Review: Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Don't look at me like that. I know that nearly every beauty blogger in this hemisphere and beyond has tried this mascara. But dang it, it's a dividing factor for lots of people- you either love this mascara and think it's the greatest thing to happen to your lashes since they grew themselves out of your eyelids, or abhor it and get nauseous at its mention.



I have here a deluxe sample of They're Real! that I will be giving you my first impressions of. It came with the sephora superstars christmas set, but landing this sample is just about the easiest thing in the world if you're subscribed to any beauty box or have even the foggiest clue of what a GWP is. Hell, walk into a Sephora, flash your Beauty Insider card and straight up ask for one. They'll probably have multiple samples of this cult-favourite mascara hanging around and will just give you one for free.

Alright, let's get down to business. My first taste of Benefit cosmetics... arguably their most-loved product. Does it hold up to its lofty claims and reputation?



The wand is intimidatingly spiky, and immediately I could feel myself grimace. I tend to favour bristle mascara brushes over rubberized ones, and this has so many rubber spikes, meant to grab and coat your lashes individually in one stroke. I really don't mind applying five coats of mascara if it's going to save me from potentially poking myself in the cornea because some designer got a little overzealous with the brush design.

The formula itself seems relatively thick and a little wet. I don't like the way it's clumped at the end of the brush, but other than that, it evenly distributed itself, and I didn't feel the need to wipe off any excess.

Here's my naked lashes:

Givin' ya that hard side-eye.

Here are my lashes with one coat of They're Real!:

Lookin' good.

And two coats:

Nice.

One more time!

Without mascara:


With Benefit's They're Real!:


It's a nice mascara that provides a nice overall effect. It doesn't quite deliver on its promise of the illusion of false lashes, but that was a lofty claim anyway. Overall, the spiky brush is kind of painful and I much prefer my regular mascara. That being said, I will use up this sample. My overall impression is neither vehemently for or against this mascara- it's a solid 'eh'.

A word to the wise, though- and this was a deal breaker for me, because it's cold where I live and my eyes tear up a lot outside!- this sucker is NOT waterproof. Keep that in mind if you're eager to try this mascara.