The product in this review was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Website: http://www.envyderm.com/

In early November 2014, I received an unsolicited email from a representative at EnvyDerm, asking if I’d be interested in becoming an affiliate and trying one of their products. I replied with an enthusiastic yes, chose a product for them to send to me, and then forgot about it. In mid-January of this year, I got a follow-up email from a different rep, to which I replied that I never got the product to test. A few weeks later, with no other response, the product I chose showed up in my mailbox.

I chose the Eyelash Enhancement and Conditioning Volume Mascara in Espresso (because I wear brown or brown/black mascara when I’m not sporting a bold color eye). It retails for $29 USD for 7 mL, with free USA shipping. EnvyDerm claims their lash enhancing products contain “innovative and proven ingredients provided by Mother Nature.”*

The mascara promises
– Longer, thicker looking, luscious lashes with extended use.
– Condition and moisturize lashes.
– Infused with Moroccan Argan Oil.
– Smudge-proof and Clump-free formula.
– Doesn’t flake, run or clump.**

Ingredients list is
Purified water, Butylene Glycol, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Cera Alba, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Acrylates Copolymer, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Adipic Acid/Diethylene Glycol/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Medicago Sativa Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Honey Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolized Keratin, Marine collagen, Myristoyl Hexapeptide-16, Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Triticum Vulgare Oil, Organice Simmondsia Chinesis Seed Oil, Organic Argania Spinosa Oil, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Hydrolized Glycosaminoglycans, Urtica Diocia Extract, Mica, Iron Oxide Black***

It looks like the ingredients are the standard mascara waxes, stabilizers, and colorants, plus several plant-derived products like argan and jojoba oil, kelp, arnica, and chamomile, among others.

The product was delivered in a standard unpadded mailer envelope, so the box was a little crushed, but the tube itself was fine. The hourglass wand has small rubbery bristles and flares into a rounder shape at the end for getting at corner lashes. When I swatched on my hand, I was surprised at how dry the product was. It took three swipes to achieve the density of color you see in the picture below. Granted, it’s glacier-weather here in New England, but it’s been sitting in my comfortable-temperature house for five days, so it’s had plenty of time to thaw out.

Here are my plain eyelashes. Yes, I burned my stupid face with my curling iron a couple of days ago. WHATEVER.

This picture shows three coats (wand back into the tube between each for more product) of EnvyDerm Mascara on my right eye (under the band-aid). The lashes are well-defined without clumps, and the effect is nicely natural. I don’t notice any lengthening effects, which is fine with me. I also don’t notice any real volumizing effects, which is more concerning, since this is supposed to be volumizing mascara.

For comparison, on my left eye in this picture is two coats of L’Oreal’s Miss Manga Voluminous Mascara in black/brown.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not very impressed by this mascara. It was so difficult to get any product on the wand because the formula was bone-dry. I think the end effect is okay for a no-makeup look, but I prefer more volume to my lashes even when going for a natural look. I think the price is insanely high for something that volumizes less than drugstore mascara — for $30, I’m getting myself a tube of TooFaced Better than Sex with a few bucks left over for a latte. I wasn’t too pleased with the way the company forgot about sending me a product and then failed to offer any sort of follow-up like a tracking number. I can’t say this would be indicative of their customer service, but it certainly doesn’t inspire me to buy from them.

What I didn’t test, and what may justify the price point, is the enhancing effects over time. EnvyDerm claims that regular use of the mascara will make lashes longer and thicker looking. They also sell lash-enhancement serum that claims the same benefits. In the brochure they included, they have some pictures of the enhanced lashes, but honestly I can’t tell the difference, and the eye shape of the before and after picture look different. I would have to use the mascara regularly to find out for myself, and even then if the results are small, I probably wouldn’t notice because I’m terrible at judging tiny incremental changes. I dripped saline solution into the tube to try and revitalize the formula, so I probably will use it a few more times.

What do you think? Is this something you’d buy?

* http://www.envyderm.com/about-us (retrieved 2015-Feb-17)
** http://www.envyderm.com/envyderm-black-volume-mascara (retrieved 2015-Feb-17)
*** from product packaging