Has there ever been  a mascara more popular and hyped than Benefit’s They’re Real mascara? This super shiny tube is coveted by almost all beauty lovers and is the biggest selling mascara in Australia.

It was one of the first mascaras that used a spiked silicone wand rather than a spoolie type which can be used both vertically and horizontally (ie use the tip) to add dramatic length and volume.

It’s a holy grail product for many a beauty  blogger but this little duck isn’t super sold on this product.

I admit that I’ve made it through two tubes already but won’t be purchasing it again. 

While the formula is almost faultless, completely budge proof and flake free the wands  and mouth of the tubes design means that this wand is completely flooded when it comes out of the tube.

Everytime I use this product I need to remove the majority of the product off the wand first on the mouth of the tube and then on a tissue. At $38 a tube, rubbing 50% of the mascara on a tissue feels criminal.

To achieve anything other than a clumpy mess I need to leave the wand almost completely clean (which kind of defeats the purpose). For me, this mascara adds lots of volume at the base of the lashes but will not lengthen my lashes much at all.

Adding any more than one coat will make my lashes act like magnets and clump together in a big mess.

It’s such a shame because I really wanted to love this product. As I mentioned I repurchased it thinking that there must have been some sort of problem with my first tube, but alas every time I use it it ends up being a hot mess.

Benefit have done an amazing job at producing a formula which feels good on the lashes, doesn’t sweat off, sneak off, crumble or flake and I have been known to get some awesome results when using an old mascara wand with this product. And when I do repeatedly clean the wand then I do get good results.

But as it stands this one just isn’t for me *sadface*

Until tomorrow