This week, it’s the turn of Revlon vs Bobbi Brown as they duke it out for beauty bragging rights with their latest lash plumping mascaras. Which delivered most bang for their buck? We put both blowout and budget beauty launches through their paces
In the ring: Revlon Ultra Volume Mascara vs Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara
The vital stats:
Revlon Ultra Volume Mascara, £9.99
Press release promise: “Create massive, volumised lashes with the conditioning, clump free formula, which plumps lashes for intense volume.”
Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara , £23
Press release promise: “A rich, carbon black formula designed to magnify each and every lash from root to tip. Taking lashes to extreme heights, Eye Opening Mascara delivers the longest, thickest and most-curled lashes to date for a beautiful, wide-eyed look.”
The battle
It may only be the start of 2016, but already beauty giants Revlon and Bobbi Brown have taken their games to the next level. In the left corner sits Revlon, having just replaced its entire mascara offering with 5 brand new ones, each created to suit a particular flutter fancy. A bold yet exciting move, I wondered if its new generation of budget beauty Iash lengtheners could match up to their more expensive counterparts. To see how they measured up, I chose to pit the new Revlon Ultra Volume Mascara against worthy opponent, Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara. Dubbed, “the new gold standard for high-impact lashes” and one of the brand’s most impressive sounding mascaras yet, which came out victorious in the volume stakes? Cue “Eye of the Tiger,” here’s how the head-to-head panned out…
First round – the brush off
The bigger and more boldly bristled the brush, the better in my opinion. However, not all brushes are created equal with cumbersome clumps often proving the hardest of knots to iron out. What special skills could these particular wands wield? Both competitors didn’t disappoint, with each pumped up participant snuggly hugging my uncurled lashes in all the right places to provide a refreshingly smooth and slick finish. That being said though, while Revlon’s triple grooves and short and long bristles offered great separation, it was the grip and lifting abilities of Bobbi Brown’s that stood out and made more of an eye-catching first impact on me.
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Second round – fighting formulas
In terms of texture, there was a massive difference between the two. Revlon's was more lightweight, whereas Bobbi Brown's was noticeably thicker. As for comfort, Revlon provided some solid defence in response to round 1 with its fast-drying formula and weightless feel. It seemed to have gotten the balance between speed and strength down perfectly.
Just as it seemed though that Revlon had Bobbi Brown on the ropes, BB came in with a counterpunch to provide the blackest of eyes – a dark, inky finish that was less panda, more punk – for a dose of extra intensity that had me in a spin.
Third round – the volume advantage
When it came to the most important factor - volume, which mascara ultimately had the upper hand? With Revlon's, I was able to build bulk and length with more control, with a more wearable daytime look proving easier to achieve. The creaminess of Bobbi Brown's formulation however, brought the body in half the time – with one coat being all I needed to see an impressive difference at the match weigh in. Two for a look worthy of the after-party.
Fourth round – staying power
With both lasting from morning to night with zero flakes or smudges and proving easy to remove with my go-to micellar water, I have to declare this particular round a draw.
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The winner
Teams Revlon and Bobbi Brown put up valiant fights, promising and delivering both style and substance. It was a close one and while I liked the daytime versatility of Revlon Ultra Volume, ultimately I prefer my volumising mascaras to provide as much bounce, bod and bang for my buck as possible. Therefore, I have to call it like I see it and declare Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara the winner - its balance of pigment and plumpness provided the knockout punch for me.
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