With so many amazing drugstore mascaras available, it takes something pretty big for a high end mascara to get my attention But even I was lulled by the gorgeous gold packaging of Hourglass’s new Caution mascara. So when I spotted that they had a mini version available at Mecca a few weeks back, I immediately picked it up to try. So, is it a new fave? Just keep reading!
HOURGLASS CAUTION EXTREME VOLUME MASCARA – $20.00-$42.00 – mecca.com.au
As always, I’ll start with the packaging. The full size mascara, as previously mentioned, has stunning gold packaging in the classic hourglass triangular shape. The mini, which is what I ended up purchasing, also has the triangular shape, but the packaging is more the traditional black brown colour of other Hourglass products. The mini is around half the size packaging wise as the original but contains 5.5g of product. The full size containing 9.4g. The mascara is vegan, cruelty free and is free of parabens, fragrances and mineral oils.
Upon first inspection, the wand didn’t look that special to me. It is a straight, tapered wand that while a little long for my liking, still reaches all of my lashes comfortably. It was upon closer inspection that I noticed that the bristles on one part of the wand were slightly longer and more spaced out (good for separation and length), while the bristles on the other side were smaller and closer together (fantastic for building volume). Hourglass calls this their 4D Amplifier brush and I think the name is fitting because it’s a brush that covers all of the lash bases.
When I first applied it, I was genuinely surprised about how black the formula was. It coated each lash with only a few swipes. The formula is also very light weight and even added a nice curl to my lashes that lasted all day. Which is something even my favourite drugstore mascara don’t do as well as the Caution mascara does. I would recommend going in with the longer bristles first to build up length and then follow up with the shorter bristles to add volume if you need it.
But now, the big question. Does this mascara smudge? The answer, an emphatic no! The two weeks I’ve been trialing this mascara have been particularly hot and humid and every time I finished work for the day, I was shocked to see that my mascara was still looking as good as it did when I left the house. There was no flaking or transferring onto the eyelid either. When this mascara sets, it sets and it doesn’t budge. Thankfully, it’s an easy mascara to remove at the end of the day. I used both a micellar water and an oil based remover and both worked fine.
Top: Start of day
Middle: After 5hrs wear
Bottom: After 10hrs wear
Top: Start of day
Middle: After 5hrs wear
Bottom: After 10hrs wear
As much as it pains my wallet to say, I absolutely love this mascara and I can definitely see me buying the full size in my future. It performs unlike any other mascara I have tried as of late and it easily ties with the Eyeko Lash Alert and the L’Oreal Lash Paradise as my new favourite mascara! Have you tried the Caution Mascara? Let me know down below!
Cheers and love
Emmie xo