CoverGirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara

Heck yes, it's another mascara review!! I swear, I go through mascaras faster than I go through eyelashes...

Let me start off by saying this - I thought this mascara was going to be a dud. Sure, bend the wand a little bit and throw it in a green tube with a different name, and you've got... the exact same thing as the original CoverGirl LashBlast! I mean, the original version wasn't clumpy to begin with - so how different could this version be?!

I must admit, I got sucked in by the pretty green tube and the curvy wand. I'm so shallow. I mean, I loved the original LashBlast way back in the day, but now it doesn't seem to meet my wants/needs as far as mascara goes. I don't know why I thought Clump Crusher would be any different...

I paid about $8 CDN for a tube of this mascara (non-waterproof version), but I'm sure I've seen it average anywhere between $7-$10 CDN. Like I mentioned previously, it comes in a delicious green tube with one of those flexible silicone wands. The wand on the Clump Crusher is a lot slimmer and bendy than the wand on the Original LashBlast. The bristles are curved as well, which makes this noticeably different from the original version.

Photo credit: www.allure.com

CoverGirl claims that this mascara will give you "200% more volume" without clumps, not to mention the "beautifully separated lashes" that you will have after you sweep this across them. The brush is described as having a "lash-loading" and "clump-combing" zones. 

This mascara is... in one word... amazing. 

It's also exceptionally buildable. In fact, I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of working with a mascara that I can build quite like I can build the CoverGirl Clump Crusher. I can apply one coat, which gives me a very natural but voluminous finish, or I can apply four coats which gives me intense volume, curl, and separation. I have no fear about putting on several coats, as I don't feel like this mascara gives me the "spider lashes" look, regardless of how many layers of mascara I've piled on. In fact, I'd love to try 5, even 6 coats, sometime, just to see what the end result would be.

Top left: (left eye) 2 coats, (right eye) 1 coat
Top right: (left eye) 3 coats, (right eye) 1 coat
Bottom left: (left eye) 4 coats, (right eye) 1 coat
Bottom right: (both eyes) 4 coats

Both (top) sets of lashes with 4 coats of the Clump Crusher mascara

As for lengthening, it's not anything mind-blowing. My lashes do seem longer, but they aren't sky high like they were when I tried L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes mascara. I feel like it's a respectable and noticeable length, but there's certainly room for improvement.

This mascara isn't heavy or crusty or flakey on my lashes, it's soft and flexible. I have ZERO problems with flaking or smudging or transferring (unless I go crazy and start pawing at my lashes intermittently throughout the day...). I have the non-waterproof version, and if you get water or tears on your lashes, you're going to see some bleeding. I'm wondering what the waterproof version is like...? Probably super h-core. I'm guessing it would be an excellent alternative for days when you need exceptional wear from your mascara (i.e., weddings, funerals, graduation, prom, girls' night out, breaking up with your boyfriend, watching a romantic tragedy, etc.)

For my every day purpose, this mascara is wonderful. The longevity is stellar - my eyelashes look almost exactly the same as they did in the morning when I first applied my mascara. 

I do feel like this mascara holds a curl reasonably well - I even used it with and without a lash curler to see, and I feel like it's respectable in the curl-holding-department. Nothing mind-blowing, mind you, but I think it's suitable for day-to-day wear. I may notice that the curl has fallen just the slightest bit, but it's nothing to complain about.

The formula is on the drier side of a wet mascara. It's not too liquidy, but it's not like piling paste onto your lashes either. I think the drier formula is what gives you that buildable quality and enhances the volume of your lashes as well.

And who in the heck wouldn't love this brilliant green tube, I ask you!? I love to leave this out on my vanity, just to catch my attention and make me smile in the mornings - no joke. I mean, you can have your elegant, sleek, expensive-looking tubes, leave me with the simple lime green tube, and I'll be a happy camper for life.

Can I just spend a moment singing the glories of the wand, as well!? I love how Clump Crusher has a flexible wand that fits the curve of my eye, and bends to accommodate every angle of my lashes. I love how the one side of the brush features some longer bristles that catch less product, so that I can comb through my lashes and dispell any clump-age before it dries. The little 'resevoir' or 'valley' in the brush picks up more product and deposits it at the base of my lashes, where I can easily pull it through to the ends in one smooth sweep. This brush is far more easy to work with than the Original LashBlast, as the wand is more forgiving and accommodating.

I feel like this mascara would be great for layering. If you found a lightweight, but stellar lengthening mascara, you could build up some crazy intense lashes using Clump Crusher as your volumizing and defining layer(s).

All in all, I am thoroughly impressed. While this is no L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara, it's still a fantastic volumizing, separating, and surprisingly buildable mascara. I can see myself using this every day indefinitely. I encourage everyone to give it a chance - especially those who tried Original LashBlast, and didn't find the volume or length they were looking for. It's an affordable mascara to try, even if you're just curious, and you're not going to be out your life savings if you hate it.

I'd definitely recommend this mascara to anyone looking for a buildable, volumizing mascara that gives great separation and definition, while still remaining flexible and weightless on your lashes.

4.5 out of 5 stars - what WHAT!?

Let me know: have you tried the CoverGirl LashBlast Clump Crusher mascara recently!? What did you think of it?!

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes in Carbon Black

I picked this mascara up from Shoppers Drug Mart for about $7 CDN on sale, whoot whoot!

Photo credit: Lorealparis.ca

I did some research on this mascara before I picked it up - knowing full well that about half of the women out there hated it with all their guts, and the other half were madly in love with it. I hoped that I was one of the latter.

This mascara features a flexible silicone wand with spacious bristles. L'Oreal describes the design as a "Clean Sweep System [which] wipes the brush free of clumps" for a clean, defined, voluminous look. It is supposed to be ophthalmologist-tested and allergy-tested. It claims to be clump-free and fragrance-free, as well as safe for contact-lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes.

Oh my, oh my, oh my. How I adored this mascara.

The packaging is tres chic. Who wouldn't want to pull this golden tube of deliciousness out of their makeup bags, I ask you!? This definitely looks more expensive and high-end than any other mascara I've tried. Kudos on the packaging, L'Oreal. I especially love the way the inside of the tube is designed, with the little 'cleaner' feature that pulls excess product off of the brush before you get it out of the tube.

The brush was perfect for getting right in to the base of my lashes, and because of the way the brush was designed, it got just the right amount of product on my lashes - enough to thicken them, but the brush wasn't so gobbed up with product that it couldn't clear away the excess at the same time. This brush is a little bit larger in size - sort of reminiscent of CoverGirl's infamous LashBlast mascara, but with a gentle curve that fits the curve of your natural lashline perfectly. This brush wasn't as torturous as the L'Oreal Clean Definition Telescopic that I loathed with it's razor sharp bristles; still not friendly if you happen to get it too close to your lashline, but not nearly as painful.

The wand also features short bristles mixed in with longer bristles, to lengthen and clear out any clumpage. Ingenious design, I tell you. Brilliant!

The mascara itself has an interesting smell. It's not overwhelming or overpowering, but it's not nice either. Sort of a "peppery-plastic" smell, and yes, you can quote me. I don't know if I notice the scent too much after it's applied, but when you first whip your brush out of the tube, it's sort of a startling discovery - especially when you're not used to smelling anything from your mascara tube.

The formula was thin, but not as thin as other L'Oreal mascaras I've tried. Usually I have to leave my L'Oreal mascaras uncapped for several days before they dry out enough to be usable. Not so with this mascara.

It was pure black. Like the blackest of black mascaras - it made my green eyes pop like you wouldn't imagine.

On the left, 2 coats of the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara.
On the right, my naked lashes.

It volumized my lashes fantastically. But it wasn't clumpy and it didn't make my lashes spidery. I got separation and definition, yet the base of my lashes was dark and thick. Somehow this mascara did exactly what I wanted every mascara in the history of ever to do for my eyeballs.

A comparison of my naked lashes to my lashes with
2 coats of the mascara.

On the top - Left: 2 coats of the mascara, Right: naked lashes
On the bottom: Left: 3 coats of the mascara, Right: 1 coat of the mascara

I never tried curling my lashes with this mascara, but I have no doubt that it would've rocked it up in that category also. I've heard a lot of complaints about this mascara flaking and such, but I never experienced a problem with flaking or transferring. This mascara stayed put on my eyeballses.

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.... there's always a but... haha, I said "butt"...

This mascara was no comprendo with my eyeballs. Every night after taking my mascara off, my eyes would itch and water and burn so bad. Sometimes they even itched during the day if so much as a little flake got into my eye... It was maddening, I tell you. I considered that maybe it was just environmental allergies, but as soon as I stopped using this mascara the problem went away. So unfortunate.

And the price is sort of a con as well. If you're buying this mascara full price, expect to pay at least $9 CDN. Depending on where you purchase it, you might be looking as much as $11 or $12 CDN dollars. Ouch. My wallet is crying...

Needless to say, I'm really disappointed. I wanted this to be my holy grail mascara - now it's just taking up space in my drawer, and I'm not really sure what to do with it. Maybe my sister would like to take it for a test drive...

3 out of 5 stars.
A huge part of me wants to give this 5 or 6 stars, just because it is that amazing. But I knocked it down to a 3 because the price I pay in pain and agony just isn't worth any delicious lashes.

Sigh de la sigh. What mascara duds have you tried? I want to know.

Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Sculpting Gel

I purchased this 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) tube from London Drugs for about $12-$13 CDN, I believe. I also think it was on sale when I picked it up... Hmm. In any event, you can purchase this wherever Paul Mitchell products are sold.


This is a thickening gel. According to PaulMitchell.com, it "pumps up the volume and provides flexible hold for fine hair. [It] creates brush-through body without stickiness or flaking. [And it] makes locks shiny and manageable." It contains aloe, henna, jojoba, and rosemary to add intense shine.


First off, I don't know why I picked this up. I originally went to London Drugs to purchase the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum (which I adore... Blog post on that here), and I think I saw this, thought "Hey! A sale. I 'need' that..." and grabbed it. In hindsight, I probably could've thought that one through a little more.


The packaging is simple. An opaque white tube with simple, easy to read information on it. A plastic cap which snaps open and shut, and the functionality of a squeeze-tube system. Wham-bam-thank-you-mam. However, my tube will last me FOREVER. Literally. I use so little of it every time I style my hair that this bottle will last me at least a year.


The gel itself is clear and pretty thin. It is a 'stiff'/dense enough gel in that it won't slide off your hand after you squeeze some out of the bottle, but thin enough that it spreads evenly with very little effort.


There isn't really a scent to this gel. I mean, it has some sort of a hair-product-y scent, but it basically disappears once you apply it to your hair and style it. I suppose if you had to try and give the scent a name, you'd say it smelled 'clean' or 'professional' (definitely a smell that you'd find in products that your hairdresser uses...)


You're supposed to apply this to clean, damp hair and then style as desired. When I looked up some reviews on this product (post-purchase) I found that some people found more favorable results when they put this in their hair after styling. I've tried both ways and found that I appreciate applying it on damp hair more.


Originally, I hated this. That was back before I chopped my hair off. My hair was past my shoulders, and I tried applying this to my hair and styling it several times. Nothing happened (good or bad). Literally - no extra volume, no thickness, no clumpiness, no flatness. So it seemed like such a waste of money to me. After I cut my hair into this sort of textured, piecey short style, I tried it again - and voila! The results I was looking for.


For me, this product is one that I need to use solely at my roots. If I bring any down the shaft of my hair, I end up with a clumpy, greasy, flattened look which is completely unflattering. I try to keep the bulk of this product towards the crown of my head, and as little as possible in my bangs. I apply two pea-sized dollops to damp hair, after I've put in my detangler and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I really rub this in at my roots, towards the back of my head and then work the remainder around my head. Then I apply my heat protectant and style. You can see the results immediately after blow drying, in my opinion. My hair is massive, or at least, massive-er.


Here are some before and after pics of my hair... pardon my un-done face. It's pretty heinous, I agree haha.

Wet - with Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Sculpting Gel in.

Post-blow drying.

Post-blow drying. Check out the volume.
Pardon the scary no-makeup face.

Done styling.

After flat ironing. All styled up.

About 8/10 times I use this, I can feel a little bit of an almost 'tacky'ness near my roots (where I applied this product) after I blow dry. It's not a tackiness that weighs my hair down or makes it look greasy or flat, my hair just feels... product-y. Some people might really hate that, even if that's the only side effect of the product overall. I can get over that though... it's not a deal breaker, I'd just prefer a clean feel to my hair post-styling. I mostly find that this tacky/sticky feeling is promiment in my bangs - hence the reason I keep most of this product away from my 'fringe.'


So, 'eh!' to the claim that it doesn't make your hair sticky... I think it makes it sort of sticky, some of the time - if that makes any sense.


This product doesn't affect any part of the styling process in a negative way. It doesn't clump up in my flat iron, or become greasy or flat during the day. It really does last. No flaking, either, which is a huge plus. I don't like looking all dandruffy as the day wears on. My hair is definitely flexible, manageable and brushable after using this product. 


I don't know that I'd say that it adds shine - because I haven't personally noticed my hair being more shiny with this product in particular. Basically, I wouldn't pick it up for it's 'shine-enhancing' qualities.


All-in-all, I'm appreciating this product a lot more since my hair has been short. I feel that maybe the original length was too heavy for the product to do its magic. It's definitely not a 'holy grail' product in my arsenal, but I really love it with my short hair. I love the volume it gives my otherwise fine and limp hair.


I'd definitely recommend it to you if you have fine and limp hair that needs an extra shot of volume. Since this bottle is so frackin' huge, it'll last you forever, so I don't really see it as an 'investment,' because it'll basically pay for itself after a few months. 


I don't know - I'm pretty impressed with my Herbal Essences-esque locks lately. I'm really digging this hair cut, and how nicely it styles with this product. Cha-ching! Super stoked about resurrecting a 'crap' product and making it work for me!!


4 out of 5 stars.
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What hair products do you use for thickening/volume-boosting?

TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo

My apologies for the off-again-on-again posts, everyone. School's been crazylicious, and I haven't been able to keep my head above the raging tides. Here's a review to keep you comfortable for a little while though!!


You can purchase this product anywhere TRESemme products are sold, for about $4-$6 CDN a bottle. Each bottle contains 5.7 oz (161 g) of dry shampoo-p :)

Photo credit: www.kizzy-online.com/2011/09/19/tresemme-fresh-start-dry-shampoo-tips-and-tricks/

There are now three different formulas available in the dry shampoo collection - a volumizing formula (for fine/oily hair), a strengthening formula (for dry/prone to breakage hair), and a smoothing formula (for straight/normal hair). I personally, have only ever tried the volumizing formula. The volumizing formula is marketed to fine/oily hair-ed individuals.


TRESemme's description of this product is as follows: "transform limp, lifeless locks into healthy, full-bodied hair when you skip shampoo. The Mineral Clay and Citrus formula removes oil and odor that weighs hair down, so you can have instant salon-quality volume without a drop of water." The Volumizing Dry Shampoo contains mineral clay (which seeks out and absorbs oil, injecting hair with instant salon-gorgeous volume), and citrus extracts (eliminates odor, infusing hair with a fresh, clean scent).


This must have been the first 'drugstore' brand to come out with a dry shampoo, which everyone was so excited for. I'd never tried dry shampoo, but I was eager to try this out, especially because it was so affordable.


I usually use this on my 'off-days,' the days I don't wash my hair. Sometimes I don't need it, as my hair isn't excessively oily or limp looking. On average, I use it about once a week - sometimes more, sometimes less. I find that it's really great for 'injecting volume' into my hair though, and sometimes I'll spray some in on a day when I do wash my hair, just to get that extra lift and body.


The product comes in an aerosol can, which requires shaking before you can dispense it. It is recommended that you lift sections of hair at the roots, and spray in short bursts about 8-12 inches from the head. After finishing this routine all over your head, you're supposed to let the shampoo sit for 1-2 minutes before brushing/combing out. For best use, TRESemme recommends shaking the can in between bursts of product. 


The volumizing shampoo has a very noticeable citrus scent that lingers on the hair for several hours after applying. It's not overpowering, but it's definitely there. I'm not a huge fan of the scent - it's tolerable, but I would definitely prefer different scents with my hair products. Overall, that's not a deal breaker for me.


The product itself is... okay. I mean, I don't have anything to compare this to, but I have some gripes with it.


First of all, this can be hit-or-miss. Sometimes I spray this in my hair, and all the excess oil on my head seems to just disappear off my roots and scalp. Funtabulous!! My hair is volumized and looking fresh and clean. Other times, it creates a noticeable residue at my scalp - where the product almost clumps up on my roots creating a really gnarly, unclean look. 8 times out of 10, I get the clean, wonderful look, but I'd rather that was 10/10.


As for whether or not it actually 'sucks up' the oil off my head, I don't know. Sometimes I feel that this merely mattifies the shine on my hair/head, as opposed to actually getting rid of the oil. But other times, I feel like the oil really is gone. Meh. Crazy product!


I've had several bottles of this product that have clogged up mid-spray, and originally I didn't know what the problem was. The first time it happened, I threw out the (brand new) bottle and bought a new one. Later, I found out (via the online community) that you just need to rinse the nozzle off with some warm water, and it'll work like magic for you again. Unfortunately, this took me eons to figure out. It's also pretty inconvenient, but I suppose that is the downside of any aerosol product.


Another less-than-stellar point about this product is the fact that it is a white powder, so occasionally it won't brush into your hair and you get this white streak on your roots that makes you look like you've aged 50 years in 30 seconds. When this happens, I'm still not 100% how to fix it... I've tried using boar bristle brushes, combs, water... nothing seems to reduce the white cast, which is frustrating and annoying. Because EVERYONE can see it... and everyone points it out. A transparent powder would be a nice alternative...


The product is extremely affordable, and usually you can find it on sale - especially at WalMart and London Drugs. This is a large part of the reason I keep coming back to it - it's just so freaking affordable!!


One can of this will last me F-O-R-E-V-E-R. No joke. I rarely need to worry about replacing my bottle, even if I use this 2 to 3 times a week. Another HUGE reason I will keep repurchasing this. The can isn't that big, but a little bit goes a long way. 


For the most part, this product is decent. It's affordable and does what it's supposed to do. Is it the world's best dry shampoo? I highly doubt that. Could other drugstore brands create the world's best dry shampoo? Absolutely. It just wasn't TRESemme.


I'd be interested in trying the other versions of this dry shampoo, I'm just too chicken to pick up a bottle and have it do weird things to my hair, when I've got such a 'good' thing going with the volumizing verison.


For now, I will keep repurchasing, until I feel like trying something new. I like the way this treats my wallet, and while there are some little things here and there that I don't appreciate about it, I will get over them and keep using it, because I don't want to wash my hair every day :)


Overall 3 out of 5 stars.
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What do you think of the TRESemme dry shampoos?