Exceptionnel de Chanel Mascara.

The power of the eyes, a good brow and some fabulous lashes cannot be overstated. Nothing speaks volumes about one's taste level without money or manners than a well maintained and enhanced eye area. 

I have the brows down (haha to anyone who knows me)-- and the lashes (merci a DiorShow) were doing fine... Until I went out and decided to get a new mascara. 

My choice happened to be Exceptionnel de Chanel in Smoky Noir, $28. What makes it exceptional (feel the disdain dripping off my words) is the brush and application method. The brush is this 6-sided (6 is the devil's number. Not a coincidence). Three little rubbery-spiky sides and 3 textured flat sides which still create an overall thin brush head. I was instructed to paint my lashes from the top and then go back from the bottom and paint them up. 

I tried it in the store and it was ok, so I went ahead and bought it (they have a 6-sided trail brush at the counter, and it worked ok THAT DAY). 

I took it home and have been having nothing but problems with it. 

First of all, there is too much product on the brush. I believe my in-store trial worked because I had very little product on the brush (it was just a little trial brush). The actual product : Once you coat your lashes, they automatically separate into 14 very distinct points, and you spend about 3 minutes trying to comb them out. I have very long, very sparse lashes, and I would NOT recommend this product for anyone else who is similarly blessed. If you wipe off the product with every use, you could potentially get nice lashes (you rich little witch, you.) Who has the time and dinero for this, I ask. 

Secondly, I have noticed that even if you do manage to comb out your lashes, if there is humidity in the air, this mascara changes and separates! Because of the ridiculous design, I have to take the utmost care to make sure my lashes are combed out--- SO!  The other hot, sticky, August day I was looking in a mirror--- and I saw my mascara had turned on me! What a jerk. It's not called clumping, it's more like dissent. All the lashes start huddling together after I combed them into separated submission, and I could only blame the humidity (through a highly effective process I call "Placing the Blame").  

Thirdly, the brush makes a MESS. You can't use it as a smudging tool (which I sometimes do in a rush) because it is leaves distinct grid marks on your face on account of being so spiky and stylized. Give me a good old pipe cleaner, I say. 

And you can easily mess up your eyeshadow etc. because it sneaks it's way in between my lashes while I am applying it to the base and touches my lids. That perverted little piece.  

I will say I get length and I get curling--  but it's all too much. It's a hassle. I have exactly 45 seconds to apply mascara in the morning, not 3 minutes. I am going to try and break up with this mascara and see if I can get back with DiorShow. 

Goodbye!

x. 

S.