Saturday, April 7, 2012

New Milani Total Lash Cover and Runway Lashes Mascara Review

As part of their huge spring collection, Milani introduced two new mascaras: Total Lash Cover and Runway Lashes. I'm a big fan of drugstore brand mascaras, so I was pretty excited to try these. Have a look!

Ingredients and instructions (click to enlarge)



MILANI TOTAL LASH COVER MASCARA

"TOTAL LASH COVER MASCARA with 3 Zone Brush (SRP $4.99) provides multi-performance coverage. Split into 3 zones the brush defines, builds, and curls lashes. This long-lasting, non-clumping formula feels comfortable for all day wear. Available in 1 shade. Only available at select Walmart stores."

Look at that freaky brush. Isn't it crazy? It's Milani's special 3 Zone Brush and it was very sad when I had to put that 90s-looking neon pink and green masterpiece into the tube and cover up the awesome with black mascara. The spiky pink plastic part does a great job of separating lashes and preventing them from clumping. The green and clear sections deposit a good amount of mascara onto the lashes and build pretty decent volume without clumping.


Lashes without mascara


Lashes with two coats of Milani Total Lash Cover Mascara in Black



MILANI RUNWAY LASHES MASCARA

"RUNWAY LASHES Instant Volume Mascara (SRP $4.99) the classic shaped, soft bristle brush gives instant volume, length & curl. The formula is long-lasting, smear-proof and does not clump. Paraben-free. Available in 1 shade. Only available at select Walmart stores."

Runway Lashes has a normal mascara brush. No crazy shapes, no big spiky rubber bristles, just a straightforward spiral design with short, dense bristles. The formula of this is rather wet so it builds more volume than the Total Lash Cover, but the short, dense bristles don't comb through the lashes as much and can promote clumping contrary to the "does not clump" product claim.


Lashes without mascara



Lashes with two coats of Milani Runway Lashes Mascara in Black


What I liked:
  • Both mascaras have attractive packaging. I especially love the holographic lettering on the Runway Lashes tube!
  • Both mascaras performed really well. Good length, decent volume, easy to apply without being too wet and messy or too dry and chunky.
  • They're cheap!
  • That 3 Zone brush is crazy in the best way possible. Too bad it doesn't stay neon after you put it in the tube!
  • The Total Lash Cover is great at separating and defining lashes and preventing clumps. It's like it has a built-in lash comb.
  • I didn't experience any eye irritation, smudging, flaking or other negative reaction while using either of these.
What I didn't like:
  • The short-bristled brush on the Runway Lashes mascara can cause the lashes to clump together. Keep a lash comb handy.
  • While both mascaras gave me better volume than some other similar drugstore mascaras I've tried, I still want more! I like big, fat, fake-looking lashes and these are good but don't give me that huge lash look.
  • They're Walmart exclusives.

Overall, I like both mascaras enough to finish the tubes, and I think they're definitely worth the $4.99 price tag, but neither of them are replacing Lash Blast as my favorite mascara. Good, but not amazing or life-changing or anything like that. Total Lash Cover gives the best length and definition and a good amount of volume, Runway Lashes gives a little more volume but not as much length and definition.

(This was sent for review.)

24 comments:

  1. I love your eyebrows! Mine are the same color, very dark, but I can't seem to get the shape like yours that I want. Anyway, love em! :)

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    1. Thank you so much!! I've battled with them for years but now I think I finally have them the way I like them!

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  2. Wow, your natural lashes look lovely. They're so full and curly - a look i can barely achieve with mascara! Initially i even thought those before pictures were the ones with the mascara :)

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    1. Thank you so much! It's weird, I never notice just how curled they look until I take a picture of them- makes me wonder why I ever spent so much on fancy lash curlers over the years!

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  3. Oh man, I love that brush. It really does scream 90s :)

    Unrelated to mascara, what do you use on your brows? Mine are pretty much the same color, and I always have a hard time finding brow colors that are dark enough without being too warm.

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    1. My normal brow stuff is either Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar or the Anastasia dark brown brow powder. Lately, though, I've just been filling them in with eyeshadow, sometimes with plain brown or taupe-ish brown, sometimes with one of the colors of shadow I've used on my eyes that day. MAC Moth Brown seems particularly soft and nice on my brows lately.

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  4. Ooh, I might have to try these out. Have you tried layering them? I like fat, fake-looking lashes too and I usually just layer my mascaras and it works pretty well. It doesn't take more coats either, just one of each different mascara. :] Your lashes are gorgeous, by the way.

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    1. I have tried layering and I like the results, but honestly, I love my normal Lash Blast so much that I never bother to use anything else! I should build a little shrine to Lash Blast on my vanity table, hahaha

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  5. Your lashes look better without mascara! Jealous!!

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  6. Hello! Reading this post, it just occurred to me - have you ever done reviews on makeup remover? I've been looking for a good, reliable, affordable one for a little while now and realised people don't seem to really review them (that i see, anyway!)

    I checked your sidebar, but no luck - would you consider doing reviews on what you use to remove all the shadows and mascaras you review?

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    1. You know, I don't think I ever have! Want to know the best makeup remover I've ever used? Pure jojoba oil! I get the little bottle from Trader Joe's and it lasts forever. Takes off everything and doesn't dry my skin, irritate my eyes or make me break out. All you do is gently rub it in and then wipe it away with a tissue or cleanse with your normal cleanser. That stuff rules and it's so inexpensive, I will probably never buy makeup remover again! :)

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  7. Wow, that brush is kinda scary, but I will definitley have to check both of these out! Your lashes look gorgeous

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    1. It's both terrifying and amazing at the same time, lol

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  8. I wouldn't mind trying that new 3 zone brush. It looks a little gimmicky but I think that's the fun part. Also, do you use any lash serums? My lash line always has a bare spot here and there.

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    1. Personally, I love a good gimmick. Even if it turns out to be nothing special, it was still a fun new thing to try, that's how I see it :)

      I've tried a bunch of lash serums in the past, but I don't currently use one.

      I usually lose a large clump of my lashes on one eye during allergy season every year, so I'm always looking for something safe and non-prescription that might help me re-grow them faster, but none of the ones I've tried really do much. I do like the cheapie Ardell one, it acts like a lash conditioner and actually does seem to make my lashes look better (but I can't seem to tell if they get measurably thicker or grow faster), but I haven't bought a tube in a while.

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    2. I'll look in to the Ardell serum. Right now, I'm using L'Oreal's lash serum and I haven't seen any difference. Thanks for the tip!

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    3. You're welcome! I didn't notice much happening from the L'Oreal one, either. I used it for about two months and my lashes looked nicer and felt soft and smooth, but that was the extent of my results with it.

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  9. I love your blog! Your nails always look impeccable, as do your eyebrows (jealous! Any tips?). One question: what is the gorgeous neutral eyeshadow you're wearing in this post? I love it!! Thanks for all your helpful reviews and beautiful photos!

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  10. I love your blog! Your nails always look impeccable, as do your eyebrows (jealous! Any tips?). One question: what is the gorgeous neutral eyeshadow you're wearing in this post? I love it!! Thanks for all your helpful reviews and beautiful photos!

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  11. I'm sorry if this posts twice - my comment disappeared after I logged into my google account. Anyway, I love your blog! Your nails always look impeccable, as do your eyebrows (jealous! Any tips on eyebrows?). One quick question: what is the lovely neutral eye shadow you're wearing in this post? It's beautiful! Thanks for all your helpful reviews!

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    1. No worries, that seems to happen a lot since Blogger switched to the new commenting system.

      Thank you so much!! :) My eyebrow tip is this: even if you don't think you need it, try filling in your brows with a brow powder and set them with brow gel to hold the hairs in place. It makes a huge difference!

      As for the eyeshadow, the top picture is a tiny amount of Too Faced Nude Beam patted on bare eyelid (no other eyeshadow), the second mascara picture is Pixi Fairy Dust patted on bare eyelid with a tiny bit of Urban Decay Bourbon eyeliner smudged in the lashline. I was going for a bare eyelids look but wanted a little sparkle to make it less plain :)

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  12. Oh, man - three posts total above! Sorry about that. Thanks for the info! I'm currently using Benefit's brows a-go-go and working on trimming and shaping my brows. I'm pleased with the results so far, but I'm always looking for other tips. :) I will definitely check out Nude Beam and Fairy Dust. Beautiful. Thanks again!

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