April 26, 2010

MAC Opulash Mascara Review

MAC calls it, “one of our most exciting mascara launches to date…” I call it boring as hell.

MAC Opulash mascara is another typically bad mascara from MAC. MAC excels at creating incredible eyeshadow, lipgloss, and comes out with some of the hottest makeup collections around but something as simple as mascara they almost always fail at in my experience.

How did MAC Opulash work out for me?

Jump!

What Is It?

A mascara that promises volume, curl, and long wear sans clumping and flaking.

The Good…

Here’s the thing…

MAC Opulash is one of MAC’s really bad mascara releases in my very humblest of humble opinions. The brush application is extra big yet very standard and uneventful. The formula is decent enough and indeed no clumping or flaking however a single application will not inspire you to sing praises to the gods above.

However…

The magic is all about the layering.

A single stroke of MAC Opulash doesn’t do much but continue to stroke it on, build it up, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results. Now some mascaras simply aren’t great for building up with as you’ll get a clumpy finish and just spidery lashes or what I like to call a uni-lash (single lash, clumped together thanks to bad mascara). The joy of Opulash is the fact that it allows for serious layering without causing mayhem with your lashes. After a few strokes, let’s say three, you’ll enjoy fatter, plumper, larger than life lashes with some very fine curl in place. Formula is a tad drying but thankfully doesn’t flake however it will make lashes feel a tad stiff but you’ll be thankful for it in the long wrong as it seems to hold curl very well, like hairspray for your lashes!

Even better?

Come back for a touch up later on and stroke some more Opulash on, no worries it’ll go on easily and refresh your mascara and indeed make lashes look even FULLER.

The Bad….

No good with a single stroke, feels a little stiff on lashes, standard brush is a tad uneventful but still gets the job done.

Who might like it?

  • Anyone who LOVES a buidable mascara!
  • Anyone who wants longer, fuller, fatter lashes.

Who might not like it?

  • Chicklets who want results at first stroke (you need 3 or 4 strokes to get incredible results).
  • Anyone who doesn’t like their lashes to feel stiff.

Final Thoughts….

A curious little mascara that gets the job done when applied correctly! Works a charm at creating fuller, thicker lashes with a few strokes and a real treat at building up for great layers of deep, dark lashes. The mascara isn’t by any means the best I’ve ever tried but its affordable ($14) and it performs quite well when used correctly. I loved the results and felt like my lashes looked really great after use.

Nice one MAC.

Anyone try?

Wanting to?

Share a though or a mini review.

Available now from Nordstrom and from MAC on May 27th.

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Musings of a Muse by a PR firm for review purposes. For further information please see my FTC Guidelines or my Disclosure/Disclaimer posts.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • dina

    saving me more $$ dear muse 😀 thank you!! stiff lashes make me wanna run for the eye makup remover! i.e. that damn clinique high impact curling mascara ~ could not wait to get home and take it off

    • the Muse

      hey d! 😀 haven’t tried high impact…is that the one with the teeth-y applicator?!

      • dina

        no (you mean the one w/ the green brush comb thing right?), i have that one but haven’t tried it yet. high impact curling is in a black tube with a curved brush, which i usually lean toward. so weird b/c i don’t get that w/ the regular high impact and when i returned it the sales people knew which one it was before i even took it out of the bag – stay awa from it!! 😛 hope you’re having a good week

        • the Muse

          ya that’s the one d! I have it in my too be reviewed pile! 😀 LOL ok def staying FAR away from that one 😀 sounds like no likey! how are you btw?! I know I owe you some emails, just SWAMPED!

          • dina

            i know, i hear ya 🙁 and no un-swamping in sight!! BAH! big news possibly on the horizon, will save for an email!! 😀 whenever you get the chance lady, we’ll have to set up dinner date ASAP too

  • PJ

    Thanks for the review! I just picked it up from my Nordstrom, and after one use I agree it gives fatter lashes after a couple of coats. But honestly the new Rimmel MaxVolume flash is just as good for much cheaper IMHO!

    • the Muse

      true PJ! Valid point 😀 haven’t tried building much with Rimmel, must give it a whirl 😀

  • The Beauty Alchemist

    I am loving this but not only because I got lots of lift and volume( yes, with several coats) but since I have major eye makeup melt and even some waterproof mascaras run on me- this held up, no smudges. I was very happy with that. I saw Opulash backstage at fashion week and thought it was a winner. Oh, and being able to touch up with it is great as well.

    • the Muse

      hey kristen 😀 love when you come visit! I agree great for building up and getting good volume! 😀 missed Fashion Week again this year le sigh! Wish my schedule ran a little differently so I can get in some FW lovin’ 🙂

  • Tracy

    Hmmm- do I fork out the cash to be disappointed again by another MAC mascara? This one does sound better than the others though. I like that it’s buildable.

  • Bora

    I think I must be one of the few that doesn’t mind MAC mascaras. I used Prolash as a thickening mascara for years, liked Mascara X and enjoy Plushlash and Studio Fix Lash these days. I think mascara is one of the areas where MAC shows its roots as a pro line for make-up artists rather than a wholly consumer line. When I was a freelancer I stocked lots and lots of tubes of Prolash because it was cheap, buildable and gave results quick.

    I agree though that they’re nothing special: when you compare them the newer types with their great and fantastic wands (Chanel, Dior) or to the Asian mascaras then MAC mascaras look very meagre and low performance.

    I like the sound of buildable at a later stage because I suffer from lashes which get a slight coating of powder eyeshadow whenever I wear it and it dulls the black finish throughout the day. I like to freshen up with a very thin coat of mascara during the day and this one sounds ideal.

    • the Muse

      hey bora! how’s you dear? I never had much success with MAC mascara for some reason 😀 You can def freshen up without looking flaky with this little guy and valid point comparing MAC to Asian mascaras (even cheaper ones) totally low grade!

  • shontay

    I bought this mascara a couple of days ago b/c I was being too cheap to buy my usual which is Chanel’s Inimitable. I like this mascara. I don’t touch my lashes, so they don’t feel stiff to me. It also curls my lashes and I like that. In fact, that’s what I look for in a mascara. I have enough length and volume naturally. I’ve never tried a Mac mascara before, this one is ok with me.

    • the Muse

      shontay I felt the same, quite a nice mascara 🙂 for the price!

  • Janet

    hmm interesting! i used to have plush lash but the brush confused me haha, it worked pretty good tho 🙂
    just curious, but have you tried etude house’s vitcara? or any of their mascaras with the comb-style applicator?

  • Kat

    How would you say this compares to Plushlash? I’ve been trying to decide if i wanted to wait for this one or just get plushlashhhh.

    Thanks!

    • the Muse

      kat can’t say as I hated plush lash but I’m about to revisit it shortly so can do a better comparison after I try again 😀

  • Lindsay

    Aww I was really hoping you’d love this mascara so I’d run out now to go get it. But alas, like all MAC mascaras it’s slightly poo poo ish. Great review!!!

  • LINDARRAGNAR

    oh thats so sad 🙁 I went to MAC today and picked up 2 pearlgilde pencils now those are worthy of a haul 😀

      • LINDARRAGNAR

        Oh I did I just like doing 1 coat and thats it 🙂

        sometimes when I reapply mascara for a 2nd or 3rd coat It really hurts my eyelashes 🙁

  • Brittany

    As I was reading the review I kept thinking oh come on can’t be that bad let’s see those pics and then BAM your after pic is hilarious! Good Lord! that mascaras pathetic. I mean SERIOUSLY why can’t they ever get it right? Their zoomlash fast black blah blah mascara was like the worst mascara I have ever tried -I had gross wet black stains on the bottom eye area in 2 minutes >=0
    how rude!

    • the Muse

      hi brittany lol I think you didn’t read the full review as I thought the mascara was good 😀 read the restof the review. Hope this helps 🙂

  • Brooke

    I am a fan of MAC but have had no luck with any of their mascaras…thanks for letting me not make another mistake on this one!

  • Nia

    Hi Muse 🙂

    I was so waiting for your review on this and now I am not sure I want to try it.
    My HG is Lancome Hypnose and I really, really like it, but from what you said all this coating that is going on, not sure.
    So I gues sIw’ll leave it up to chance if I pick it you or not 🙂
    Thanks for the review!

    • the Muse

      hey nia how are you dear? it does take some building to get it going 😀

        • the Muse

          stressed nia LOL! and always bloody busy 🙂 we’ll get through it 🙂

  • Phyrra

    Hm, very curious! Now I wanna try it! 😛 I don’t mind doing about 3 coats total (1 lash primer, 1 to 2 mascara). Anything more than that and my lashes just feel wrong. Now I’m really curious about how this one would work for me! The zoomlash didn’t work for me, nor did the other MAC mascaras I’ve tried.

    Mascara is really crazy because what works well for one person may not work for another. For example, I can NEVER get those tube mascaras to work for me. They always look bad >.< That said, I've been loving my Covergirl LashBlast Luxe.

    • the Muse

      oh dd I don’t like tube mascara much either 😀 you aren’t the only one plus most mac mascaras are such a fail for me!

  • Robyn

    looks good to me i always layer mascara so maybe now i could only layer one ?

    who am i kidding its always gna take at least 4

  • Anonymous

    I really like curved mascara brushes but I haven’t tried any of the bigger brushes yet, they don’t seem like they’d have as much precision as curved brushes..