I'm Rubber, You're Glue.... (+ see inside for contest!)

Lengthen, separate, thicken, curl & darken - without clumping, flaking or smudging. We ask a lot of our mascaras.

Now there is a new generation of mascaras that promise the above and more, with the help of revolutionary molded-plastic wands.

Image from GEKA Brush, makers of injection-molded brushes

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery?
Chanel recently launched their latest mascara, Inimitable ($26.50), promising that it's "a new standard in mascara with a formula that does it all". They say that their sophisticated formula and unique brush design combine to lengthen, plump and curl, delivering lush, long-wearing colour so precisely that each lash, even the finest, is perfectly defined and separated.

The white brush is made from soft elastomer bristles that hold the proper amount of product, are flexible enough to move with your lashes and aligned in perfect symmetry, so that each lash is coated to perfection.

Users praise its ability to go on smoothly and evenly with no clumps, creating an easy-to-achieve false eyelashes look.


By definition, "Inimitable" means Chanel doesn't think anybody can copy them. But they should watch out for the following...

CoverGirl LashExact
Cover Girl's LashExact mascara ($6.99) has a purple injection-molded thermoplastic brush (sounds very high-tech, doesn't it?). The molding technique gives the bristles extra support to deliver exact lash definition, and the smooth, tapered bristles glide through individual lashes to gently separate and lift.

When I tried this, I have to say that it delivered on the number one promise: it doesn't clump! My lashes were extremely long, defined and separated. My mom saw the results and immediately asked what I was using. Being such a nice girl, I gave her my tube and she says that she loves the long-lash look it gave her, and she was happy there were no clumps. Additionally, she noted it didn't run when her eyes were tearing (we think from allergies - not the mascara!).

The only complaint? LashExact is great for a day look, but it doesn't deliver a lot of volume. Well, gals, I'm here to tell you that these clever folks are coming out with VolumeExact in January! I already spotted it at my local Eckerd drugstore, so you might get lucky and snag a tube in advance of the launch.

Finally, the nice folks at Cover Girl are doing a giveaway of Lash Exact - go Cover Girl's website for details. And in addition, I'm doing my first ever **Beauty Hatchery giveaway**! I have a brand-new, sealed Lash Exact in black that I'll send to a randomly-chosen winner. Just leave a comment on this post with your name or nickname, and in a week, I'll randomly choose someone and leave a comment with the winner's name. Then you can privately email me your address and I'll pop it in the mail.



Max Factor Lash Perfection
Max Factor invented the first mascara wand, and have turned it up a notch with new Lash Perfection Mascara ($8). The flexible bristles of their yellow, rubbery iFX brush deliver the volumizing mascara evenly, to coat and define your lashes from root to tip. The patent-pending brush technology and our advanced formula mascara work together for lashes that look full and long.

Verdict? My lashes look longer, more defined and more lush (but not as luscious as other volumizing mascaras on the market) - without clumps. The look stays all day, but is a little hard to remove with my usual cleanser-and-water routine.

Lash Perfection was selected to be one of InStyle Magazine's best beauty buys 2006, and now the company has launched a waterproof version. Max Factor is running a "MAXimize your Eyes" sweepstakes, and the prize includes lots of goodies, including a year's supply of Lash Perfection Waterproof. Enter by 11/24/06.


Rubberama
Each of these mascaras has a high-tech, molded wand and has generated rave reviews. Whether you go for white, purple or yellow, chances are that you'll be one step closer to mascara nirvana.