Product Review: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Okay. Mascara. It is no secret that I love mascara. While I'm not going to go nuts and buy every variety on the market, I do think it is a beauty staple and definitely one worth investing in. Including samples, I've got about ten or so mascaras, which I use depending on what I want from them. In my last high end haul, I visited Mecca Maxima for the first time and the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara caught my eye. I was originally going to get just the one for my mother -- whose lashes look to me to be as straight as anything -- but of course I couldn't resist getting one for myself!

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

This mascara boasts an hourglass-shaped brush that claims to dramatically increase the volume, length and curl of your lashes. The clinical study says that it gives 1,944% more volume -- this I'm personally not too sure about, but consumer studies claimed to see 100% longer lashes, 100% more dramatic volume, and 80% said it was the best mascara they'd ever used.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

This is the only mascara I have used that has impressed me on the first use. Some mascaras I've been disappointed with, others have taken two or three goes before I've fallen in love, but this one has been amazing from the start! I don't know much about formulas and how well they work, so I think for me the credit has to go to the brush itself. While it does have a general hourglass-like design, from a Padawan perspective it makes me think of two mascara brushes that have been combined to make one.

Think about it for a moment.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara -- brush close-up

Even with my limited beauty experience, volumising mascaras tend to have a brush that is, for lack of a better word, conical in shape. It has a large end attached to the stick and a smaller, tapered end at the tip -- presumably to reach the lashes in your inner corner. The "hourglass" brush of the Better Than Sex mascara seems to me to be simply two of the larger ends in one wand. Whether or not Too Faced did this intentionally and called it an hourglass as an afterthought, or whether they were just going for a new, out-there brush, I have no idea -- either way, I'm glad they did it!

Before -- no mascara, only BB cream on my skin!

After -- wearing the Better Than Sex mascara!

I do adore this product but I have noticed a couple of downsides. For one, I always seem to end up with mascara on my lids. Don't get me wrong, this has happened to me with a lot of mascaras in the past due to my Padawan-strength application techniques, but I've usually been able to figure out a way to avoid it happening after a few goes. So far, this hasn't happened and I think it's because of the wand shape.

I've also noticed the slightest amount of flaking. It doesn't happen for several hours and it really is only the smallest amount, but nevertheless it does happen. I love the product itself so much that I will put up with it, but people who detest any amount of flaking might want to do a little more research and find out what others have to say.

Wearing the mascara as part of my everyday face routine!

Overall, I absolutely adore this mascara. If you don't mind some of the negatives I found, I would say that it's a high end must-have -- definitely an investment!

Padawan Product Rating: A

Do you have this mascara? What is your Holy Grail mascara?

Sarah xo