Over the last week, I’ve been test-driving RMS Beauty’s two new mascaras.  I am a total mascara junkie; it is my desert island cosmetic of choice, so you can trust that I am picky little lash connoisseur.

Conventional mascaras make us look sooooo pretty, but they are sooooo icky.  Coal tar, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde-releasers, phenoxyethanol, sodium laureth sulfate and mercury are usually all in there somewhere.  These ingredients all have either been proven to be carcinogens or to be endocrine-disruptors.  At the very least, they are really going to irritate your eyes.

RMS has been working on developing a Clean mascara for a long time.  Their ingredients are actually the Cleanest I’ve seen.  Beeswax, mineral pigments and essential oils = good stuff.  RMS sets the standard for Clean cosmetic companies; they are not one of those brands that makes some Clean cosmetics and some that are suspicious.  You can trust every product.

First, I tried the Volumizing Formula.  With a fluffy applicator brush, it effortlessly glided on over my lashes and the pigment was very rich and black.  So far, so good.  If you are like me and you absolutely need to apply at least two to three coats of mascara before feeling like you can leave the house, wait for each coat to dry before applying the next.  It is crucial with this formula, but the results are worth it: longer, thicker lashes.  The mascara wore quite well through the day and into the night.  Bare Beauty-approved.  Cost: about $28.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), *Cera Alba (Beeswax), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), Glycerin, *Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Stearic Acid, *Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, *Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil,  *Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Limonene, Geranoil, Parfum (Natural Fragrance)
*Certified Organic

For the next few days, I tried the Defining Formula.  It is also very pigment-rich, and the applicator brush is smaller and tighter so you can grab even the teensiest lashes.  I definitely needed more than one coat and again, I waited for each coat to dry first before applying the next.  I was really satisfied with the way I looked when I left the house, but after I came home from dinner (3 hours later), I found I had smudgy shadows under my eyes.  (By the way, Katie, I know you’re reading this – why didn’t you let a sista know!?)  I tried a few more times, but to no avail.  I wouldn’t write this mascara off for everyone, but it’s not for me.  Cost: about $28.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), *Cera Alba (Beeswax), Stearic Acid, *Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Geraniol, Limonene, Parfum (Natural Fragrance). May Contain [+/-]: Iron Oxides CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499
*Certified Organic, Gluten Free Formula.

Check out my Instagram feed for pics of me trying out each RMS mascara: @barebeautyblog

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