck and hand.

For the upper eyelashes: tilt the head back and look down. Apply starting from the roots and sweeping towards the tips.

For the lower eyelashes: tilt the head forward and look up.

Lord & Berry Mascara 1350 with black withering particles highlighted in stars.

THE PLUSES:

1. Smell: Very light soothing sweet natural scent. No perfume.
2. Very pigmented. Gives a RICH black color to lashes.
3. Gives impression of lengthening.
4. Seals in quickly.
5. Comes off simply with a splash of water into my eyes, without even a hint of burning. But you do need to clean the blackness from your face in that case.

THE MINUSES:

1. No volume, some definition to the lashes and yet a very big price tag. It is sold as water resistant and still costlier than the leading waterproof mascaras in the Indian market.
2. The packaging is full of flaws: The tube is not straight. There is a gap in the tube and the brush part (See pic below), which lets dust and air to enter. The bottle doesn’t stand and keeps falling. No expiry/mfg date or MRP mentioned.
3. Forget Eye Spa, I find broken lashes on my cheeks after removing, almost every time.
4. The black metallic particles in the formula keep withering off and settle on under eye and cheeks. Need to be brushed off every couple of hours. They also get into eyes at times and irritate them.
5. Not water resistant. Comes off easily in a splash of water and leaves panda eyes.
6. The tip of the wand being extra long, dirties the upper eyelids. So if you are using this along with eye shadow and other makeup, you need to redo the eyeshadow and eyeliner after the mascara. Too much effort.
7. Most cosmetics have to be used within 12 months from opening and this one has to be used just within 6 months.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

This mascara is nothing but plain black ink for your lashes with a very high price tag. If you just some rub petroleum jelly into your lashes, they will look equally black and shiny. It is a complete waste of money. When I look into the mirror, the lashes look highlighted. But caught on the camera, it is like you are not wearing mascara at all. As you can see in the ‘Before and After’ pic below, the lashes look the same in the two except for a little blacker in the pic with the mascara.

Do I recommend? No.

Will I buy again? Never. It was a mistake to buy this.


Can anyone recommend a good black waterproof volumising mascara?

MASCARA: All you need to create BEAUTIFUL LASHES

TIPS ON APPLYING MASCARA:

1. The first most important key to applying mascara without creating a mess, is to pull out the right quantity from the tube/mascara bottle. NEVER pull out the applicator wand from the bottle in one pull as it will bring out loads of formula. Slowly and gently ‘unscrew’ the wand out of the bottle in anti-clockwise twists.
2. Once the wand is out in your hand, wipe off the extra mascara at the tip of the wand against the bottle neck or on a tissue paper. If you don’t, this will dirty your nose and the area around the eyes, when applying mascara.
3. It’s a good idea to apply eye makeup shortly after having bath or washing your face, to lock moisture in your lash hair. But make sure there is no water or cream on your lashes, else it will make your mascara sticky not letting it dry properly.
4. Keep your mouth wide open when applying mascara. This stretches your upper and lower lids apart and helps apply mascara easily and neatly.
5. Hold the wand at an angle and start coating with the small lashes near the nose, on the inner side of your eyes. Then take up the longer lashes in the middle and move towards the end.
6. There is no rule as to applying 1-2-3 or 4 coats. I just keep coating till I get the desired result.
7. Don’t dip the wand again and again into the bottle. Just twist the wand to use all the mascara present on the bristles. That should be enough to give you several coatings on one eye. The moment you feel your lashes are about to stick, stop right there and let the mascara dry. Most times it will be alright once it dries.
8. Practice is the key. Don’t expect to get great lashes in the first time. Applying mascara beautifully comes with practice. You cannot get the same effect like they show in the ads, as those are false lashes. Learn to beautify what you have been gifted by nature.
9. Place the brush near the roots of the lashes and sweep upwards towards the tips. Repeat to build volume. At least 3-4 coats are required to highlight your eyes. Apply more if required.
10. If you want cat-like eyes with lashes looking longer on the outer sides of your eye, hold the brush in the middle of your lashes and sweep it towards the outer side in upward motion.
11. Go for a good waterproof or water-resistant mascara that does not run down on your face if you happen to get your face/eyes wet.
12. If your mascara gets wet, don’t try to wash it off to reapply. Just pat your lashes gently against a tissue paper and let the lashes dry. Then simply clean any black trails left on your face. Once dried, reapply mascara if required. Trying to clean/wipe wet mascara will only make it messy.
13. Always keep a separate set of paper roll and earbuds to clean your eye makeup. Let your mascara and eyeliner dry first, and then simply clean any blackness around your eye area using a wet Q-tip/soft earbud.
14. For tips on how to remove mascara properly, read here.

HOW TO CURL EYELASHES WITH MASCARA?

To create a curl, complete at least 3 continuous sweeps without letting the mascara dry. Then keep the brush near the roots of your lashes and start rolling the brush between your thumb and fingers moving upwards. Once you reach the tip of the lashes, press the tips backwards towards your eyes to create a curl, putting pressure with the applicator brush.  Hold the brush there for a few seconds while pressing down. This will give the curl time to dry and set in. Repeat.

You can get a good curl in just two curling strokes (3 simple+2curling strokes=beautiful lashes) Please know that this is bound to leave some extra mascara drops on your lash tips. Just delicately dab with a ball of tissue paper, holding it near the tips and pressing down the same way as described above. Don’t clean if you want to keep the volume.

Alternatively, after you have applied several coats, place the index (first) finger of each hand below your upper lash hair, glide the finger to the lash tips, and press your lashes backward towards your upper eyelid a few times. The mascara should dry and set into a curl in a few seconds. Clean your fingers.


To learn how to train your lashes to curl up naturally, read here.

WHY DOES YOUR MASCARA DRY?

Quite often people complain that a mascara is bad because it has dried up in the bottle. But it happens mostly due to poor handling than poor formula.

Always unscrew the wand out of the tube/bottle. Never pull out. This will help avoid wastage of your costly product and also ensure good neat application. Similarly, always screw the wand into the bottle, never pump/push it in. Pumping the wand into the bottle in one push will cause air to trap into the bottle and will make your formula become clumpy and dry.

REMOVING MASCARA AND HEALTHY LONG LASHES NATURALLY

HOW TO REMOVE MASCARA?

Before you start removing your eye make-up, first remove your contact lenses if you wear them. Now take a small pool (8-10 drops) of plain coconut oil or almond oil or any other makeup removal oil in the center of your palm.

Dip your pinky (smallest) finger in the oil. Place the finger near the center of your eyes and close your lids. Your finger tip should touch the roots of your lashes but not the inner layer of your eye. Sweep your finger gently left and right to remove the mascara from the base of the lids.

Close your eyes and apply more oil to the upper side of the lashes near the eye lid. Gently melt all the mascara with your pinky finger till you can feel soft mascara free lashes on your finger. Repeat on the other eye.

By now you will look like a panda :-) with big black circles around your eye. Gently press down some soft tissue paper to let it soak the blackened oil. Wipe clean the remaining oil.  Do not rub harshly. Once clean, wash your palms and pat them dry.

Finally, to remove any chemical that may have been left in your eyes, take a small pool of rose water in the middle of your palm. Bend your face towards your palm bringing your eye right above the rosewater pool. Then simply take your head back in one light jerk, making the rose water fall right into your eye. Else use a dropper to put in 2-3 drops in each eye.

This will sting a little, so be patient. This is a very important final step.  After a few seconds, you will see some black chemical accumulated near your tear duct. Simply clean it with tissue or a clean cloth.

You have now successfully removed the mascara from the outside and from within your eyes.

WAY TO NATURALLY LONG CURLY LASHES

Apply or gently massage in some pure petroleum jelly (Vaseline) into the roots of your eyelashes with your pinky (smallest) finger every night. See the magic of beautiful long lashes in a few months ;)

You can also train your lashes to curl up naturally by exerting pressure on the lash tips with your index finger. For more details, refer to my other post on curling lashes here. Just use petroleum jelly instead of mascara and follow the same curling technique to eventually train your lashes to curl up. Please note that this is a tried technique but definitely needs patience and continuous effort.

All the best!

MAYBELLINE NEW YORK the COLOSSAL VOLUM’ EXPRESS MASCARA REVIEW (Washable)

This is a detailed user review for Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara. This product comes in two variations: the washable one (yellow+purple package) and the waterproof one (yellow+sky blue package). This review is for the washable variation.

This is the first Maybelline mascara I have used. I have used Lord and Berry treatment mascara, Revlon waterproof Mascara and Almay lengthening mascara in brown in the past. This mascara does add drama to your lashes and highlights them beautifully. ‘M loving it’ more and more with every wear.

Product description on the mascara bottle/tube

MRP: Rs 275 (Inclusive of all taxes)

Net Content: 10.7 ml

Product life: 2.5 yrs from import date

Made in France

Any complaint, call consumer advisor on 1800 22 3000 or E-mail at advisor@maybellineindia.com

Product Claims:

Colossal Volume – in just one coat (the one coat claim is Incorrect)

No Clumps (Correct)

THE RESULTS

THE PLUSES

1.  Lengthens Eyelashes:  It gives you decent volume with several coats, but it actually makes lashes look EXTREMELY long and dramatic. It should rather be marketed as a lengthening mascara than a volume building one.

2.  Affordable: The product is fairly decently priced at Rs 275 for the kind of results you get. In fact, I found it better than my other mascara, which is 3-4 times costlier than this.

3.  Easy to Apply: The applicator wand is nicely bristled, has just the right length of the tip and easy to manoeuvre. I could apply several neat coats in just a few seconds and had to dip the wand in the bottle only twice, to get a good application.

4.  Not Messy: When you unscrew the wand out of the bottle, it brings out just the right amount of mascara to nicely coat both the lashes a few times. Does not dirty the area around your eyes while applying.

5.  Doesn’t Clump: The consistency of the mascara formula is perfect:  neither very thick, nor very watery, which is why it makes your lashes look naturally thick. Most reviews on the internet claiming that it does not give volume, are incorrect. In fact it does give decent volume, and very good length.

6.  Stays Very Long:  Does not come off with sweating or wetting. Does not spread smudge or wear off even after hours of wearing (I wear daily for at least 10-14 hrs in summer heat).  I even happened to doze off one night with this mascara on, and woke up to find it intact with no harm to the lashes.

7.  Gentle: Lashes do not feel hard or plastic like on wearing this mascara. My Revlon Waterproof mascara used to harden my eyelashes like plastic, giving me bad headache within an hour. I am wearing this Maybelline mascara comfortably till late night.

8.  Holds Curls: You don’t need to curl your lashes separately. While coating from root to tips, just put a little pressure on your lash tips to make them curly and repeat several times. Let it dry.  The curl will stay till you remove the mascara.

9.  Beautifully separates Eyelashes: Since I applied several coats, the ends of my lengthened eye lashes started sticking to each other. I dabbed lightly with a tissue paper and let dry. The lashes came out beautiful and separate on drying.

10. No broken lashes: Unlike my other costly mascara, this mascara does not cause my eye lashes to break, touchwood.

11. Contact lenses friendly: The best part, I even wore it with contact lenses without any problem, itching or irritation.

12. Foolproof packing: Comes in a sturdy plastic packing that won’t break upon dropping. Won’t leak. It comes in a bold bright yellow tube, helping you find it easily in your dark lining purse.

THE MINUSES

1.Sometimes irritates on contact with water: The packaging does not say if it is opthalmologically tested or not. Upon first wear, I felt slight irritation at the root of my lashes and had to scratch the skin every few hours. Most times, I comfortably wear it for at least 7-10 hours. But whenever the mascara happens to get even slightly wet, the chemical releases into the eyes and irritates. It is not waterproof and it is the same with all non-waterproof eye makeup items.

2. Chemical Smell: Smells like some eye medication or may be fountain pen ink, though it smells better than the ewww smell of waterproof mascaras.

3. Less Volume than claimed: The brand’s claim of colossal volume in just one coat is exaggerated. You do get decent volume, but with several coats. However, this product won’t disappoint you for sure.

4. Bottle doesn’t stand: The mascara bottle is shaped like an elongated eye or an elongated wheat grain, like an Indian gulli to be precise:  fat in the middle and very thin at the ends. It keeps falling on the table.

HOW TO REMOVE THIS MASCARA?

Despite being washable with soap and water, this mascara should be removed with oil and rose water. Read on to know why...

Initially I didn’t know it was washable and kept removing it with oil and rose-water my previous mascaras. There was not a single broken lash hair when I removed with oil.

The day I discovered it is washable, I tried removing it with Johnsons baby top-to-toe, no tears wash (didn’t have the heart to hurt my eyes with soap). It came off but broke my lashes and badly stung my eyes due to the chemical that got in my eyes while washing.

With oil, it comes off with 1-2 min of gentle oil massage into my eye lashes with my pinky (smallest) finger. You can use almond, coconut or any other branded make-up removal oil. I used Biotique Bio almond Oil (face and eye makeup remover oil). Plain parachute coconut oil works equally well.

It is very important to remove eye makeup properly to keep your eyes healthy. You can read my tips on applying mascara here and tips on removing mascara eye makeup here.

AVAILABILITY:

Easily available in retail stores in most cities. Not available in mine. I wanted to buy this one in Feb this year, but I had read mixed reviews about this product on the internet.  So I bought another one. This one came in a PRIZE hamper from goodlife.com for winning in their Facebook Summer Tips contest, along with two other items.  Even though I have another new mascara, I was very enticed to try it and am pleasantly surprised with the results . You can buy it online from goodlife.com (free shipping on orders above Rs 100, which qualifies this mascara for free delivery), medplusbeauty.com (free shipping above Rs 300), urbantouch.com (free shipping above Rs 300) and many other online stores that offer great service and cash on delivery.

THE VERDICT:

A very affordable formula with great results. Can be used as an everyday makeup item without burning a hole in your pocket. Makes a great gift for a young girl who has just started using makeup. Since the washable variation is so good, I am hoping the waterproof variation should be very good too. Will try after finishing the two mascaras I presently own.