In my last post about Influenster's Rose VoxBox, I did a mini-review of 4 of 5 of the products included in the box, leaving Rimmel London's new Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara out. If you didn't know, Influenster provides complimentary products in exchange for testing and reviews. Anyway, I thought the Rimmel volumizing mascara deserved a post of its own, so here we are.

To start off with, let me say that I have short, straight lashes and typically use waterproof formulas because I have problems with things melting and smudging or crumbling. In fact, I'm always looking for something better that won't give me raccoon eyes.

I wasn't optimistic about the Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara being it, though. First of all, I'm pretty sure it's only available in a regular, non-waterproof formula. Second of all, it only claims to be clump-free, and not smudge-proof. True to its word, the mascara was gloriously clump-free, even after I'd applied more coats than should be possible. I did spot some fall down after a few hours of wear in a normal room temperature setting, so that was ... well, expected.
As for Retro Glam's other claims -- that is: a bold, wide-eyed false lash look, it wasn't all great. The brush is HUGE, and was kind of awkward to handle, especially since I don't have the biggest of eyes. And with that in mind, I don't think I was able to take advantage of all of the technology behind the special brush. Compared to my current favorite, Maybelline's Volum'Express The Colossal mascara, Scandaleyes Retro Glam didn't give me as much volume or length. It also didn't hold a curl as well, but I'm going to chalk that up to it not being a waterproof mascara. I think for someone who naturally has longer lashes, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara would probably work really well, but for me, it wasn't terribly impressive. The one thing I was very impressed with, however, was how soft my lashes felt even after piling on coat after coat of mascara.
The mascara, like many mascaras, does contain some questionable ingredients (paraffin, sodium benzoate, glycerin), but I think the cosmetics industry has a long way to go in finding a way around using some of these ingredients, and it'll be a long time before we'll be able to avoid them completely in our makeup.

The Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara retails for $5.99 (for a 0.41 fl oz/12 mL tube) and comes in the colors Black and Extreme Black.

Ingredients: Water, Paraffin, Glyceryl Stearate, Carnauba Wax, PVP, Beeswax, Propylene Glycol, Tribehenin, Polysorbate 20, Stearic Acid, Acrylates Copolymer, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Talc, Acrylates/Carbamate Copolyer, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Cotton Powder, Silk Powder, Retinyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Glycerin, Collagen, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Apricot Kernel Oil, Sodium Sulfate, Ceramide 2, Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Bamboo Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol [May Contain: Carmine, Chromium Hydroxide Green, Chromium Oxide Greens, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Iron Oxides, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarines]