I consider myself a bit of a beauty guru. I grew up dancing and acting in theater, so I’ve come across a good amount of makeup products and have been able to figure out which ones are my tried and true. Starting out, of course, I mainly shopped drugstore brands like Maybelline — but as I grew older and started making my own money, I began to venture into more luxury brands such as Lancome. It was then that I realized the major difference between the two brands, especially when it came to their mascaras. Why would the Maybelline Lash Sensational and Lancome Monsieur Big, which practically gave me the same results, be at completely different price points?
Here’s how Lancome Monsieur Big and Maybelline Lash Sensational mascaras compare to each other and what other options you can choose from:
Clean Ingredients
After I began wearing contact lenses, my eyes became a lot more sensitive to mascaras. Whether the formula was too drying or little dry specks of the product fell into my eyes, I was always rubbing them mercilessly. That’s when I figured out that the issue was the ingredients included in most mascaras. Although Lancome mascara had better ingredients than those found in the Maybelline one, they both still contained sulfates, could trigger fungal acne, and even clog the teardrop ducts in my eyes — which is terrible for someone who may suffer from dry eyes.
Unfortunately, both brands failed at giving me comfort without sacrificing looks. That was until I discovered PrimeLash by Prime Prometics. Made with clean ingredients, this mascara is hypoallergenic, vegan, and pH-balanced, letting me say goodbye to irritated eyes. Because this mascara is made for women over 50 who might be experiencing eyelash loss, this is also perfect for the person who is trying to rehabilitate their lashes without the use of many products.
Wands
A make-or-break factor in mascaras is the wand. Different types of wands will help lift your lashes, create volume, add more product with just one swipe, and even curl your lashes like never before. However, not many are designed to coat every single little lash in your eye — most of the time, you’ll need to use different types of wands to reach the lashes around the corners of your eyes. Despite the fact that Maybelline offers more mascara options than Lancome, I still never managed to find one that worked perfectly.
The best mascara wand I've found is actually the one in the PrimeLash mascara, which managed to coat every single little hair on my eye seamlessly. The wand is also made out of silicone so it only picks up the necessary product while remaining more hygienic than one with fibers.
Buildability
Sometimes when I’m going out, I want a more dramatic look without the use of false eyelashes. That’s where buildability comes in. How many swipes of mascara can I manage to get in before my eyelashes start to clump up, look cakey, or transfer onto my eyelids? Although Lancome managed to get to three coats without looking cakey or bulky, unlike the Maybelline Lash Sensational, I still managed to get some of the products on my eyelids — no matter what. Because neither of these formulas is water-based, meaning they will keep my lashes hydrated without looking clumpy, both failed the test. Unlike PrimeLash — their water-based formula allows me to apply as many coats as I want without my lashes looking terrible. However, I always cap it off at three coats.
The Verdict
After years of buying endless amounts of mascaras (you do need to replace them every 3 months to prevent any bacteria buildup), I came to realize that my favorite brands aren’t really as good as I thought they were. The formulas aren’t buildable without making my lashes look clumpy; they irritate my eyes and are terrible for people who wear contacts or have a tendency to dry eyes, and their wands are fine but they aren’t very innovative. After recently coming across PrimeLash by Prime Prometics, I realized that this was the one I needed.
