The Lifestyle Project: Product Review: Battle of the Mascaras

Battle of the Mascaras - Which one is better, Diorshow or They're Real?

The Contenders:

In the red corner, Benefit's They're Real Mascara.
In the blue corner, Dior's Diorshow Mascara.

These mascaras have been talked about so often in the beauty world, but at close to $30 a pop, is the tantalizing promise of long lashes worth it? Benefit's They're Real particularly seems to get the Holy Grail of Mascara Award and yes, I admit, I got suckered into checking it out for myself to see if it lived up to the hype.

Unlike my husband who has such long and pretty eyelashes with a natural curl (so envious), my eyelashes are left wanting for lots of extra oomph. Lashes a plenty I sadly do not have. ~~After feeling a little guilty~~ I succumbed to dishing out the mula to test if either of these luxury mascaras could possibly satisfy my mega eyelash envy. (Seriously though, do you know jealous I feel living with a boy whose eyelashes touch his eyebrows and he doesn't even care! Gah!)

Up first we've got Dior's Diorshow Mascara ($31). All photos were taken with two coats of mascara after my eyelashes were curled.

Pros: great lift, nice volume, added length
Cons: spidery looking lashes, doesn't wear well throughout the day

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Next we've got Benefit's They're Real Mascara ($29).

Pros: no flakies during the day (or nights when I've slept with my makeup), long lasting formula, incredible brush
Cons: not enough volume and lift

Benefits They're Real Mascara Product Review

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The Verdict:

Well, first of all I learned that the lashes on my right eye are a bit longer than the ones on my left eye. But you're probably not interested in that...

The Canadian in me says, "Why can't we all get along?". Seriously though, I really like pairing these two mascaras together. One coat of Benefit separates and lengthens and one coat of Dior adds that extra oomph and thickness to my lashes.

The American side of me says, "You can't have two best friends. Pick one!" Okay okay, in my opinion, Benefit's They're Real is better than Dior's Diorshow.
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The Explanation:

When it comes down to it, to me it's more important for my mascara to wear well throughout the day. Especially as I'll be travelling in lots of hot climates next year, I need a mascara that applies easily without any clumps, has lasting lift and volume, and holds up through a couple of tears if need be. All the better if it washes off relatively easily with remover at the end of the day.

Literally two days after buying Benefit's They're Real, for the first time in five years, my husband commented that my lashes have been looking a lot fuller lately. *Shocked face*

Benefit's brush is great for coating little hairs

For you long-lashed ladies, I'm sure Benefit's They're Real is exponentially better when you've got more to work with in the first place. But for those of us who are eyelash-impaired, I just don't think this mascara is worth the splurge. My disposable income is limited these days so I have to be a lot more discerning about which products I buy. I do like They're Real once I've curled my lashes 2-3 times and put on several coats, but that's a lot of effort after already spending $29.

Personally, my favourite mascara is an underdog drug store pick for less than $10 -- Cover Girl Lash Blast. Though it doesn't completely trump Benefit's They're Real in all categories, the curl and volume I get coupled with the budget-friendly price tag make this Cover Girl mascara my go-to pick time and time again. If I truly have to choose just one mascara, this is it.