I finally found a tube of the Illegal Lengths Waterproof Mascara from Maybelline. I had been looking for it for a while when I stumbled across Maybelline’s Full ’N Soft waterproof mascara. I’ve been using Full ‘N Soft for about a month now, and I love it. However, I still wanted to give Illegal Lengths mascara a try. I was still dreaming of a perfect mascara that would make my below average lashes look longer and thicker. Illegal Lengths mascara was NOT what I was looking for.


Application

I opened up the long, purple tube of mascara and pulled out the wand. The brush was covered with thick gobs of mascara. There were clumps piled up around the outer rim of the open tube. Yuck. I used the long, narrow brush to force the clumps and gobs back into the container. Once I got the brush fairly smooth, I started applying the mascara. One coat. Two coats. Three coats. Uhh...Is something wrong here? It’s not working. I read the directions for application on the package.

“Pump brush to activate waterproof formula. Sweep mascara through lashes from base to tip. Let dry between coats.”

Pump the brush? I’ve always heard that pumps air into the tube, and makes the mascara dry out quicker. Nonetheless, I pumped. The brush came out with fewer clumps this time. I started applying the mascara to the other eye. One coat. Two coats. Three coats. Same thing. It’s still not working. Clumps here. Gobs there. I ended up with somewhat tarantula-looking eyes. I used a pin to separate my lashes, and remove excess gobs of mascara. (I don’t recommend this, but I had to do something.)


What the Package Claims

This is supposed to be some new, improved formula of Illegal Lengths Waterproof Mascara. Boy am I glad I didn’t use the first version. This mascara is supposed to dramatically lengthen lashes. The formula is supposed to condition “even the tiniest lashes” while taking them to ultimate lengths. The new “lash-extending” brush is supposed to not only lengthen, but separate lashes without clumping or globbing. It claims to last all day without smudging or smearing.


What it did for me

This mascara left my lashes looking worse than I ever remember them looking. The initial application provided lots of clumps. It didn’t coat evenly. The amount of mascara on my lashes varied from base to tip. My lashes did not look remotely conditioned. They looked hard and brittle. Did it at least lengthen my lashes? It did actually make them look slightly longer. It probably made them look as long as the Full ’N Soft Waterproof mascara does. However, the Full ’N Soft mascara does not claim to lengthen the lashes. Unlike the Full ’N Soft mascara, Illegal Lengths mascara does not thicken or soften. In fact, my lashes looked thinner than ever. The package recommends to “let dry between coats.” I tried this too. Applying another coat after the first coat dried only created more of a clumpy mess. One thing I can say for the mascara is that it did stay on all day, and it did not smudge or smear. Of course, who cares if it stays on all day if it looks like crap?


Last Words

Obviously, I can NOT recommend this mascara. I used it one time, and I’m not even willing to give it another chance (and I’m a pretty forgiving person.) This was this last tube available when I found it. After I used it, I thought it might be old or something. I looked for a date on the package, but I was unable to find one. I’m not really sure how to tell if make-up is out of date. It does say it’s a new formula. So how old can it be? I’m not going to make excuses for this mascara. I was highly disappointed with it. I’m going to stick with Maybelline Full ’N Soft for now. If I decide to try to lengthen again, I will avoid Maybelline and branch out into department store brands. I paid $4.99 for this tube. That is not expensive for mascara, but I wouldn’t give 2 cents for another one.

Recommended: No