A Derpy Dupe Is Still A Dupe

It was over a year ago that I discovered what a difference layering mascaras made. I've been layering two mascaras ever since, and I don't plan on ever looking back. This may seem like overkill to you, but it's actually life-changing, ingenious, and completely sensible: I need the first one to build volume, and the second one to separate and lengthen. You just cannot rely on one mascara to be all-purpose. My favorites tools for the job are still Diorshow Waterproof and Dior Addict It-Lash, but I've been on the hunt for a cheaper version of my two go-to mascaras. After a lot of trial and error over the course of the past year, I think I've finally found them.

Both mascaras are by Rimmel, a brand that I wish we had more of in the States (we have quite a bit, but I was MORE). Rimmel tends to know what they're doing. These two mascaras are by no means dupes for my beloved Dior mascaras, but for a quarter of the price, they're close enough. They do have their faults, which I'll get to in time, but did you read that part about being a quarter of the price? Because a quarter of the price.

First we'll talk about the "dupe" for Diorshow, Rimmel London ScandalEyes Retro Glam Waterproof Mascara. This I chose mainly because the brush looked very plush, which I think is key to Diorshow's success. To me, formula is an important part of mascara, but the brush is key. Retro Glam definitely has a good brush, but the formula is slightly gloopy, so you need to make sure to do a few swipes on the side of the tube before you apply it to your lashes. It does add just as much volume as Diorshow though, so that's a huge plus. BUT! Theres's one thing that would make me hate this mascara if it wasn't so damn cheap? It doesn't hold a curl AT ALL. I have tried just about every method I can think of, and when this mascara is on my lashes they droop down immediately. You can actually watch them fall. Does Retro Glam weigh more or something? I have no idea. But if I want curled, fluttery lashes, I am going to have to break out the Diorshow and leave this one in the drawer.

Next we have our poor man's Dior Addict It-Lash, AKA Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara. This one I initially thought was a total beauty blunder, but it actually turned out to be a happy surprise. When you buy Glam'Eyes (I don't know who named this mascara, but may I ask, "What?"), as is common with many drugstore mascaras, the brush is packaged outside the mascara itself, so you can see what it looks like. The Glam'Eyes brush is a very pale pink and somewhat hard to see, so when I got it home and actually got in in the black mascara and saw the bristles for what they were I thought, "Well, that's not really a brush at all, is it?" I mean, look at the photo. Does that even look like something that could be described as a "brush" to you? HARDLY. But the bonus is that it doesn't poke my eyelids like so many plastic brushes of it's kind. This is something I commented on when I praised Dior Addict It-Lash's brush, which is one of those plastic-y brushes, but it's softer somehow and therefore doesn't do any poking. The Glam'Eyes avoids the poking dilemma by just not having giant pieces of plastic with which to poke my eyes at all. It does, I should add, have enough bristle to do a decent job of separating my lashes and doing a teeny big of lengthening. I think this would be a spectacular choice of mascara if you're a person with shorter lashes who continually struggles with mascaras leaving dark smudges on your eyelids whenever you try to apply them because the brushes are just too big. This tiny brush is just what you've been looking for.