Review: Mac In Extreme Dimension 3D Black and Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara

It's a complete departure, but I picked up a couple of new mascaras recently and now that I've been using them both for a little while (I almost never like mascaras as much when they're fresh - is that weird?), I thought I'd give them both a little review for you.

Seeing as I've been a repeat buyer of L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic for quite a while now, this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but it's good to try new things...

>> Mac In Extreme Dimension 3D Black 

£18.00, maccosmetics.co.uk


During my recent off the radar, non-blogging period, I went down to London with Lady T to celebrate her birthday.

We had a blast, mooching around Harrods and Harvey Nics, smelling the expensive perfumes and drooling over all the amazing designer bags and clothes. I tried on a chinchilla coat that was £23,000. £23 GRAND!!!! I just cannot believe some people have that much money. In the evening, we went out to a club called Ink on Leicester Square and we had a really great time, in fact I'm sorry I missed blogging about it.

Despite all the general loveliness in the stores, I didn't buy very much, but I did end up picking up this mascara.

The assistant talked me into it, and I think she said it had been in development for 10 years! That's a lot of dedication.

Mac call it:

"A lightweight, whipped formula that saturates lashes from root to tip and won't smudge, clump or flake."

The benefits of the formula are:

• Adds volume
• Extends length
• Creates curl
• Conditions for softness and flexibility
• No smudging, clumping or flaking

It comes in a bulbous, glossy black plastic tube with the Mac logo all over it.The brush is made of soft plastic too, as opposed to a fibre brush (I hate fibre brushes), but is less angular than the L'Oreal one I normally use, and doesn't have the central reservoir like that one. Actually, I think the brush is very similar to the Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Definition (the one in the pink tube).

I like this mascara a lot because it really does coat lashes and add lots of volume as promised. I would argue against the creating curl though -  I have pin-straight lashes and nothing short of a long session with my Shu Uemura lash curlers combats that -  but then no mascara I've ever tried has really helped to curl them.

The formula is extremely smooth and long-wearing, and it really doesn't flake or smudge, although it can be a bit on the clumpy side - but nothing unbearable. And despite the durability, I find this comes off very cleanly at night with a decent remover and doesn't leave you with panda eyes. The pigment is very black indeed, so if that's your bag, you'll love this.

A great mascara for night-time, and I'd say it draws neck and neck with my False Lash Telescopic in quality. This has become my go-to night out mascara, although nothing would make me give up my falsies altogether! It's great for a dramatic finish.

Mac In Extreme Dimension 3D Black

>> 17 Doll'd Up

£4.00, boots.co.uk

Having not used anything from this range for many years, I recently ended up buying a few products from the Seventeen line, which seems to have gone through a big overhaul. The packaging is much more appealing, they seem to have quite a few new hero products, and I think the formulations have gotten better in a big way.

One of the things I purchased was this mascara -  I liked the plastic brush and the cute packaging, which comes in a slim tube with a little bow motif.

Boots say you can:

"Create a beautiful, overstated, wide-eyed look"

And the main selling points are:

• Special lash lifting formula
• Curved brush gives a doll-like effect
• Volume and curl without clumping
• 24 hours of staying power

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this, mainly because, perhaps wrongly, I'd written Seventeen off as a cheap brand with not many good products.

Glad to say I was really wrong. This mascara gives a super-pretty, fanned out lash, very wispy and gentle. The curved brush makes it really easy to apply and if clumps are the thing that gets you worked up, this formula produces absolutely zero. It doesn't flake or smudge either.

The only downside is that its not great at volume, even with two or three coats, but it's perfect if you want a bit more of a natural look. I had it in the dark brown shade, which makes it even more unassuming. I really like the finish on this mascara and at that bargainous price, I'd definitely buy it again.

Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara

This product is a perfect dupe for the much-hyped Benefit They're Real! mascara. It gives the same separated, super-long, wide-eyed effect, so if you love that, I'd wholeheartedly recommend that you give Doll'd Up a go.

I will definitely be back to the 17 stand to repurchase, which is not something I ever thought I'd say! My photo here is not the greatest, but if you search online for pictures, you'll find some that better show the amazing results. What a find!