I'm one of those people who will buy a magazine just for the free gift - and this week I bought Elle magazine just to get my hands on a sample size Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. I normally use a mascara for a couple of weeks before I review it, but this is more of a first impressions post so that you guys still have time to buy Elle and get your sample (I promise this isn't sponsored -I just think it's a really good deal). I've never spent more than £11 on a mascara so I was really keen on trying something high-end to see if it would be worth the splurge... but of course, being the drugstore hoarder I am, I've found a dupe.
First, let's talk about the Roller Lash. I really liked the style of the brush, plastic and curved with lots of teeny short bristles, basically perfect for someone with fine straight lashes like me. It was very easy to use with the tiny bristles and it wasn't overly messy like most mascaras are for me. I applied two coats as I always do. For the first coat, there was very little length and volume. Both improved after the second coat, but then it started to clump. This mascara really excels with the lifting and curling of the lashes, giving a really pretty fanned-out effect. If you like more length and volume like me it can be built up, it will just take a bit of time to comb out all the clumps.
Overall, I quite liked it. My eyelashes looked really fluttery and feminine, and when I worked with it I could get really good length from it. However, I was pretty sure I could find something just as good for girls on a budget. The big dupe, of course, is the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. I think every other beauty blogger in the world has probably spotted the similarities so this probably won't be the only dupe-post you see, but I thought I'd compare them anyway.
Both wands are really similar, curved with tiny plastic bristles. The difference is that the Lash Sensational has longer bristles on the other side so that you can build up more volume, which I really loved using. Basically you can get two looks using the Lash Sensational; either only use the tiny bristles for a natural, defined look, or go in with the larger bristles for more volume. When I used this I was really surprised with how much I liked it given the price difference - in fact, I think I liked it more. I personally like lots of length and volume and that was much easier to achieve with the Lash Sensational. I also found that it didn't clump as much.
So here are my lashes bare, and with two coats of both mascaras:
First of all, length-wise there isn't much difference in the final result, but with the Maybelline Lash Sensational it was much easier to achieve. The Roller Lash is clumping more, too.
I'm going to assume the Benefit Roller Lash will cost between £17.50 and £19.50 like the other Benefit mascaras. The Maybelline Lash Sensational is currently on an introductory offer for £5.99, and will eventually be £7.99. As a budget beauty blogger I would obviously repurchase the Lash Sensational anyway, but even without the huge price difference I preferred it overall. It's been a while since I was so impressed with a mascara so I think the Lash Sensational is a new favourite for me!
Will you be trying either mascara? Let me know what you think...