Physicians Formula Organic Mascara: Win or Fail?

My name is Lana, and I am a mascara addict.  I have been this way since I was about 14-years-old and have never been able to control it.  I will probably die with a brand-new tube of mascara clutched in my cold, dead, hands.

In my quest/addiction to find the perfect mascara, I’ve tried many wins and many fails.  Recently, in an attempt to remove harsh chemicals, possible carcinogens, and toxins from my world, I decided to try Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara,  priced at around $10.

Ok, I gotta be honest with y’all.  The only reason I tried it was because a makeup YouTube guru I love said it was her favorite mascara.  I’m WEAK!  However, after using this mascara, I’m seriously doubting her recommendations…

The claims:

• Revolutionary 100% Natural Origin formula contains the purest ingredients and provides 5x Lash Boosting for lash length, volume & definition naturally
• 100% Recyclable Eco-Brush defines each lash with ultra-soft plastic bristles
• 100% Free of Harsh Chemicals, Synthetic Preservatives, Parabens, Clumping, Smudging, Flaking, Fibers & Dyes.
• 70% of the Total Ingredients are from Organic Farming.

That sounds all well and good…until you actually put this stuff on.

First Fail: Packaging

This picture doesn’t do the actual package justice.  It’s fricking HUGE.  Like, a “personal suitcase” for your mascara huge.

The company talks about everything being recycled, “natural”, and great for the environment, yet they wasted so much paper and plastic to create an unnecessary box the size of my head.  It’s a pain in the butt to get the mascara out, which was frustrating when I tried to secretly steal it from CVS (just kidding). I felt like I was fumbling with an impossible-to-open DVD package just to get the dang tube out.

Second Fail: Application

I call shenanigans on their claims of “BIG, THICK LASHES!”

This mascara was really hard to build-up for me.  If you’re going for a really natural and soft look, this is the stuff for you.  However I prefer the look of a German Cabaret dancer when it comes to my lashes.

I probably applied around four coats before I was somewhat satisfied with the results.  One pro: I didn’t notice any clumping issues!

Third Fail: Staying Power

I was blessed with some very long (though skinnier than Kate Moss) eyelashes.  Therefore, the tops of my eyelashes will hit my brow bone and skim my sunglasses.

Within an hour of applying this mascara, I noticed little black smudges at the top of my brow bone.  By the end of the day I looked like an old man who hadn’t slept in years with black circles under my eyes.  Total, complete, and utter fail at being smudge-proof and lasting throughout the day.

Final thoughts

I so desperately wanted to like this mascara because of its claims of not including harsh chemicals, dyes, and preservatives in the formula, but I just couldn’t.  Sorry everyone.  I wore it once and then threw it in the garbage.

This is a big, fat, smudgy yet “natural” fail.