Is This TikTok Viral Lash-Lengthening Mascara *Actually* Any Good? I Find out
Main Image – Courtesy of writer
When a mascara has 20 million views on TikTok, any normal beauty editor is going to want to test it out to see what all the fuss is about. So that’s exactly what I did because, well, 20 million views can’t be wrong – right?
It’s hard to top my three favourite mascaras (Estee Lauder Sumptuous, Jones Road The Mascara and Charlotte Tilbury Push Up Lashes), so I was intrigued to see whether Babe Original Babe 4 Real Mascara (£14.00/$15.00, now available on Beauty Bay and Amazon) would live up to the hype.
Here’s my honest review.
The product details
Made by Babe Original, known mostly for its bestselling eyelash serum, this mascara contains all kinds of promising ingredients. Shea butter for thickening and supporting lash growth, castor oil for preventing dryness, apple stem cells for conditioning and lengthening lashes, and olive oil stem cells – known for boosting lash health.
It also promises to be buildable without weighing lashes down and providing well-separated lashes. All this for £14? We shall see….
Image – Courtesy of writer
First impressions
The mascara is in a bog-standard tube – nothing to write home about apart from the fact that it would certainly be easy to find in your makeup bag thanks to its bright blue colour.
The wand itself is silicone with micro-fine bristles – not my favourite type of mascara brush. I usually like my bristles thicker, and my wand with a curve. I haven’t historically got on too well with tiny bristles like these as I like a full lash look and small bristles tend to make my lashes look sparse. But the people of TikTok seem to know something I don’t so I was willing to give it a go.
On applying my first coat of mascara, I could tell instantly that the brush was a good lash separator. It felt a bit spikey at first but my lashes stood up to attention as soon as they came into contact with the brush and I found it easy to comb the wand through. A good first impression which I’m pretty sure is down to the castor oil.
The volume of product on each lash though wasn’t to my taste – it wasn’t quite thick or wet enough for me and after my first coat, I had well separated lashes but not enough thickness or depth. It all depends on your preferred lash look of course, but one coat definitely wasn’t going to be enough for me.
Image – Courtesy of writer
My ‘natural’ results – hit or miss?
I went in with another and found that it was very easy to build. This element gets an extra mark from me because there’s nothing more annoying than going to apply a second coat of mascara only to find that it has dried already and any more you now apply on top will go clumpy. This second coat glided through seamlessly and my lashes became a fraction thicker.
It still wasn’t enough though. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want lashes that look fake or clumpy-thick – you know, like spider lashes. I just like them to have a strong finish, a nice curl and wide separation. The curl this mascara had given my lashes was great, and we’ve covered the impressive separation bit. So now all I needed was the strong finish. Surely a third coat would give it to me, or was I pushing my luck?
By the end of the third coat, I realised this was probably as good as it was going to get. My lashes looked a bit thicker than after the second coat, but they still weren’t quite up to my normal standards. That’s ok though because my lashes still looked good. Fine for a school run or WFH day. Just not for when I’m doing a full makeup look and I’m making a real effort.
The finish, after three coats, is a bit like how your lashes look when you’ve got a natural set of lash extensions on with no mascara. So really defined, even, separated, curled upwards – gorgeous. But not very bold and, for me, a little too natural.
I like my lashes to really bring out my eyes as much as possible so that they don’t sink into my face with age (sob!). Having said that, a ‘natural’ finish might work for you, in which case I would go straight online to buy yours. I can definitely see why there’s been so much hype around it – mainly from how buildable it is, as well as how seamless it is to comb through lashes.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Overall value for money
In my opinion, you can’t really go wrong when a mascara is £14/$11.25 and it provides a good curl, separation, and it’s easy to layer. Just don’t expect your money to provide a bold lash look.
What other users are saying
P MacMillan on Amazon wasn’t too impressed with this mascara. “Takes forever to build enough up for a decent lash,” she says. I totally agree. But she also experienced something I couldn’t relate to. “An hour later when you look in the mirror, you have full dark circles from it. And little chunks of it showing up and then streaking across my face.”
I didn’t experience this at all, in fact I was quite impressed with how clean my under-eye area was given that there are some very hydrating ingredients in the formula which tend to make mascaras greasy and prone to smearing. I experienced no flakiness or smudging.
C.C on the other hand loves hers. “Love this product,” she says. “Helps curl my lashes up and give good length and volume. This has become my new go-to.”
And Ginger H. Dufrene says, “great product, the only thing is you need to do several coats and dry in between to get the look it states but overall a great product.”
The takeaway
I’m now in my early forties and thanks to the dreaded ‘eye sag’ most people experience as they mature, I need all the help I can get in opening up my eyes and not letting them disappear or sink into my face. So a big, strong lash is needed over here and this mascara didn’t quite hit the mark.
However, if you love a natural look this mascara will work wonders for you. It is really good at fanning lashes out, subtly coating lashes and keeping a decent curl.
Get Glowing!
