This week I will be publishing back-to-back reviews of two different mascaras from Clinique - both from the Clinique High Impact range but yet they are so different!
First up is Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara.
(See also: Clinique High Impact Lash Elevating Mascara)
This is one of the two mascaras that I am happy to use in my professional makeup kit (the other one is Clinique Lash Power mascara).
Claims from Clinique's website:
Coaxes lashes to their longest, boldest, most upturned look yet, without a pinch, pull, tug or tear. Arched wand scoops up, lifts up every last lash. Smudge, flake, smear-resistant for up to 24 eye-opening hours. Remove easily with warm water. Ophthalmologist tested.
Formula
The High Impact Curling Mascara is a tubing mascara. A tubing mascara is different from a "traditional" mascara in the sense that it is made up of polymer. Upon drying, the polymer forms a solid film that wraps around each lash. Tubing mascara should not smudge easily because of its chemical properties.
Application
The brush has a curve to it. I am not a huge fan of a curved brush because I find it difficult to control. I much prefer a straight, small brush like the one in Clinique Lash Power mascara. That said, for use on clients I always use a disposable brush instead, so the shape of the brush is, most of the time, irrelevant to me.
I usually do two coats after curling my lashes. The second coat goes on when the first is semi-dry.
Results
The first coat is quite easy to go on. The second coat ,I find, goes on slightly clumpy. This is often the case with tubing mascaras because they polymerise quite quickly. I think that it does an okay job in volumising my lashes, but not so sure if it lives up to its name of being a "curling" mascara. The mascara itself does not "add" any more lift to the lashes, but it does hold curls to some extent for a good half a day.
The reason that I trust this mascara is that it does not smudge to the bottom of my eyes at all with only very minimal flaking. Surprisingly, it does have some smudging onto the eyelids. The smudging can be minimsed by using a powder eye shadow (I was not wearing any product on my eyelids in these pictures).
I wear contact lenses and there is no sensitivity issue.
Top: not wearing any mascara. Centre: wearing Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, 1 coat. Bottom: wearing Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, 2 coats.
Top: wearing Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, 2 coats. Centre and bottom: wearing Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, after 5 hours.
Removal
The mascara can be easily removed with warm water. I soak a cotton pad with warm water, let the water swell up the mascara and then gently wipe it off. Upon removal, it comes off like rubber pieces instead of a smear of black.
Overall rating: 4/5
This mascara is overall okay, but not amazing. It is one of the few mascara I have purchased repeatedly simply because it does not cause panda eyes.
About me
Makeup artist and hair stylist based in Sydney. Founder of the well-known award-winning bridal specialist team Faces Makeup & Hair. Beauty junkie with an obsession for skincare.