I generally don't write reviews on products that are well covered with reviews and that basically say the same things I am going to but…I just felt the need to add my two cents to the Cover Girl LashExact Mascara love going around here.

I paid $3.89 with a coupon and this stuff works better than mascaras I pay upwards of $20.00 for!

The Official Word

From Cover Girl:

Cover Girl LashExact is a technologically advanced mascara specially designed to make achieving beautifully long and separated lashes a clump-free experience
Attributes
Patent-Pending Moldtrusion Brush Technology
The injection mold (IM) brush formation gives the bristles extra support to deliver exact enhanced lash separation and definition.
Every brush is created from the same mold so every bristle is intentionally placed and perfectly ordered for no variation
Sleek, tapered bristles that are placed and spaced evenly so it glides effortlessly and reaches in-between lashes for superb lash separation
Flexible bristles provide smooth and gentle application
Offset rows create a dual combing action that further detangles and separates lashes during mascara application

Packaging

This mascara comes carded with plastic covering the product. The tube is purple and is capped. The brush wand is on the side of the tube in the package, showing off the purple caterpillar-like shape of the actual eyelash brush. When you get it home, you have to uncap the mascara and replace the cap with the brush cap. It's just a marketing ploy but very eye catching on the rack. The tube looks pretty big as far as mascaras go but only has .13 ounce of product. The bottom of the tube has a clear plastic outer layer and the top is long, wide and slanted giving the illusion that this is a hearty tube of mascara. The reality is that is has only about half as much actual product as many other mascaras in less flashy tubes. The actual tube is dark purple and silver with the plastic overlay on the bottom part and a silver strip around the middle and silver topped want. Very classy looking for a drugstore mascara. The brush is made from rubber "fibers" and is thinner and a bit longer than typical mascara brushes.

My Experience

I have wanted to try this mascara for a while. I had read very good reviews on it and purple is my favorite color, so, even if the mascara was awful for me, it wouldn't have been all bad. Ha! I found a coupon for $1.00 off and away I went. I picked up the color Very Black at Rite Aid for a total of $3.89 because they were also having a sale on Cover Girl cosmetics.

The top of the tube is bigger than most and easy to hold and handle. Application is quick and easy. The brush is straight and tapers at the end to get to the little lashes. Once it is in the tube, it doesn't look much different from any other mascara brush. But it is different. When I applied it, I was amazed to see no clumps at all and definite lengthening. My eyelashes are straight and long but need volume and color to make them fringy. This mascara does an amazing job of pumping up my lashes both in length and volume. A second coat really makes my lashes look lush and I experienced no clumping even with a second coat. Flaking wasn't an issue either and neither was the all too familiar "raccoon eyes" that often happens with cheaper mascaras.

My lashes look natural but longer and thicker and they don't feel hard. The mascara comes off with eye make up remover or facial cleanser.

It is not waterproof and I noted that even a small amount of moisture causes the mascara to run so this is best used when you're sure you won't be caught in the rain or otherwise get your lashes wet.

Still, for four bucks, I have a new favorite drugstore mascara. I am quite impressed with the performance of LashExact and will use it on a fairly regular basis.

Ingredients

From the packaging:

Water, glyceryl stearate, ammonium acrylates copolymer, quaternium-18 hectorite, propylene glycol, stearic acid, carnauba wax, triethanolamine, acrylates copolymer, synthetic wax, lecithin, propylene carbonate, oleic acid, alcohol denat., glycerin, polyvinyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, panthenol, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, sodium laureth sulfate, propylparaben, trisodium EDTA, xantham gum, simethicone, iron oxides. May Contain: Ultramarines, titanium dioxide.

Buying Info

This new mascara from Cover Girl is available at brick and mortar drugstore and mass market stores. I have not found it available on the internet except at one little online store and on eBay. I certainly hope that doesn’t mean that Cover Girl is going to discontinue this mascara. The usual price is around $6.50. I got a good deal on my tube and wish I would have gotten a couple tubes for the under four dollar price. I have a feeling that this mascara won't last long despite its large tube because it really doesn't have a lot of product in the tube. You can choose from Very Black, Black, Black Brown, and Brown. Blue Black is available but not in the US for some reason. Too bad, that seems like a cool color to try.

Conclusion

If you don't like spending $15.00-$25.00 on mascara but want one that makes your lashes darker and longer without annoying clumps, give LashExact a try. It is one the only drugstore mascaras that I have actually been impressed with and I demand a LOT out of my mascaras. This one doesn't curl but doesn't claim to. The brush really does help to keep clumps at bay and to make even the tiniest lashes look darker and longer. Lastly, my lashes were separated and fringy, just the way I want them to look. If this were a bit more water resistant, it would be almost perfect. I give it 4 stars and recommend it!

Recommended: Yes