Benefit – Bad Gal Bang! Mascara (Black)

Online Description:

What it is:
A 36-hour, full-blast, volumizing mascara that layers easily to build massive volume without weighing down lashes.

What it does:
Get out of this world lashes. This gravity-defying formula builds volume the more you layer, and contains aero-particles, which are one of the lightest known materials, derived from space technology. This innovative, intense, pitch black mascara layers easily for bigger impact. Its custom big slimpact! brush is designed to reach from root-to-tip and corner-to-corner of both your upper and lower lashes for big volume with 360-degree reach. This smudge-proof, water-resistant, volumizing mascara is also formulated with provitamin B5 to support natural lash thickness and strength.

Beauty Tip:
To get the best results and create the look of lash volume and length, start your look with They’re Real! Tinted Lash Primer (sold separately).

Research results:
In a self-evaluation by 102 women after 1 week:
– 90% saw dramatic volume
– 94% said it instantly lifted lashes
– 92% said it lengthened lashes

In an instrumental test on 21 women:
– Mascara lasted for 36 hours

Suggested Usage:
-Using quick and gentle strokes, wiggle the big slimpact! brush from the base to tips of lashes.
-Layer to build lash volume, separate, and coat every lash.
-To get the biggest bang, apply to both upper and lower lashes.

My Thoughts:

Let me start off by saying I have been a loyal fan of Benefit’s products for YEARS, but even the best companies have bumps in the road. This launch was not one of those bumps. My old Holy Grail, and still is, to be honest, is the They’re Real! Mascara by Benefit, but I love this wand way more. Overall, I feel like the formulas perform just as beautifully, but the wand on this makes it so much easier to get those eyelashes on the inner eye corners way easier than the They’re Real! Wand. Both are wonderful and take your lashes from basic to WOW!

Packaging:                                                  ★★★★★/5

Some people aren’t a fan of the studded handle on the wand, but I don’t mind it. I think it gives more of an unapologetic vibe to this product that sets it aside from their They’re Real! Mascara that this formula seems to mimic. As mentioned above, the wand is what sets this little guy apart because I’ve had way too many mornings where I want to cry because I’m applying my makeup in a rush and get mascara on my lid because the wand on the They’re Real! Mascara isn’t designed for the inner eye corner. I respect the company for taking their customers’ feedback on the issue and applied it with this mascara and killed it!

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Performance/Wear:                                  ★★★★★/5

In my opinion, Benefit is one of frontrunners when it comes to the mascara game. I have tried pretty much all of their formulas and have PHENOMENAL results, but of course, there’s always a favorite and that was the iconic They’re Real! Formula. Then comes this little gem and I never knew how much the tweaking of a wand design could change the game, but holy smokes! I feel like this performs EXACTLY like the They’re Real! Mascara, just better. I still love and wear the TR formula, but this one has surpassed it on my list of favorites because it’s water-resistant and smudge-proof. The TR formula comes in a waterproof formula, but I don’t really care for waterproof mascara for all the long-term damage those formulas tend to do to the lashes and eye area. I know not every waterproof formula is the same, but generally, they all are difficult to remove and require too much rubbing, they seem to dry into a concrete rock, which isn’t good for the integrity of the hair cuticle that is your lashes, and lashes generally break more frequently than with non-waterproof formulas. As I’ve said, I love the TF formula, but I don’t care for any company’s waterproof mascara.

Fast forward some time and this gets released and I’ll admit I was skeptic on the promises of being water-resistant because I feel like you’re either waterproof or you’re not, there’s no in-between. Time to eat my words. This actually does perform as a water-resistant formula, but not so hardcore that it is waterproof. I did a few experiments to see just how well it would hold up and the results were satisfactory for me, but everyone’s standard is different. So at a theme park with water effects here and there, it held up. When I took a shower and didn’t touch my face, because I wanted to see how much damage the steam could do to it, it did start to smudge, but I didn’t hit full raccoon mode. With swimming and working out, it did not hold up, but I feel that was more due to the salt in my sweat and the chemicals in the pool, more than it was just water that would cause it to break down. A single coat gives you color density, length, and some curl. Three coats looks darn close to those natural-looking falsies, but just like any other mascara formula, if you go too crazy with the amount of coats, it will get clumpy.

I like to stick to the rule where you change out mascaras every 3 months, and some may be bothered by the fact that it does this, but I actually enjoy that it reminds me it’s time to change when it starts to get flaky. That may sounds gross, but after 3 tubes, it generally starts to flake during the day when its around a week away from the deadline to change mascaras. I know there are some people who don’t put reminders on their phones or planners when its time to change their mascara, so this is a nice little nudge that it’s time to change, for the safety of your eyes and to get the best performance out of the product.

I prefer to use a Makeup Eraser – The Original MakeUp Eraser® Makeup Remover Cloth (Pink)* when I remove my makeup, just because it produces less waste, but every now and then I am too tired to use the cloth and wash it, so I fall back on my holy grail wipes from Neutrogena. Whatever your preference, this is surprisingly easy to remove, despite how well it holds up against moisture. My recommendation would be to hold whatever removing product you use, up against your closed eyes for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, before rubbing to remove. That way it gives the product time to break up the mascara without causing stress to your eye area.

Price:                                                           ★★★★★/5

I consider myself a bit of a mascara snob, and this definitely makes the cut. The durability of the formula against moisture, it doesn’t irritate sensitive eyes, and the wand makes it so easy to apply for those busy bees that just need to get their product on and go.

Ingredients:

Water, Paraffin, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Polybutene, Steareth-21, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-2, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Silica Silylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Nylon-12, BHT. May Contain (+/-): Yellow 5/Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Ultramarines (Ci 77007), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Chromium Hydroxide Green (Ci 77289), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Ferric Ferrocyanide/Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide (Ci 77510), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).

Pros:

• Easy application
• One coat gives noticeable results
• Great wand design
• Water-resistant
• Smudge-proof
• No horrible scent
• Easy to wash off
• Cool studded texture on handle

Cons:

• None, this stuff is amaze-balls

Texture:                                        Cream

Scent:                                            Mascara

Recommend?                               Yes

Repurchase?                                 Yes

Retail:                                            $25.00

Size:                                               0.3 oz.

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Want to try this for yourself?

• Benefit Cosmetics (*Affiliate Link*)
• Nordstrom (*Affiliate Link*)
• Macy’s
• Ulta

I’d love to hear about your experience with this in the comments!! 😊

* = Affiliate Link