I’ve been loving the Origins counter lately. The reps are all super helpful without being overbearing. I asked about samples and the man who helped me gave me a whole bunch and asked if I wanted to try their Fringe Benefits mascara.
“Heck yes!” I said, “it’s the perfect size for my purse!”

Here’s how I use it:
– Feel rushed and leave without putting your makeup on at home.
– While waiting for your BART train to arrive, apply mascara.
– Do not drop (like I did, after the last time I used it. There is no # of seconds rule when it comes to eye products and the floor of public transportation.)


The upsides:
– This claims to be a lash lengthening product and I have to say that it did, indeed, make my lashes look fabulous and long.

The Ingredients
– Because I dropped it, I threw it away immediately, forgetting that Origins doesn’t post their ingredients on their website. However, I remember being pleased with them as “nice and natural” when I did read them on the side of the sample tube.

The Texture
– This is one of the smoothest, creamiest mascaras I’ve ever used. It glides on really easily in just one coat.

The not-so-upsides:
– By the end of a normal (ie. not hot or sweaty) day, I had little black smudges on the corners of my lower lids – no fun!

The Texture
– While it’s nice and creamy, it’s also pretty wet. I had to be really careful not to let my upper lashes touch my eyelid while applying or I’d definitely have little spots to clean up (and that’s harder when doing this during a commute than when next to your sink and qtips.) As a rule, I NEVER apply mascara to my lower lashes because they’re really curly and I ALWAYS get mascara all over the skin under them when I try, so, it’s safe to assume that this mascara will do the same.
[My esthetic school makeup teacher advised us that wet mascara will dry out a bit if the wand is left out for an hour or so but I’ve tried this before with no success (and I didn’t get a chance to try with this one).]

In all, what really matters to me about mascara is its ease of use – if I have to be extra careful or clean up afterwards, I’m not into it. Such is the case with this product. Not my favorite.