Review: FairyDrops Volume Burst Mascara [WP]

Hello lovelies! I recently went back to my nearest Beauty Bar to purchase a few things from their Japanese cosmetic imports. After my wonderfully positive experience with FairyDrops Candy Bar BB Cream and having read multiple good reviews on FairyDrops' mascaras, I didn't spare a second thought when I purchased their Volume Burst Mascara [Water Proof] Volume and Curl.

The Packaging
I was sold on the packaging quite immediately after I saw it. You can't tell by the picture but the packaging is holographic and absolutely beautiful. Plus, the mascara itself is a nice simple tube - perfect for carrying around. I'm definitely thankful that it's a shiny finish instead of matte - meaning it's a lot easier to keep clean. Plus the cute little pink and yellow prints against the purple of the cylinder are just so cute. This is definitely a mascara I wouldn't mind pulling out in the bathroom. You're sure to have people asking about it, even just from the packaging itself, and even more so when they see what a good job this mascara does with your lashes.

The Claims
Below is a picture of the packaging itself in unreasonably high resolution, just so you guys can see and read for yourself. Click to Enlarge!

On the get go, what's most interesting about this mascara is the shape of its wand brush, which is sort of like a three-fold hybrid of L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara. It's definitely a unique shape and you can sort of infer that it's built that way to allow maximum coating while still allowing the reach for shorter lashes towards the end of your eye as well as for lower lashes.

The mascara itself claims:

"Volume Up Powder, Wax and Fiber make 'VOLUME BURST' in one coat!!"

"Strong against humidity. Water proof makes a strong curl at one Shot!!"

"Water Proof against Water, Sweat, Tears. OK for the Ocean and Pool. NO Mess and Smudge!!"

I don't know if it's because of all the extra exclamation points, but their pitch seemed quite convincing to me. I'm familiar with mascaras that have fiber infused into their formula but I've found that those tend to clump quite a lot. I purchased this with the hopes that I'd experience better results, considering it has such great reviews. Also, I always tend to favor water proof mascaras as opposed to normal formulas because my eyelashes don't tend to hold their curl unless they're waterproof. But the downside is that formulas that are too heavy also drag them down. I've struggled to find a mascara with the perfect balance of those two factors and that was also truly water proof.

The Results
Needless to say, this mascara did everything it promised, and then some. The wet formula made it super easy to apply evenly despite my sparse stubby lashes. The wand, despite being rather large was surprisingly easy to use and made reaching those shorter lashes a breeze. I think the combination of the formula plus the brush made for perfectly even application with no clumping and good lash separation.

Where lengthening and curling is concerned, this mascara pulls all the stops. I mean, will you just look at the picture above??? WTH?? How did I go from being an eyelash-less freak to princessy-dolly lashes with JUST ONE COAT??? I was sincerely impressed.

I would just like to stress how utterly stubborn my lashes are when it comes to curling. I'm somewhat glad that my eyelashes to start with aren't stick-straight. They have their own natural curl, but aside from that, it's practically impossible to hold their curl up unless I curl, prime, then curl again, then add some heavy duty mascara. But can you believe it? JUST ONE COAT and this mascara's given my lashes an automatic lift, curl, lengthening and thickness. You can tell from the above picture just how amazing a job it did with my lashes. Just to put things into perspective, my lashes made it all the way up to my crease, and for a mascara that claims only to curl and give volume, it's lengthening properties are legit.

Another awesome thing is that it doesn't clump! Despite it having fiber, wax and powder, the wet formula makes it so that the application is even, plus the wand does an awesome job of distributing the product. No chunky, spidery lashes here. I even dare say these make me look like I'm wearing falsies. I still can't get over the fact that all this was achieved with just one coat.

I tried layering it up with a coat or two more. The fibers kept stacking on and I got even more length from it. Only downside to doubling up coats is that the lashes tend to look spider-webby after the first coat, so you really only need one coat.

The formula makes it so that while you're applying, the mascara doesn't dry out easily, but after a few seconds, it dries into a wonderful intense black that lasts the whole day as opposed to mascaras that tend to fade grey over time.

Waterproof? Full Proof.

This mascara doesn't joke when it says it's waterproof. I haven't tried wearing this in the pool, but I've tried showering (with soap, shampoo and everything!) with this mascara on and by the end of it, the stuff was still there!!! This is a good and a bad thing. People who don't have a pretty heavy duty makeup remover might have trouble removing this. Even my oil-based remover had a bit of difficulty, as you can see in the above picture, where some of the mascara still persisted.

Despite that, removing it is still doable and the pay off for no smudging and mess is a fair trade. If you're planning to watch a sappy movie marathon this is definite tear-proof haha.

If you can't be bothered to get a makeup remover, FairyDrops also has a Water Resistant version of this mascara. Meaning it doesn't smudge. It'll take a bit of battering from water, but you can't expect it to last in a pool or on the beach, but really, who wears makeup to a pool or beach anyway? I'm tempted to try that one out as well, but for those of you who are curious, you can check it out here: FairyDrops Volume Burst Mascara-Film Type.

They also have a mascara base for those of you who are attached to their current mascara but still want the added length. FairyDrops Creamy Treatment Base also apparently has lash treatment essence in it for people who want a little added care and lengthening to their regimen.

Price
I won't lie. The pricetag on this thing almost stopped me from buying it. I'm not exactly used to spending PHP 950 for a mascara, but you can actually get this for cheaper if you get it from an online distributor. The base price is 1575 YEN (about 700 PHP or 17USD). In all honesty, it's one of the best investments I've made. I go through mascaras so quickly because I tend to have to layer up twice or thrice in addition to adding a priming base. With this, it saves me both time and money because I only really need one coat to get everything I want.

In summary:

Pros:
Water Proof. Smudge Proof. Fade Proof.
Ridiculously lengthening and volumizing.
Even and easy application.
No clumping.
No spidery and straggly lashes
One coat does it all!
Wand makes it easy to apply even on lower lashes and shorter lashes.
Perfect for dolly makeup looks. *They almost look like falsies!
Adorable packaging that's easy to keep clean
This mascara blows all other mascaras I've owned away.

Cons:
Pricey.
Not widely available. You can find it online and at Beauty Bar.
Needs makeup remover to remove (but they have formulas that can be removed with soap and water).
After the first coat, the lashes tend to look my straggly, but they're manageable.

I'm really happy with the influx of Japanese Cosmetics in the Philippine Market. Because the market's been saturated with Korean Products lately, I'm happy these products I've been stalking for so long on the Japanese blog-o-sphere are finally available here. Hopefully we get to see more Japanese Brands soon.

What do you guys think? Have any other suggestions for me? Have you tried this mascara as well? If yes, how did you find it and if no, will you be willing to try it soon?

Comment away!

Ada, signing out!