Benefit They're Real! Mascara Review

Hi guys!

So I thought I'd do a quick review on the Benefit "They're Real!" mascara today :)

Ummm... first of all, I forgot to take a picture of what the mascara wand looks like XD But I figured most people already knew anyway. If you don't, it looks exactly like the picture shown below:

"World's #1 Mascara" huh? Such a cocky statement XD To point out the unique feature of this particular mascara wand, you will notice there are little brushes at the tip of the mascara wand. I think it allows you to get the hard-to-get small lashes at the corners of your eyes, as well as help with vertical application on lower lashes. By the way this mascara wand is HUGE! At least for my tiny eyes lol.

Now onto the formula. The formula is rather wet and I found myself have to be careful about blinking right after application, but nothing too bothersome.

Things I DON'T like about this mascara:
1. It has NO curl hold whatsoever. A primer is a must. If I apply this mascara to my curled, bare lashes, it makes my lashes go stick-straight.

2. It is NOT waterproof. It can be washed away with cold water. But it will really start to come off earnestly if you use warm water. I believe you can take this mascara off completely just by warm water.

3. It can smudge a little on my lower eyelid at the end of the day. This kind of goes hand in hand with the fact that this mascara is not waterproof. ***My solution: I found that applying a bit of loose powder on my lower eyelids really prevented the mascara from smudging!

4. It can clump easily. Now that's not something I'm too concerned about, since clumpy lashes is better than no lashes. But thought I'd put it out there.***update: Actually I think the clumping I experienced initially was because of how wet the formula was. Now I've been using it for a while it's not as clumpy anymore. Also the clumping can be easily removed by a mascara comb 

Now onto things I DO like about this mascara:
1. I do like the applicator, despite it being too large for my eyes.

2. Volume and lengthening are quite impressive! With a good primer, this mascara really does perform well.


Bottom line: I personally will NOT spend $23 on this mascara, because waterproof is very important to me! Of course I'm comparing it to my Majolica Majorca mascaras, which does not budge until I remove it at the end of the day (I have worn MJ mascara to waterparks-- did not move ^_^)

Curl hold is also important to me, but since I use a primer anyway, it's not that big of an issue. But for those who don't want to use a primer and have stubborn straight lashes, this mascara is probably not for you.

Now onto application photos:


Curled, bare lashes


Coated with Majolica Majorca mascara primer.


With one coat of They're Real! Mascara.

I feel like above application photos don't really do this mascara justice, as I usually try to build it up for a more dramatic effect. Here goes!



I don't know about you, but I think this is quite impressive, hehe.

Even though I will not spend $23 on this mascara, if there's ever a free sample/100 point gift on Sephora, I will not hesitate to pick it up ^_~

That's all for my review! Hopefully some of you found it helpful ^_^


<3 Frances