Review of Younique 3D Fiber Lash Mascara

Younique 3D Fiber Mascara has taken social media by storm. You may have seen the amazing "before and after" pictures on Facebook or Instagram. Women are posting pictures of their barely-there eyelashes in "before" pictures next to their amazingly long lashes shown in "after" pictures. A Facebook friend who sells Younique posted photos of her own before and after and the difference was so extreme, I had to buy it to try it for myself.

After all, who doesn't want long, luscious lashes without having to endure lash glue or lash extensions sewn onto your real ones?

At the time, I had no idea that you could buy Younique products from Amazon.com and bypass your friend-who-is-a-salesperson. So I bought the mascara and initially loved it so much that I was borderline addicted for a few weeks. I even included the mascara in my list of the best mascaras. 

The stuff really worked. I wore it day and night and got a kick out of doing one eye up while leaving the other eye bare—my own before and after. "Wow," I thought, "I have found the most amazing mascara ever."

And then the obsession wore off. Partly because I'm a new mom and don't have a lot of reasons to go out on the town. Partly because I've never been one to wear a load of obvious makeup and this mascara is pretty obvious. And partly because the product didn't prove to be perfect.

More on that in a bit....

A Tricky Application

Younique Fiber Mascara is tricky to apply.

The package comes with 2 tubes: a transplanting gel you apply first, and a tube of the fibers, which stick to the gel. The key is to apply the transplanting gel, then apply the fibers, then apply the transplanting gel after. Simple right? 

Kind of. It's not as easy as applying regular mascara and it's sort of a hassle to go back and forth between 2 tubes. The fibers can get clumpy and there's all sorts of contradictory advice rolling around the Web on whether you should use regular mascara first. (Some say yes, others say no!) I did find that If you abide by the rules of the application, then the results will be better than if you wing it on your own.

The Results

There's no doubting the results of this mascara. My lashes have never, ever looked this full and long with mascara alone. To get this length, I'd have to go with false lashes. When I was addicted, I loved it so much that I wore it almost every day for a couple weeks. Usually, it's recommended to use Younique for special occasions or for going out at night, but I had a 5-month-old at home, so I was in more nights than out.

Therefore, I took my glamorous lashes out by day, not just at night.

No one complimented me on my fabulous eyelashes while I wore the mascara, but it's not like I was batting them in people's faces. And I like to look as natural as possible, so if people take notice of my lashes, that might not be a great thing. I am one of those people who notice unusually long lashes and I almost always assume the lashes are false and professionally applied or the wearer is using Latisse or some other scary eyelash growth product that costs big bucks and isn't FDA approved.

Not a Perfect Product

While I liked the mascara, it is not a perfect product.

It's pricey and the packaging seems kind of cheap and bulky. Plus, no matter how much I tried to perfect the application, much of the time my lashes clumped up and looked a bit messy. I really don't like clumpy lashes. Also, sometimes the fibers fell on my face during application.

In my research of this product, I've found a bevy of women who love this stuff. But there are more than a handful of reviewers who found it "meh." On Makeupalley.com, where 1000s of people write reviews of beauty products, this product gets 3.1 rating out of 5 at the time of this writing.

The cons? Some reviewers have found the mascara to be clumpy. Others have reported their lashes look fake. Several who tried Younique reported they were allergic to whatever is in the product and they ended up with red, itchy eyes.  

My biggest complaint is that I find the mascara rubs off on my brow bone, creating a black shadow effect. I have to be super careful and check my makeup throughout the day. This happens even though I let the mascara dry completely before stepping out. For such a pricey mascara (it's the most expensive mascara on my best list), I don't expect to babysit my eye makeup. I want it to stay put and not rub off on my face.

The good news is because you buy it through independent sellers, you can get your money back if you aren't satisfied.

The Tricks to Mastering This Mascara Application

There are a few tricks to mastering this fiber mascara:

1. Curl lashes for extra effect.
2. Apply a coat of mascara first. One reviewer warns you to avoid a thickening (or volumizing) mascara, which she claims makes for a clumpier look. Some people I know who sell this mascara tell me it's best NOT to use regular mascara first and to just use Younique. I haven't tried this, but I can't wait to.
3. Apply a coat of the transplanting gel, from base to tips, focusing mainly on the tips of the lashes. Some people claim you should not apply to the base of your lashes, but I find it works well on.
4. Follow with a coat of the fibers but only on the tips of the lashes. Otherwise, it's just too much.
5. Always apply another coat of the transplanting gel over the fibers to set them.

Some reviewers recommend using an eyelash comb after the initial coat of transplanting gel to separate lashes.

How to Buy

Buy Younique Fiber Mascara from an independent seller or buy it online.