The great hunt

Eons ago I went into Sephora and bought way too much. (Crazy, right?) With my purchase I was told I could pick out a free sample of something that they had in those cute little glass cubes at the register. Placed in my bag was a soft pink tube of a wonderful mascara that I wish I never would have chosen because now I'm in heaven. 

 

For the first time I was able to try the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I had heard a lot of great stuff about this, but I just have a hard time shelling out $23 dollars for a product that has such a short life.  The next day I tried it out and that's when it happened: I fell in love. The wand, the brush, the formula, everything was perfect, and it settled on my lashes beautifully. I used every last drop and when I ran out I was a little gutted. 

I used the rest of my other black mascara, old faithful, my L'Oreal Telescopic, but it suddenly wasn't the same. I missed my Too Faced and I had to have it in stock in my makeup drawer forever. But the hefty price tag left me a little torn. I made the decision that if I could find a drug store dupe I'd be all set and that would be the end of it. After a lot of research I found out that the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam was similar, along with the L'Oreal Power Volume 24H. 

I'm the type of person who matches my eyeliner and mascara to my outfit, so if I'm wearing black I wear black eyeliner and mascara, and if I'm wearing brown or neutrals, I'll wear brown mascara and brown eyeliner; so I always have both in stock. I went into Ulta and found both dupes. 

For $5.99 Rimmel offered a very similar brush but the formula was awful. I've never had to put on so many layers of mascara in my life. It was flaky, light, and not exactly what I was looking for. L'Oreal was a bit better, and was $7.99. The brush wasn't quite the same. I bought brown because I needed both and I would go back for the other color once I decided the winner. 

Do you know how hard it is to find a brown mascara??? Why do we need seven different shades of black, anyway? I'm a makeup junkie, and I still argue that black is black. Feeling rather disappointed in this, I decided to grab Better Than Sex anyway. 

Ughhhh nothing compares! Why, WHY do I always have such expensive taste. What's that noise? My wallet crying. Now if they can produce this baby in brown, my life will be complete.  I feel like there has to be something comparable out there with a small price tag, but alas, the hunt continues. 

If you're aware of any dupes, let me know in the comments. I'd love to try them out!

-XO Angelle