Review | Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara

My review of Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara: before and after

It was the “fiber extensions” (Which, I’m sorry, but I’m just going to write as “fibre” from now on, OK? It’s written as “fiber” on the tube, American style, but… I just can’t.) bit which first attracted be to Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara. (Snappy name, no?)

And, OK, yes, also the “illegal length” bit. The fact is, mascara is all about the DRAMA for me. My natural lashes are translucent and feeble, so when I use mascara, I don’t just want to make them look a little bit better, I want to make them look as long and as luscious as I possibly can. I love my Too Faced Lash Extension mascara because it uses tiny little fibres to actually lengthen your lashes, and this Maybelline product basically promised to do the same thing, but for £8.99 as opposed to £32.99. I was sold. And so was it, because I ordered it as soon as I’d finished reading the product description.

Unboxing Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara

When the mascara arrived, I was a bit disappointed to find that it was an “all in one” product, unlike Better Than False Lashes, which comes in two separate tubes: one for the mascara, one for the fibre extensions. Illegal Length, by contrast, has the fibres mixed in with the mascara itself, so there’s just one tube, and you apply it exactly as you would any regular mascara.

“Well, THAT won’t work!” I grumbled to myself as I set to work putting it on, but actually, I couldn’t have been more wrong, because holy wow, this does EXACTLY what it claims to do, lengthening the lashes and also curling them gently upwards, for an even more dramatic effect. I’ll be honest: I was totally surprised by just how good it was.

How does this product compare to other drugstore mascaras?

I’ve never been particularly impressed with Maybelline mascaras in the past, and I actively HATE the famous “‘Great Lash’, which makeup artists allegedly swear by. Like, seriously HATE it. But this: this is far and away the best drugstore mascara I’ve ever used, and although I bought it purely as a back-up, I’ve found that I’ve been using it on a more or less daily basis, and have even used it on nights out or special occasions which I’d normally reserve my Lancome/Too Faced for.

Is Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Waterproof Mascara as good as a higher end mascara, though?

Is it AS good as the aforementioned higher-end mascaras? Not quite. If they were all the same price, I’d probably go for Better Than False Lashes, because although it does take a bit of getting used to, every time I wear it, someone comments on my lashes, and that’s good enough for me. This, however, makes a REALLY good alternative, and I’m really impressed with it for the price: so much so, in fact, that I’m almost onto my third tube of the stuff.

Waterproof or non-waterproof?

One quick word of warning: I ordered the waterproof version of this mascara, purely because I ALWAYS wear waterproof mascaras. I just find they lock in the curl better, and tend to last much longer than their non-waterproof counterparts. This is no exception, and although it does mean you’ll need a good eye makeup remover to get it off (It removes easily with Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover, but you’d probably have trouble with plain soap and water), I find it’s more than worth it. I did, however, pick up the non-waterproof version by mistake a couple of months ago, and, as well as being much less dramatic in terms of lengthening and curling, it also really irritated the skin around my eyes, which broke out in the red weals I get from time to time. (Most notably the week before my wedding. I am so lucky.)

Now, I can’t swear this was caused by the mascara, and I have always suspected these red weals of mine are mostly a reaction to stress, but it was the only product I was using at the time which was new, and my skin cleared up as soon as I stopped using it, and then flared back up again when I re-starred, so yeah, pretty sure that’s what it was. I have no issues at all with the waterproof version, though, and everyone’s skin is different, so you may be completely fine with the non-waterproof one, yada yada, but that was my experience, and is why I’ll be sticking to the waterproof version from now on.

Unless, of course, I pick up the wrong one by mistake again. GOD.

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books by Amber Eve
COMMENTS
  • Fran

    REPLY

    That looks amazingly good! I will be sure to try. Have you tried Hypnose Star? it’s not quite as curly as Drama, but it gives an amazing ‘old Hollywood’ very light smoky effect to the eyes. It makes for a more sultry look. I would also say Max Factor False Lash effect gives an amazing boost without using fibres. MY lashes are blonde and not very long so I was impressed by what it could do in one stroke.

    August 28, 2013
  • This mascara looks absolutely amazing. I haven’t tried a Maybelline Mascara in years, I think I’ll have to pick this up.

    Mana
    Fashion and Happy Things

    August 28, 2013
  • I love Lancome too, I have horrifically sensitive eyes and Lancome is a dream. That said, I’ve been looking to ‘downgrade’ to something cheaper too, but I’m really obsessive about not using parabens in my products. I found Bourjois Black Jack is paraben free, doesn’t irritate and is reasonably priced. It’s worth a try although I do have naturally very dark lashes, so I’m not sure it would give as good an effect. Xx

    August 28, 2013
  • Stacey

    REPLY

    I have all my makeup sorted out into *good* and *eh* piles. The good makeup only gets used when I’m actually going to be going somewhere more exciting than the grocery store (so it’s not used often!). My favorite high end mascara is/was Fiberwig’s false lash mascara. Although I haven’t bought any in a few years, and reading up on it, it appears the formula has been changed! 🙁 My lashes are short and blonde tipped, to make them appear even shorter. There’s tons of them though. I need daily mascara, but can’t justify spending upwards of $20, so am always looking out for good cheap options. I got a free sample of Benefit’s “They’re Real!” mascara, and it might make #1 on the high end list.

    I normally hate, hate, *hate*, Maybelline products. Their BB creme made me break out like a teenager, their eyeshadows crease, their lipsticks taste like metal. But I’m a sucker for the false lash effect so I’ll probably give this a try.

    August 28, 2013
  • I do not wear makeup very often at all (not even to work) but that doesn’t stop me from having approximately 325 tubes of mascara in my drawer at any given time. Usually I try to give them to my sister before they dry out. I will tell her about this brand!

    August 28, 2013
  • Carol

    REPLY

    Maybelline Great Lash is the only mascara that has ever given me a reaction. Lately I’ve been using their Volum’Express One by One and like it OK. The brush is what sold me – it seems to coat my lashes better without clumping. Smells horrible, though, so I won’t re-buy. No more Maybelline for me. 🙁

    August 29, 2013
  • Ruth

    REPLY

    Thanks for this review Amber, totally trying this. I also love Lancome but had to downgrade. I randomly bought Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara when I’d left my make up somewhere because it was the cheapest one I could find, but it’s really good! I almost prefer it to Lancome. Worth a go.

    ps. so with you about Great Lash. Terrible!!

    August 29, 2013
  • Andrea

    REPLY

    hey Amber love your site – saw this today and thought you might like it http://www.debbiereynoldsstudiostore.com/collections/womens-wardrobe?page=3

    August 31, 2013
  • Can you get L’Oreal there? I think you would really like their “Double Extend” mascara. It is a two-sided tube; one side is the micro-fiber, and the other side is the color. It is pretty inexpensive here. I really like it but not as much as this cheaper, harder to find brand called Jane. If you would like, I could take before and after pictures with the Double Extend. Maybe I will anyway :).

    http://www.lorealparisusa.com/en/brands/makeup/double-extend.aspx

    September 1, 2013
  • Jessica

    REPLY

    If you like the Too Faced lash fibres, check out “Essence lash powder”. It is LITERALLY the same thing and I got it for $2 at Shoppers Drug Mart (I’m Canadian, but you can probably find it for the same price online). There is actually no difference except that the $2 doesn’t come with a mascara (but it does come with a wand).

    September 13, 2013
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