Estee Lauder Sumptouous Extreme Mascara, Is It The Gold Standard?

Mascara and I

When it comes to mascara I am pretty picky and so are my sensitive eyes. I have long viewed mascara as an essential element in my beauty arsenal. I think that my fascination with mascara began as a child watching my mother apply it religiously every day, eyes wide mouth slightly open. Since then I have become a student of proper mascara application from the mouth open trick to the more sophisticated lessons I picked up in my ill-fated career behind a make-up counter. When I found out I would be testing out Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme mascara I kicked up my heels with excitement. All my mascara buys are from the drugstore and I was interested in comparing a luxury line's mascara to my regular bargain brand.

First Impression

The package arrived and I tore it open like a kid at Christmas. There it was in a sleek golden tube. The slick packaging evoked in my mind the image of a sexy 60's super spy; carrying this mascara along with her weaponry. Look out "Man with the Golden Gun" here's the woman with the golden mascara. The color is Extreme Black a deep carbon shade worthy of its name. First impression; good, very good. Moving past the superficial, how does it perform? Estee Lauder claims that the mascara will deliver "Outrageous volume, lift and curves for an audacious, false-lash effect." Read on to see if it measures up to this claim.


The Performer

The brush is much larger than any previous mascaras that I have used. It can be a bit unwieldy, I found it takes some skill to work with it. I like to comb my lashes (with a lash groomer, I have this one) before I start applying mascara. This way the lashes are separated and it makes the application easier. I start on the outside corner of my eye and work my way across to the inside; I never try to hit the entire lash line with one stroke. One of the tricks I picked up from my make-up counter days is to take the wand and place it at the base of the lashes and wiggle the brush from the base to the tips. This trick gets the bottom of the lashes and gets in between for an even coating. Examining my lashes after applying the mascara I noticed that they did look plumper and longer. There were some clumps, but this was easily remedied by combing through the lashes before they dried. If you comb the lashes after they have dried you run the risk of flaking.

The Verdict

Extreme close up: Before and After
Extreme close up: Before and After

Does it deliver on its promise of "volume, lift and curves" (sounds like a bra). Sumptuous Extreme did make my waif-ish lashes look more voluminous and respectably curvaceous. It created an incredible amount of lift, really opening up the appearance of my eyes. How does it last? On my 8-hour day test run it stayed on strong without flaking. Another plus, no raccoon eyes, there was some smudging under my lower lashes, but not a big deal. The mascara is ophthalmologist-tested and fragrance free and it did not irritate my sensitive eyes. Lauder claims that the mascara has a clump free formula, but I did notice a few clumps, which I easily remedied. The clumping is not really surprising since it uses "Three different high-volume fibers create audacious, false-lash effects". Formulas that use fibers to create volume tend to clump more. Overall I like it; it's dramatic, bold and plays up my eyes. It makes me feel like batting my lashes or winking more. The only thing is the price tag $23.50, ouch! I find mascara priced over $10 hard to justify since it is supposed to be replaced every 4-6 months. However if mascara is something that you like to splurge on then I definitely recommend Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme Mascara.

Before Mascara and After Mascara
Before Mascara and After Mascara

Picture: I know the picture is small but in the picture on the left you can't even see my lashes. On the right you can see that they are darker, longer and curled. I did not use an eyelash curler for this look.