The Ultimate Mascara Quest - Batch 1: Epic Fail

So begins the quest for the ultimate mascara – with batch one.

Even though this was a great learning experience and gave me all kinds of clues as to how to continue, I can't lie: this batch was an epic fail.

Here's a peek at the making of batch one and what went horribly wrong.


24/7 Lash Love

Because the base of this mascara is meant to pamper lashes and encourage growth, I decided to leave the pigment out of half of the batch. My reasoning: if it's going to be a totally lash-pampering product, it may be great to use as a nighttime lash-booster as well.

Off Center Laser Focus 

Creating the formula was actually fun, but I was far too focused on pampering and nourishing lashes and not thinking enough about mascara requirements. In short, I was so busy packing in lash-pampering ingredients I didn't pay enough attention to the texturizers and emulsifiers.

More on that in a minute.

Black Color Without Oxides

As an additional new thing to try, I decided to give activated charcoal a chance at lash-coloring glory instead of using the classic iron oxide pigments.

Why?
To see if I could create a mascara with an efficient, iron-oxide-free black color.

Why?
Because some people with make-up sensitivities may react to iron oxides if they also happen to be nickel-allergic.

Pure activated charcoal is safe for internal use (as a digestive aid) and this activated charcoal is safe for use in products around the eyes – like kohl pencils and mascara.

Here's a peek at the half of the batch with added color.


Below: the colorless half. The texture actually allowed for piping into the container with a plastic bag instead of the usual 'syringe transfer' method (see this post for pics and more about the syringe-transfer method).




Testing

The positive: 

Upon application, the mascara was neither tacky, gummy, lumpy, or sticky. The feeling was actually quite lovely – even after it was removed.

The less positive:

1. Difficult to apply
2. Practically impossible to build up layers
3. Didn't stay where it was applied
4. Didn't 'dry' as mascara normally does, so...
5. ...the color flaked off


Close-up of how it looked 15 min. after application. The flaking and 'wandering color' is particularly evident along the bottom lashes.

And all that wasn't even the worst of it.

The worst of it didn't reveal itself until the next day. Pictured below is the product on day 2.
It separated.


Conclusion

Back to the drawing board. I plan to keep all those lash-loving ingredients in there, so it's 'just' a question of getting the rest of it to work.

Piece of cake, right?


Do Tell


Do you make your own mascara? I'd love to hear your input!

How it Started

The Quest Begins

Comments

Rikke said…
Nå der var da noget læring at hente der. Men lidt øv alligevel, at det ikke lige skulle lykkes i første hug!

Men jeg har en erfaring, du måske også kan få glæde af. Jeg har tidligere brugt Urtegaardens mascarakit. Og modsat dig, er jeg ikke helt tilfreds. Jeg synes børsten er virkelig dårlig. Og det gør en stor forskel for resultatet. Da jeg havde flydt alle mine "Urtegårds-beholdere" op, hældte jeg den sidse mascaramasse på en bruge Loreal mascarabeholder. Jeg brugte den først, og jeg var vild med resultatet. Den gav god farve, jeg kunne bygge flere lag på, og jeg fik flotte lange, tætte vipper. Da der ikke var mere mascara i Loreal-beholderen tog jeg hul på den første Urteaards-beholder. Det skuffede. Jeg kunne ikke bygge op, og jeg kunne ikke få længde og tæthed på vipperne. Så mit råd til dig, når du finder den rigtige mascaraformulering, vil være: Find en anden beholder/børste. De der moderne "gummibørster" virker bare. Måske vidste du det i forvejen, men nu har jeg i hvert fald også fortalt dig det ;-)

Kh Rikke
LisaLise said…
Hej Rikke - Du har så inderlig ret. Det er også en af grundene til at jeg konstant er på udkig efter emballage. Børsterne er ikke gode på disse.

Jeg har faktisk fundet nogle som jeg tror er bedre og som har en gummi-børste som du nævner, men de er lidt pricey, så jeg gemmer dem indtil jeg har en formula som jeg tror på...

:)