I’ve finally realized that I go about things backwards. I always end up buying expensive items, become disappointed and then switch to cheaper brands where I am satisfied. This isn’t always the case, but a lot of the time it is.

I’ve tried several expensive mascaras that were perfect except for one or two things. After becoming discouraged with spending $20 on mascaras, I decided to get a drugstore mascara and try my luck. That’s how I came upon Maybelline’s Illegal Lengths Washable Mascara.



Product Claims

Maybelline promises that this mascara:

-will lengthen, strengthen, and separate your lashes.
- won’t smear, smudge, or glob.
- is hypoallergenic
- is safe for contact wearers.
- effects will last all day.

Appearance, Price, and Shades

You get a .76 oz black tube for approximately $5.00. The tube and the straight brush are longer than most mascaras. You can purchase this in the following shades:

Black Onyx – the shade that I own.
Brownish Black
Chestnut Brown

How does it perform?

I’ve found that this mascara lives up to its claims. The straight brush manages to do a very good job of separating and coating my lashes. I already have long and thick lashes, but I need a mascara to get my lashes “in order”. Illegal Lengths coats each lash without overly doing so.

As for its lengthening abilities, I would have to say that it can be compared to the more expensive, department store mascaras. Using this mascara adds so much to my look, that I often will wear this and nothing else.

I’ve never had any problems with it clumping or smearing. Most importantly, this doesn’t bother my contacts. The best mascara that I previously used was Lancome’s Definicils High Definition Mascara It performed on the same level as Illegal Lengths, but it was about $15 more expensive and it irritated my eyes. This mascara does its job without causing me to have red eyes and at the end of the day, I still have long, separated lashes.

There is only one slight problem with this mascara and that is the ability to remove it. It’s more difficult to remove this than other mascaras I’ve tried.

Pros

1. Lengthens and separates.
2. Doesn’t smear or clump.
3. Lasts all day.
4. Doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes.
5. Doesn’t make your lashes stiff.

Cons

1. Somewhat difficult to remove.


Conclusion

Sometimes expensive products aren’t always the better products. Illegal Lengths is comparable to more expensive products and it will only set you back $5.00. You can’t get any better than that.

Ingredients

Water, Alcohol Denatured, Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Carnuba Wax, PVP/Eicosene Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Ethyl Acetate, Methyl Methacrylate, Paraffin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyethylene, Propylene Glycol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Triethanolamine, PVP, Silica, Methylparaben, Dimethiconol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Simethicone, Butylparaben, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Laureth-12, Iron Oxides (may contain), Ultramarines (may contain), Mica (may contain), Titanium Dioxide (may contain), Ferric Ferrocyanide (may contain), Carmine (may contain), Chromium Hydroxide Green (may contain), Chromium Oxide Greens (may contain).



Recommended: Yes