Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- Mineral Lengthening Mascara and Lash Primer

I was a bit hesitant before applying Youngblood Mineral Lash Primer to my eyelashes. The runny texture and milky white color looked worrisome, but the promise of fuller and thicker lashes was tempting. And besides, I try stuff so you don't have to.

The way this works, you apply one coat of the primer and immediately, while your lashes are still wet, the first coat of mascara. The polymers in the primer helps the mascara cover each lash separately and gives some plumping. It's especially helpful if the mascara you're using is a lengthening one, as in the case of Youngblood's Mineral Lengthening Mascara.

This mascara is quite good. Nothing dramatic and thankfully I don't end up looking like Veruschka above. My eyelashes are nicely defined, seperated and look polished without clumps, smears or flakes. The finish is natural, not glossy (I have the black mascara). It's a clean, office-friendly look. I also tested the primer with other mascaras. It worked the same way, with the most impressive results for volumizing mascaras. The primer seems to enhance whatever the mascara was doing. Drying time doesn't seem to be affected.

Bottom line: Easy to apply and foolproof. Not revolutionary, but solid results and a nice look.

Youngblood Mineral Lengthening Mascara ($24) and Lash Primer ($22) are available at Henri Bendel in NYC and directly through the company's website (ybskin.com). I received both as PR freebies.

Photo: myvintagevogue.com