The great mascara hunt: Estee Lauder Sumptuous

It’s time for another mascara review, as I hunt for the perfect lash perfector. I’m going to try and alternate between makeup counter options and bargain alternatives, because I truly believe there are some £5 mascaras out there that really do the job.

Today, however, is the turn of the pricey ‘Sumptuous’ from Estee Lauder, a £17+ treat in a swish gold tube that promises bold volume and lift.

Now I like drama, and when I was buying this, that was what I was promised. Well, actually I was told I should try the TurboLash with its vibrating brush, but the idea of putting something that vibrates so close to my eyes freaks me out, as does the £27.40 price tag. So Sumptuous it was.

All in all, this does the job. It’s a proper old-school mascara, with a classic mid-sized bristle brush and quite a thick, dense creamy texture. Where it really impressed me was that it just doesn’t clump. Cheaper mascaras of a similar thickness (Rimmel Volume Flash, for example) give bold results but need loads of combing through to separate the lashes after application. With this, I only needed a couple of coats for a daytime lash, but I found I could keep on adding it without any clumping.

However, it takes quite a lot of coats for anything resembling the false lash look I like, but I do have high hopes when it comes to that. As a does-it-all daytime mascara, it looks the part, stays on all day, and doesn’t weigh down the lashes. Whether it’s worth £17 I’m not sure, but the lack of clumps definitely makes it a cut above many rivals.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara £17.13

Before: Maybelline Stiletto Lash
Next: Rimmel Glam’Eyes