Clinique High Definition Lashes: Hot Lashes 4U!

Before I used Cover Girl LashBlast, there was a time that I struggled to find the "it" mascara. Usually found in my makeup stash were 3 to 4 tubes of mascaras that I used at the same time: one for length, one for curl, one of volume, and one for color! Yup, you got it right, it was obsessed with my lashes.

One of them was the awesome Clinique High Definition Lashes mascara that I got from a gift with purchase package. This mascara is almost all I wanted and if I didn't find LashBlast, it would have been my "it" mascara until today. But don't worry, it's on my top 5 list of all-time favorite mascaras.

What I got was a "try me" sample of the High Def mascara that's a bit bigger than my finger. Whoever named this mascara must have done that during the football season as the name reminds me of the HDTVs. Aren't everything in high def these days? And when we have high def TVs, we need high def mascaras to go with them. Matchy-matchy, sounds cool isn't it?


As you all know me, my judging standard for mascaras are the 3B's: bigger, bolder, better. How does the High Def mascara stand based on my ground? Very close to perfection, let me break it down for you:

1. Bigger: it does give me longer lashes and creates some volumes. My lashes felt glossier than usual. Also, the formula is gentle on my lashes which is rare in mascaras these days. They all feel like they strip the moisture right off your precious lashes.

2. Bolder: not really, you're not going to have fantastic lush lashes from this mascara. Unlike LashBlast, it does not fan out your lashes or fatten them up. This High Def mascara just gives you lots of lengths, no curls, and not so much volumes.

My nekkid lashes (before)
Taken with no flashes under incandescent light (hence the yellow hue!)

After 2 coats of Clinique High Def
Picture taken without flash in natural light

You see, in the 2nd picture the lashes look longer but they also start to clump. I did not curl my lashes just to test its curling power and this baby has none, giving me stick straight lashes.

3. Better: I give props to the Clinique people for being innovative in their designs. The mascara wand is the best I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of mascaras! It has 2 sides: a wand side and a comb side. You apply the first layer of mascara using the wand side and then flip over to the comb side to beef up your lashes. However, I found this instruction a bit obsurd as the comb really deposit more mascaras to the lashes and makes them clump up together. Therefore, I do everything in reverse direction: comb then brush and voila, less clumps!

The awesome brush: the brush side is on top, comb side is at the bottom.

Here's a quick recap on the pros and cons of the Clinique High Definition Lashes mascara:

Pros: this mascara is for you if you...

• are looking for a lengthening mascara;
• have sensitive eyes;
• do not need a waterproof mascara;
• want glossy lashes;
• like the brush-comb wand applicating combo;
• love Clinique!

Cons: this mascara is not for you if you...

• want a mascara that provides you bigger, bolder, and better lashes (remember 3B's!);
• want some curling and volumizing action from your mascara, because this baby gives you none of them;
• have $14 USD in your pocket: it ain't cheap people! One of this equals to 2 of the LashBlast, you do the math and I trust you to choose wisely;
• have oily skin and/or live in humid places: the high def, although a good mascara, will smudge on you. And who wants racoon eyes, right?

I have to say I love this High Def mascara but it doesn't really live up to its name. It's more of "better than the norm" sort, not really HD yet. Once in a while when I want an easy-going look, I would grab this mascara. Other than that, I stick with my LashBlast.

That's it for today folks! How are you doing so far? Just one more day until the weekend so hang in there ladies.

Until next time,
Your Makeup Blogger

P.S: some related posts in the past:

Cover Girl LashBlast: Bambi Eyes in a Flash: come and read what I said about my "it" mascara.
How not to melt in the sun with bonus picture of the very hot Roger Federer.