As many of you might now, I recently switched to using only cruelty free beauty products. One of the first products I wanted to replace was my mascara. Ironically, I had a few cruelty free mascaras already, but they weren’t amazing by any means. Now, I have a few faves. Hopefully it will be helpful for other people when I do these reviews. I’ve had a hard time finding reviews specifically of cruelty free products.
I found a list of 17 best cruelty free mascaras and immediately picked a few to try out. I looked for more budget friendly options, although I’m not a stranger to the high end ranges. I love a pricey mascara, because more often than not they are amazing. But, I’m not looking to break the bank, either.
Since this Pacifica Aquarian Gaze Mascara was in the top 4, among high end brands, it was a good option to start with. At $14, it’s on the pricier end of drugstore mascaras. Given that a mascara can last up to 6 months, I’m okay with the price. My Target only had the water-resistant version, but it does come in a non-water-resistant version. It comes in two colors, black and blue.
My Lashes
Since everyone’s lashes are different and mascara behaves differently on everyone’s lashes, it might help if you know a little bit about mine. My lashes are black, short, and straight. I don’t use a lash curler, because it doesn’t really do much for me. My lashes will curl, but they don’t hold a curl all day long. The things I look for in a mascara are length, volume, and definition. So, I basically want brand new lashes when I put on mascara. (Is that too much to ask?! Haha!) I do get mascara smudges under my eyes occasionally. Waterproof mascara solves that problem, and so this is a review on the water-resistant version.
The Claims
Pacifica touts this mascara as being lengthening and separating to build volume. They describe the formula as being nourishing. It contains coconut oil, kelp extract, and vitamin B. The claims are that it will hydrated, nourish, and strengthen your lashes & reduce breakage.
My experience
In the world of mascara, there are wet formulas and there are dry formulas. Honestly, I prefer a wet formula that’s dried down a bit. So, somewhere in between wet and dry is the perfect texture for me. This mascara is, without a doubt, a very dry formula. You would think it’d be wet, with all the healthy oil in the ingredients list. I was doubtful that this would be good for me, because I really need a lot of product on my lashes to build up volume.
On my stick straight lashes, this mascara is simply a lengthening and defining mascara. There is little to no volume at all. It does give my lashes a gorgeous, natural length that is so pretty for minimal makeup looks. In fact, I didn’t take any pictures of it on my lashes because it looks like I’m not wearing mascara at all. I can tell I’m wearing mascara, because I know what my bare lashes look like. But, it really does nothing for my lashes.
As an aside, it does have an amazing wand. The rubber bristles are soft and I’ve never poked my eye with them. In my opinion, if the formula was more volumizing, the wand would really add a ton of volume due to the amount of bristles on the wand.
It does have one redeeming quality, which is the fact it’s amazing when layered with other mascaras. I have always been a fan of layering mascaras. I don’t know why, but it makes total sense to me to combine the voluminous quality of one mascara + the water-resistance of another to, essentially, make my own volumizing water resistant mascara. I have been combining this mascara with the Milani Trifecta mascara, which is not water resistant. The combination has been perfect during the summer heat.
Pros
So, here are the pros of the Pacifica Aquarian Gaze Water Resistant Mascara:
+ Nourishing Ingredients
+ Nice, non-pokey rubber wand
+ Good price point
+ Accessible at the drug store
+ Water Resistant, yet easy to remove
+ Deep color
+ Lengthening
Cons
+ Does not volumize
+ Does not define
+ On the higher end of the drugstore price point
+ Dry formula (not sure how long this will last)
Overall
In general, I think this would be a good mascara for people who already have voluminous lashes. In fact, I wonder if all the good reviews online are from people who already have great lashes. The formula is water resistant, and that definitely holds true. I’ve been combining this with a non-waterproof mascara and love it.
Is it worth the money if I have to combine this with another mascara to make it work? No. If this was the last mascara on the shelves and I was genuinely having a mascara emergency, would I purchase this again? Yes.
If you have straight, practically non-existent lashes like me and you like a lot of volume and definition, this would not be for you. If you have amazing lashes and just want a little length and separation, this might be a good choice!
If you try it, let me know what you think!
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Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
