Review: COL-LAB High-Rise Insane Length Mascara

Hi friends!

It’s review time today, one of my favorite kinds of posts to bring you guys. You guys know by now that I loveeee mascara. It’s how I initially got into makeup as a teen, and it’s what I’d bring with me to the moon if I was limited to only one makeup product. Getting it right is very important to me. In nine cases out of ten, I want my mascara to deliver on all the things which means volume, length & drama. And if I can’t get volume & drama, I need tons of length; otherwise the mascara is a total dud in my opinion.

So I’ve been testing out the COL-LAB High-Rise Insane Length Mascara for about a month now, which you may remember from my Sally Beauty haul a while back. And spoiler alert: it has not been going well. I’ve really liked everything else I’ve tried so far from COL-LAB (i.e. their eyeshadow palettes), but sadly this mascara is sorely lacking for me. Let’s get into why now.

Read about the last mascara that flopped for me here: Bougee Review: $70 Chantecaille Mascara

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION / BENEFITS

You won’t believe your eyes! Revolutionary Insta-Length Stretch Brush ™ gives lashes the appearance of sky-high lift and out-of-this-world length. COL-LAB High-Rise Insane Length Mascara’s super-buildable formula with natural waxes coat each lash from root to tip extending beyond belief for an unprecedented lengthening effect.

• Contains natural waxes
• Lifting & lengthening
• Buildable formula

– Sally Beauty.

MY THOUGHTS ON PACKAGING

I absolutely love the packaging on this product! It’s got that matte black soft-touch feel that most of us beauty lovers associate with NARS. For a $12.99 product, the packaging feels very luxe and lovely to hold. Top marks for this.

Rating: 5 / 5 ⭐️

MY THOUGHTS ON APPLICATION AND WAND

This is where things start falling apart for me. I find this mascara formula to be very difficult to apply to my lashes. When I pull the wand out of the tube, the product feels very thick, gloopy and sticky. When I start wiggling the brush through my lashes, it doesn’t want to move smoothly but instead wants to stick to my lashes! The shape of the wand itself certainly adds to this problem. As you can hopefully see from the photo below, the wand is very thin with almost no bristles. There are the tiniest little spikes which make it so awkward to try and push this thick formula through my lashes. I find myself feeling extremely frustrated when applying this mascara, so much so that I often end up layering it with another product (which is something I hardly ever do).

Rating: 1 / 5 ⭐️

MY THOUGHTS ON LENGTH

So obviously I knew from its name that this mascara would not deliver on the volume or drama, but I hoped that it would deliver on length for the same reason. Um, nope. I don’t agree with COL-LAB’s claim that this formula is either lifting or lengthening. First off, the formula is too thick to be lifting anything! Secondly, the wand wants to deposit all of the product at the base of the lash, and not enough is left to coat the entire length of the lash. Sadly it in no way gives you “insane length” as the name would imply. I would also dispute the ‘buildable formula’ claim as well; nothing changes or really improves when you try to build up multiple coats.

Rating: 1 / 5 ⭐️

MY THOUGHTS ON LONGEVITY

Despite all my criticisms on the formula, it is quite long–lasting. I usually wear this for anywhere between 8 – 10 hours at a stretch, and I haven’t noticed any smudging, transferring or much flaking on me. (But most mascaras do last quite well on me, to be fair.)

Rating: 5 / 5 ⭐️

MY THOUGHTS ON PRICE

This mascara retails exclusively at Sally Beauty for $12.99. Despite the luxe packaging and solid longevity, I’d definitely say it’s not worth the price as it doesn’t deliver on any of its stated claims, in my opinion. If you’re a dedicated drugstore beauty shopper, there are so many better choices out there for less money. Try the L’Oreal Voluminous X-Fiber Mascara or spend a few more bucks and get the Glossier Lash Slick.

Rating: 2 / 5 ⭐️

FINAL THOUGHTS

Not sure how much more there is to say here! I’m sure you can tell by now that I wouldn’t recommend this mascara. However, I have not lost hope in COL–LAB mascaras yet! I recently got my hands on The Works Wow Effect All-in-One Mascara which promises big volume, length and curl. Fingers crossed this one impresses the pants off me!

Have any products disappointed you lately? I’d love to know!

xo, Erica

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