Review: Physicians Formula Va Va Voom Volume Mascara

by - June 13, 2014

  
Like so many other makeup addicts, I have too much mascara. In fact, I probably could have easily gone through 2014 relying only on the Lash Stash from Sephora that I got as a Christmas gift this year, but alas I'm too much of a fiend for that. I'm not actually sure how many tubes of mascara I have on the go right now, but it's more than the three that I tend to be sticking with lately. This, however, is one of those three. And, SPOILER ALERT, it's really good.

Keeping reading for more on that.

First things first, let's talk about the packaging. I can definitely understand that there are probably a lot of people who would really like this packaging, I'm just not really one of them. It's a little too much for me. It's pretty and fun though, doesn't actually look or feel cheap, and the little stiletto charm is a nice touch to tie it in with the rest of the Sexy Booster line of products. One thing that I really don't like is the lacy overlay on the package. Esthetically it's fine, but I don't like the feel of it and I feel like it gets kind of dusty and dirty just by virtue of its texture. Not so much of a win on that.

The applicator on this mascara will probably be somewhat polarizing for people. It's short and thick with rubber bristles, which I've noticed people tend to either love or hate. I happen to be of the former and find that these kinds of brushes tend to be among my favorites as they tend to give really good volume, though sometimes that can lead to being a little bit clumpy on the lashes or messy to apply, depending on the formula. I think that this mascara definitely could run clumpy if you're not careful, but I haven't had a problem with clumping at all. 

NOTE: There will likely be a clump of product at the end of the brush when you pull it out of the tube, so make sure you remove that before application.

The formula of this mascara is actually pretty great. It's neither too wet or too dry for me and it applies very, very black. This formula gives both good volume and length, giving the lashes a kind of dramatic fullness. Again, I think this speaks to the "sexy" factor. One coat of this will give a kind of natural drama to the lashes, but I find that it can easily be built up to a very dramatic, almost falsies like effect. And like I said, if you're careful you can easily avoid a clumpy mess.

I haven't had any issues with flaking or smudging using this mascara thus far, but I'm not sure how people with oilier lids than I have would fare. The claims by the company, however, are that this is a long wearing mascara that won't flake or smudge and, to me, it lives up to those claims.

The last thing that I absolutely HAVE to mention is the scent. This is the best smelling mascara I've ever tried. I can't actually place the scent, but I'm pretty sure I read something about it being infused with cocoa, vanilla and musk. IT SMELLS SO GOOD, I CAN'T EVEN. Every time I put this on, I give it a little sniff before I get to work. I can honestly say that, other than when a mascara starts to smell funky because it's time to throw it away, I've never thought about the smell of a mascara before. This smells so damn good that I would be tempted to use it just for the smell at the time of application. Lucky for me, I enjoy it pretty much all the way around. 

VERDICT: Though this mascara isn't going to reach HG status and probably won't be repurchased anytime soon, simply because I have a mascara collection to take down a Clydesdale, this is definitely worth a buy and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.

XO!

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