Many of you know that a few months ago, I became obsessed with purple eye makeup - not the scary kind, mind you, just a more exciting alternative to black. I discovered a deep eggplant eyeliner and a smoky plum cream eyeshadow, both from NARS, that satisfied me for the time being. The purple was a subtle but unexpected twist - pretty without making me look like I could be a backup dancer for Prince.

So, when I spotted a new mascara with the word "Plum" in the shade name, I had to have it immediately.

Continue reading this post...

Lash Lacquer is the latest offering from DuWop, the brand that brought us my beloved Revolotion tinted moisturizer and Sub-Surface two-sided undereye/blemish treatment. Like Sub-Surface, Lash Lacquer comes in a double-ended tube. One end houses a buildable mascara, and the other contains a waterproof, shiny topcoat. It's available in Carbon Black, Brown Black, and Plum Black - the one I chose for this little experiment.

Since I am a stickler for volume, I tested Lash Lacquer with an undercoat of the lash primer from the L'Oreal Double Extend tube. I often write off mascaras due to poor volume building ability, when the problem can often be remedied with the use of a primer (even though I am very, very picky about said primers).

I was suspicious of the claim that Lash Lacquer is truly buildable; usually, mascaras will just clump up after too many coats. But Lash Lacquer indeed proved to be different from the others - even after multiple coats, it remained pliable, with no clumping and no need for a lash comb. The plum tinge was barely detectable but still a departure from basic black - just the way I like it!

After the initial coats dried, a few swipes of the topcoat produced shiny, smudge-proof, perfectly separated lashes. Lash Lacquer lasted through a workday, two humid, sunny, squinty walks through NYC, and a shopping trip. I was astonished that none of it, not even a flake or a dot, ended up anywhere but on my lashes where it belonged.

While it didn't produce the gargantuan, dramatic volume that I love, this is an excellent everyday mascara that stands up to time, temperature, and the elements. Its ability to build coat upon coat and maintain lash separation without clumps is phenomenal!

Product rating, 8.