If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — it’s a good motto for life and it’s a great one when it comes to beauty, especially for products used on and around our most vital and delicate of sensory organs: the eyes. For example, mascara. Sure there’s been certain innovations over time, from coloured formulas to those infused with beneficial ingredients like vitamins and serums, but the classic mascara wand has (largely) stayed straight and true; either made with twisted wire bristles or a silicone comb. Some have attempted new shapes — we’ve seen everything from micro, tightline wands to balled tips and triangle combs in our time — but nothing comes close to Refy’s latest innovation: the futuristic, claw-like curved wand of its new Lash Sculpt, £20.
In truth, it was met with healthy scepticism and a little fear in the Refinery29 office. Supposedly, the brand promises that the unique, curved comb-like applicator targets every single lash to separate and lengthen without clumps, smudging or transfer, offering a 12 hours-long lifted wear. It’s an impressive pledge and one we were ready to consider, given how brilliantly Refy’s Brow Sculpt performs. But also, we have to question, can one-size-fits-all approach really work for every single eye shape and type? How easy is it to manoeuvre (and avoid poking into our retinas)? Is this merely an alien-like claw spectacle made for social media sensationalism or the future of mascara? To find out, five R29 editors put it to the test.
Refy Lash Sculpt, £20
Team R29’s reviews
Jacqueline Kilikita, Deputy Beauty Director
“Up until now, no brand has been bold enough to try to reinvent the mascara. Most wands have never strayed too far from the simple straight silhouette with bristles, but this is like nothing I’ve seen. The wand is curved, like an eye, with teeny tiny plastic teeth. According to the brand, it’s designed in this way to target each lash, separating and lengthening sans clumps. In all honesty, though, REFY tried to do a little too much. This mascara requires a lot of patience and expert precision. I have neither, which is why I continually poked myself in the eye. The first swipe deposited some clumps at the base of my lashes, which I had to painstakingly comb upwards. When I did manage to coat all of my lashes, they looked flat and sorry. That said, it didn’t budge an inch all day — no flakes, no smudges. It might work for a makeup minimalist but it doesn’t do it for me. There are cheaper mascaras out there that don’t call for as much effort: I love the new L’Oréal Paris Panorama Volumising Mascara, £12.99, and Rimmel London Thrill Seeker Mascara, £10.99, both of which beef up lashes in moments. You won’t need a lash curler, either.”
Tanyel Mustafa, Senior Writer
“Sleek packaging, cool concept, decent formula… But a bad mascara. I get what Refy was going for with this unique brush design, but everyone’s eye shapes are different and the curve in this wand is too extreme for my eyes. This meant most times I used it, the edge would poke and smear product onto my eyelid, meaning I’d need to clean it up then reapply my eyeshadow. Hardly ideal in the morning before work. The formula itself is fine — it does make my lashes look long and pretty once on, but it does smudge a little. (Though, in fairness, I’ve only found two mascaras in my entire makeup-wearing years that don’t smudge on me). I don’t hate it, but I won’t be replacing this in my makeup bag once it’s expired.”
Ebony-Renee Baker, Fashion Editor
“If this were a review on the packaging alone it would be a glowing one, but besides the sleekness of the tube, there wasn’t much that impressed me about this mascara. Firstly, it’s important to note that I rarely wear mascara (or eye makeup in general) so I’m far from an expert in what makes a good lash product. That being said, I found the curved wand to be confusing at first (I had to watch an Instagram tutorial after my failed first attempt) and the lift on my lashes was satisfactory. Even with a quick lash curl beforehand, several of my lashes ended up straight—whether that’s because of the formula or the way I was using the wand, I’m not sure. I’ve definitely used better mascaras in the past (my current go-to is MAC Macstack Mascara, £21.60) and sadly I would not recommend this one.”
Kristine Romano, Associate Editor, Photo & Design
“I really wanted to love this mascara for the product innovation but unfortunately, it fell flat. I had high hopes for the curved wand and thought it would make application easier but sadly it was quite the opposite. I found the wand to be fiddly and awkward to use — especially when doing the opposite eye or when trying to get into my inner lashes. And although the results aren’t bad, it doesn’t deliver the length and lift I’m looking for, and I think the wand is mostly to blame for that. In terms of formula, I actually can’t fault it. It doesn’t smudge, flake or clump, and holds my lashes in place all day. However, for the price point, I do think there are far better mascaras out there.”
L’Oréal Blackett, Unbothered UK Editor
“I have come to have high expectations for Refy Beauty’s sophisticated, high-functioning and easy-to-use products. Refy’s brow sculpt and brow collection? Fantastic and a repeat purchase. The duo brush? An everyday essential! With that said, I was eager to try Refy Beauty’s latest release, the lash sculpt. The brand claims that it is ‘more than a mascara’ and at £20, is way more than I would typically spend on a tube of mascara. However, I was confident it could fulfil its promise of a ‘sculpted, lifted, lengthened lash effect up to 12 hours.’
“The ergonomic mascara wand was immediately intriguing. My first thought was, ‘How the hell do I use this? I’m definitely going to poke myself in the eye.’ Yet I soon got the hang of it. I have short thick lashes and small, almond-shaped eyes; The lashes at my inner corners are difficult to reach with typical mascara wands. Refy recommends combing through lashes from root to tip and using the longer bristles for outer lashes and shorter bristles for inner lashes. At first, I didn’t think anything was happening but the brush managed to capture some of the finer hairs. I was extra careful and used the wand to grab the teeny tiny lashes in my inner corners and I used the tip to meticulously define my bottom lashes. My eyes immediately looked bigger and brighter. As I got used to the lash sculpt, I may have gone a coat too far as the result was stiff and spidery. I feel those with naturally long lashes will see its lengthening effects more visibly. Still, I like the lash sculpt as it helped me work with what I have.”
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