Review: Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara

Sometimes, a product comes along that almost sets itself up for failure with me.

That’s so hyped, so lauded as this miracle wonder product, that it can’t help but fail.

I’m a complete sucker for advertising B.S (despite the fact I work in marketing and PR and should definitely know better). Ever since Tony the Tiger told me Frosties were grrrrreat I’ve had a compulsion to believe the claims made up by people trying to shift product.

Somehow being an avid reader of blogs doesn’t help, because if everyone is raving about something and I just don’t get it, I try to convince myself I must be wrong.

And so I have been doing with ‘miracle mascara’ Seventeen Falsifeye HD.

I wanted to love this, I really did. Friends told me it was great. Goss Makeup Artist said it outperformed premium brands. The before and after blog pictures I saw wowed me.

But somehow the reality has fallen a little short.

Seventeen is a brand I’ve slowly grown to love. My assumption about it was that it was cheap, aimed at young teens who didn’t know any better, and couldn’t produce a hero product, but I had to eat my words when I actually tried a few.

Their Skin Wow! 3-Way highlighter quickly became a winter essential for me, and since then I’ve gotten to know and love the brand better.

The Falsifeye HD mascara has been kicking around for a while but lately lots of people seem to have ‘discovered’ it and raved about it. I got myself a tube to try.

Its worth noting that I am definitely fussy about mascaras. I expect great things. I want insane volume but also definition. I only like ones with plastic combs (as opposed to bristle brushes). I need a formula that doesn’t flake or smudge out. Very few match up.

But I was living in hope that Falsifeye HD might be that one, particularly as it retails at the bargain price of just £6.49.

The mascara comes in an innocuous black plastic tube with white and pink writing. It won’t shake up the world or win any prizes for innovation but its functional and not too ugly – its actually a really similar idea to my current favourite, Mac In Extreme Dimension.

Inside, the wand is a square, tapered affair studded with fine plastic bristles that look as if they will deliver great separation – and they do. I like the brush style very much, it provides a good amount of lift and captures those hard to reach baby lashes well.

Where I feel this doesn’t live up to the hype is the formula itself.

Its quite thin and watery and doesn’t have any guts to it. You can squeeze volume out of it, but it’s a painful, coat-after-coat process that doesn’t really end up where you hope it will.

A pretty everyday flutter? Yes. A credible alternative to donning false lashes? Definitely not.

The formula lacks that oomph needed to make it truly great. A thicker formula that almost goes to clumps, but is rescued by the separation and definition provided by a great brush is the actual holy grail for me.

This just left me feeling a little underwhelmed, especially after seeing so many ‘Oh my gaahd!’ ravings over this.

Its good….its just not a game changer.

And perhaps that’s too much to expect from any one mascara. I was similarly unimpressed by Benefit’s They’re Real though. It just wasn’t for me, despite every other person applauding it.

So the search continues...

Have you tried Seventeen mascaras? What do you think?

Have you tried any wonder mascara’s lately? Let me know what you’ve discovered!