Our Product Review - Mascara

Brand Name: Honeybee Gardens
Product Name: Truly Natural Mascara
Cost: $9.99 US for 0.2fl.oz. / 6 ml (plus 5.95 shipping)
Where did we get it? Where have we seen it?: On-line at Honeybee Gardens
Tester: Patti
Rating (out of 5): 4.0
Comments:After trying 3 brands of mascara, this is my current everyday choice. According to a cosmetician, people with short stubby eyelashes (yep … that would be me!) have the hardest time finding a mascara that works for them. I really need a lot of help from mine! I found this brand goes on well, doesn't clump and actually thickens my lashes and doesn't smudge. The price is also great - even with shipping through from the US!

This product does contain phenoxyethanol, which is a preservative and is of moderate concern.

An interesting aside, the label said "Made in Canada" but I had to order it from Honeybee Gardens which is based in the US. I'd like to know who is making this product in Canada and can I get it locally?

Ingredients: Purified water, vegetable glycerin, beeswax, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax, vegetable glyceryl stearate, lecithin, vegetable stearic acid, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, silica, cellulose gum, tocopherol, xanthan gum, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, phenoxyethanol. May contain: mica, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), iron oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77480).

Brand Name: Dr. Hauschka
Product Name: Mascara
Cost: $29.95 for 0.2fl.oz. / 6 ml
Where did we get it? Where have we seen it?:
Tester: Patti
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Comments:I like this mascara too. It goes on well, does not clump and does not smudge ( unless swimming or crying!) It does not "do wonders" for my short and stubby eyelashes (that's enough to cry over) but it does do what basic mascara's do … highlight eyelashes without the mascara ending up on other parts of my face. The ingredients are fairly 'clean" although this mascara is not rated on the Skin Deep database.

Ingredients: aqua, alcohol, sorbitol, cetearyl alcohol, ricinus communis, bentonite, camellia sinensis, melia azadirachta, euphrasia officinalis, buxus chinensis, rosa gallica, rosa damascena, xanthan gum, lecithin. [+/- CI 75470, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77007, CI 77891]

Brand Name: Lavera Naturkosmetik
Product Name: Trend Sensitiv - Volume Mascara - with organic Jojoba and Bio-Rose - Colour: No.1
Cost: $28.99 for 0.2fl.oz. / 6.5 ml
Where did we get it? Where have we seen it?: Natural health food store, Rainbow Natural Food (Ottawa) , The Big Carrot (Toronto)
Tester: Patti
Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Comments:I tried this mascara - particularly because I use other Lavera cosmetics (eye & lip pencils and lipsticks). I was disappointed. Almost each day, I had mascara "shadows" under my eye. The mascara seemed to "melt" off and end up as smudges (I didn't know I was that hot). I thought it might be the creamy eye crème I used and started to use a less greasy one but I still had the smudges. Luckily, I wasn't deterred and tried other "natural" brands with better performance. I also noticed the fragrance; both via nose (it smelt ok) and on the ingredient list (identified as unknown natural essential oils) and wondered why a mascara needed to have a scent?

Ingredients: Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Alcohol, Sorbitol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Tricaprylin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Hectorite, Lysolecithin, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oils), [+/- Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Ultramarines (CI 77007)]* ingredients from certified organic agriculture

Brand Name: Ecco Bella
Product Name: Flower Color Natural Mascara
Cost: $14.95
Where did we get it? Where have we seen it?: Natural Food Stores, Ecco Bella
Tester: Tamey
Rating (out of 5): 2.0
Comments:As you may have noticed in the e-bulletin I profess that basically all mascaras I try work well for me - this one was no exception. The reason for the low rating is that the Flower Color Natural Mascara has two parabens in it. You may ask why I bought it - Well this was in the very early days of Pure Know How and I still trusted that natural brands didn't have some of the nastier ingredients. I know better now - always READ THE LABELS! I did want to note that Ecco Bella does seem to be removing parabens from other products - If I hear they have for mascaras I'll let you know.

Ingredients: Purified water, carnauba wax, palmitic acid (from palm oil), clay, methylparaben, propylparaben and iron oxides.

Brand Name: SunCoat
Product Name: Natural Mascara
Cost: $14.99
Where did we get it? Where have we seen it?: Natural Food Stores, SunCoat
Tester: Tamey
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Comments: Great product and great ingredient list. Again I feel made giving my product reviews as I can't speak for all eyelash types, but it did a great job making my lashes look longer! If you do have longer eyelashes and try out this brand just make sure you don't sneeze until it's dry!

Ingredients: Aqua (water), sugar-based biopolymers (polysaccharide), kaolin clay, lecithin, grapefruit seed extract, citric acid. May contain Iron oxide (in black and brown; ultramarine blue (blue only).