Product Review: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

As an Asian girl who's not exactly blessed in the lash department, I'm always on the lookout for the next great mascara. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara ($31) launched a little while ago to great aplomb on social media, but it wasn't until recently that I got the chance to try this curling, lifting mascara for myself. So how did it work out? You'll have to click the jump to find out!

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara's impressive power largely comes from the patent-pending Hook n' Roll brush, which uses tiny custom-designed hooks to lift and curl every little lash. Meanwhile, the easily removable formula boasts vitamin B5 and serine to nourish and condition. The result, Benefit claims, is curled, lifted lashes that last up to 12 hours.

It took a couple tries for me to get my Roller Lash technique just right. First, press the curved brush right at the lashline, and then wiggle it back and forth from root to tip. I like to do one wiggly swipe at the inner corner, then in the middle, then at the outer corner. Roller Lash is really a "one coat and done" mascara: resist the temptation to go over your lashes again, as that'll just load them with too much product. (I learned that the hard way.) Wait for the mascara to dry a bit, and voilà: a lifted, curled look that seems as though you've been fussing for 5 minutes with an eyelash curler and multiple coats.

Roller Lash earns serious kudos for its feminine packaging (a Benefit signature) and ease of use. It's a great mascara to keep in a gym bag because it's quick to apply post-shower and I don't need to pack an extra lash curler. The only bummer is this mascara tends to smudge on me: After an hour or two, there'll be a faint shadowy smudge along my lower lashline which I have to wipe away with a bit of damp tissue. (Good thing it's easy to remove!)

Have you tried Roller Lash? What do you think?