Where I got it
I grabbed this at the checkout counter at Mecca Sylvia Park and it looks like it is exclusive the Mecca in stores? Not too sure. This was $17.00. I like to buy these mini versions because I always have bad runs with mascaras, even when others are raving about them. A lot of mascaras melt down to my under eye area and that really pisses me off. So whenever there is a new mascara I want to try, I will go for their mini size even though it’s not as good value as the full size, I will never finish a full-size mascara within 3 months anyway.
What I got
This is the NARS Climax Mascara in a mini version. Reach your climax with explosive volume. Exclusive ribbed bristles load up with whipped, blackened pigments for hardcore lift and a soft-core feel, all with a featherweight touch. Its Lash Moisture Complex goes all the way, from roots to tips and back again for buildable intensity without clumping or smudging. Just the way you like it.
NARS Climax Mascara
How I find it
This mascara has a straight, large bristle brush with a formula that is not too wet, but it’s not too wet as well. It promises to curl and volumize lashes, but it is not waterproof. I have seen many good reviews of this mascara and it is compared to the Hourglass Caution mascara (my review here – this is a nice mascara, but it also runs on me. Boohoo!).
Anyway, this cute little mini size looks exactly like the full-size version, only shorter. It has the same sized brush. The packaging is cute, but I like my Hourglass Caution mascara more. The formula goes onto my lashes easily without getting messy. I would like the wand to be a little smaller with a slight curve as this straight brush is a little hard to get to my inner and outer corner little lashes. If you have longer lashes to start with, you probably won’t have any issues.
NARS Climax Mascara
I applied a good coat and topped up with an extra coat at the tips because I’m not sure if this formula is heavy or not, which might weight my lashes down. I usually use a curling primer (my fav here by PDC pmel), so that my lashes don’t drop. I can see that about an hour after application, my lashes have dropped and they are pointing straight already, so this is not really helping in the curling department.. hmmm.
At around the 4th-hour mark, I see serious melting of this mascara to my under eye area and it is just disappointing. I had to remove it with eye makeup remover and a q-tip. I usually apply concealer and set it with powder to prevent this, but this obviously did not work (Argh). I will try this again with my curling primer and see if my lashes did not drop, will the melting still occur? See my update below.
NARS Climax Mascara
OK, I tried this with my curling primer and it lasted a lot longer and my lashes really did not fall down. There is little flaking, but no melting so far (4hrs). My lashes feel soft and fluttery, and they don’t really stick together, so the mascara does separate the lashes. I would be able to confirm that the mascara will weigh down my lashes and when that happens, the lashes will melt, but if I was able to keep the lashes curled, the melting won’t happen so fast and won’t be as bad.
Overall
Not really loving this mascara and I’m glad that I got a mini size as well because I don’t think I would be able to finish the full-size version. First of all, the large bristles didn’t really do any good with my lashes and my eye shape, the formula was alright, but not amazing. I needed to use this with a curling primer to stop it from dropping down and eventually melting. Removal is easy with an oil cleanser or an oil-based eye makeup remover.
