The Great Mascara Hunt: Lancome Hypnose and Revlon Fabulash

Review by cavewoman
Photos from ochkov.net and Revlon.com
graphic from Katie at Scentzilla

It is mascara madness indeed when I decide to review two mascaras at once! I had this crazy notion to try two mascaras in one day. I just felt like comparing eye-to-eye. So my choices sort of had to be kind of a bit similar in style, that is, I did not want to compare a volumizing mascara to a lengthening mascara, and I wanted to be fair in what I was choosing. And I also had this weird idea in my head (maybe because of yesterday's review for Fresh Supernova in which I stated that I had paid $25 for a mascara!) that I would make this comparison "pricey versus cheapie" and see what results I would get.

So, off to the mascara stash I went. I chose Lancome Hypnose and Revlon Fabulash for my comparisons. I've been wowed by both of these in the past and now I wanted to see if there would be any discernable difference. Plus I was going to go shopping with Annie, and I could ask her opinion too.

Onto the right eye went the Hypnose. As usual it gives great mascara payoff in practically no time at all. The brush is unusual in shape. There are actually 'sides' to the bristles and if you look at it from the tip end, you see that the brush has a squared-off shape. That's great for working the mascara into the lashes and also for coating lower lashes. I love Hypnose. It's just about perfect. No clumping, no need for combing, nicely thickening without goopiness, and decent length without dotting my upper eyelid. Hypnose gave my lashes a slight lifting effect, too. It's just good stuff.

Now to the left eye and Revlon Fabulash. This mascara also has an unusual brush. The bristles on one side are very short and on the other side very long. Again, it makes application very easy, the short side helps to coat every lash, and the long side evens out the application. I was able to build very respectably visible lashes rather quickly, and again no clumps, globs, goops, smears, or dots. I noticed a bit of the lifting effect with Fabulash, too.

Neither one of these mascaras flakes in the least. Both of them are wet formulas that make working through the application very easy. I like a wet formula because a second coat can be applied without the clump-and-comb factor. Fabulash dried more quickly than Hypnose.
When I was finished applying both mascaras, I chose an amateur for my first evaluation. The DH was nearby and I thought there would not be much better of an amateur mascara evaluator than he would be. He put on his reading glasses and looked intently at my lashes, taking his role very seriously. I asked him if he could see any difference between my two eyes. After a bit of studying, he said that the lashes on my left eye appeared to be a bit fuller. That was the Fabulash eye.

Later in the day I asked the same question of our Annie. She could not tell the difference between the two mascaras.

At the end of a very long day, I checked my lashes one more time. Neither one of these mascaras left a single flake under my eyes, no smudging, no dots, no post-application clumping, and no uneven wear. Both of them are easy to use, with well-styled brushes that help to coat all lashes and even out the coating. Both of them are easy to remove with my Almay pads. Both of them are excellent! All that needs to be decided is price. Hypnose is more than twice the price of Revlon. And with the weekly drugstore specials on cosmetics, it's worth the wait to stock up on Fabulash when it's on sale. I don't need to buy Hypnose anymore. I am glad I acted on my wacky whim and tested these two together. I may even do this again soon, with two more mascaras.

Product ratings:
Hypnose: 9
Fabulash: 9

Disclosure: These products were purchased by the reviewer, Cavewoman