Hello there!
We’re back today to review Neogen Code9’s Extra Volumecurl Metal Maxicara.
As someone who’s grown up with bristly mascara wands (thank you, fourteen years of dance, for all the makeup you’ve made me grown to love), I’ve had to wrestle and contend with mascara wands that have ultra-huge bristles that smear product all over my lids and refuse to go where I want them to. Either that or mascara bristles that are so tiny that you can’t even see the effects of the mascara on your lashes.
Trust me. I have very little natural lashes (and eyebrows, but that’s a post for another day) and I’ve been wearing make-up since eighteen. Over the past five years, I’ve had the abject joy of testing out different mascaras in a bid to find one that will suit me the best – either from drugstores like Watsons and Guardian (shoutout to Maybelline’s Colossal Big Shot, y’all the real mascara MVPs out there) and from ‘higher-end’ brands such as Benefit.
The mascara that I use daily now is Benefit’s Roller Lash, and I honestly don’t have much to complain about it – save for the fact that it smudges extremely easily. What’s more, I hate carrying umbrellas with me, so whenever it rains… I end up looking like a drowned raccoon.
Honestly, living in Singapore forces you to be smart with your make-up. It’s so dang humid all the time. If you’re not hot and sweaty from the sun, you’re cold and wet from the rain. You really need to consider all parts of your makeup – especially mascara. It’s on your eyes for the entire day, and most of us are working and need our makeup to be on point for most of the day. Who wants to look like a sleep-deprived sloth halfway through work, especially when you have a meeting less than fifteen minutes away?
My point is, I love my good and sturdy mascara that lasts me the entire day. Probably because I hate the umbrella-ness of false lashes and eyelash extensions. I like having my full scope of vision, thank you very much.
Neogen Code9 Extra Volumecurl Metal Maxicara
When I first heard of a bristle-less mascara, my interest piqued, and my ears were perked. I knew I had to get my hands on one. Neogen Code9 isn’t the only brand with a metal wand for a brush. Other brands such as Hourglass and Oriflame also tout their own metal wand mascaras, but Hourglass’ mascara goes for over a hundred. Oriflame’s mascara seems cheap, at roughly half the price of Hourglass’s, but they don’t seem easily accessible, especially in Singapore.
Photograph from Neogenlab US
Neogen Code9 is a K-Beauty brand that is quite established. They pride themselves on being “bold, chic and trendy”. They offer more make-up products unlike their mother brand, Neogen Lab. Prior to this, I’ve never tried any Neogen products before, but have seen several rave reviews about their products online.
The Neogen Code9 Extra Curl Metal Maxicara is going for S$68.81 on Amazon, which includes their Extra Clear Eye Remover as well. Other than that, it’s going for S$31.90 on Cocomo Singapore.
We didn’t purchase the mascara together with the remover.
Packaging
If I’m going to be honest with you, most mascaras (including the one I’m using from Benefit) often comes in plastic packaging that oftentimes seems cheap. The look and feel of it can be rather… plasticky.
Neogen Code9’s maxicara, however, comes in a sleek, black and gold box. Its tube is made of thick glass, and the sleek gold handle of the brush adds to the aesthetic beauty of the product.
It feels luxurious and I feel like a tai-tai whenever I use it. Seriously – the heft of this bottle is no laughing matter. Angry at someone at home? Chuck it at them – you’ll do considerable damage. The brush handle’s so long and pokey that it’ll make a good stabby stabby weapon.
My only complaint about its packaging is that it’s too huge and hefty. I would love to see a bag-friendly version, like a mini-me version of the mascara. I would probably purchase it if they had a smaller version just so I could tote it around in my bag.
When Used by Someone who has Experience with Makeup
Compared to mascara that has bristles, when taken out of the bottle, this mascara does not clump because the product doesn’t have bristles to cling on to. Another great point about the lack of bristles is that you probably use way less each swipe because the mascara won’t trap the product.
Using the mascara was effortless. It definitely feels different than using a bristled wand, for sure, but the application still goes on pretty easily. I curled my lashes normally and then swept the wand over my lashes and the effect was huge. My lashes looked lifted, plump and juicy. They fanned my cheeks whenever I fluttered them.
Just kidding. Not that dramatic. But I was quite impressed.
Only downside? Even though the mascara doesn’t clump on the wand, because there are no bristles to help separate your lashes and coat them with product, the mascara clumps instead on your lashes. That’s the only downside to having a bristle-less makeup wand, I suppose.
The mascara lasted for a very long while and didn’t smudge, which was amazing, especially in Singapore’s weather.
When Used by Someone who has No Experience with Makeup
The other half of em.olts doesn’t wear makeup at all. I thought it would be interesting to see if a beginner to makeup could use this mascara easily and turned her into my little lab rat for this experiment. I handed her an eyelash curler (she didn’t know how to use it and ended up looking adorably lost) and the mascara to see what she would do with them.
I curled her lashes for her and showed her how to apply the mascara on one side. “I’m scared,” she said, trying her hardest not to flinch back from me. “Don’t giap my eyelashes so hard and don’t poke me in the eye, please.”
Ye of little faith.
Afterward, she did her other eye by herself. Our conversation went something like this:
“Don’t blink. Don’t blink ah. Oi, I tell you not to blink already!”
“Eh, very itchy. Why got umbrella over my eyes like that?”
“Mascara like that one lah. You’ll get used to it. Woah, your eyelashes look so long with the mascara on, sia. I’m jealous.”
And it’s true. She’s blessed with gorgeous lashes that I’m jealous of. What’re you still using Cavilla for, huh?
Her thoughts for the mascara was that it was easy to apply because there were no bristles to contend with. It looked intimidating in the beginning, because it’s just a metal stick, but the application of the mascara was quite easy. Similar to me, she mentioned that her eyelashes were clumpy and sticking together. And then she complained that it took too long to dry – but then again, she is the kind that vigorously rubs her eyes whenever she feels mild discomfort – so point mooted. I found that it dried quite well. Her eyelashes are so long that whenever she blinks after applying the mascara, it’ll smudge on her cheeks.
But there was a huge difference between the eye with the mascara and the eye without. It was astounding to see her eyelashes like that (because I know I’ll never have naturally long and luscious eyelashes like hers). She mentioned that the mascara didn’t really smudge as she wore it throughout the entire day.
Removal of the Mascara
Both of us agreed that the mascara was difficult to remove. But then again, that’s probably why Neogen Code9 pairs their make-up remover with the mascara. I use Innisfree’s Olive Oil Makeup Wipes, which removes the most stubborn of my Maybelline’s liquid lipsticks, but even then, it was still difficult to remove.
My friend, on the other hand, complained of having to rub so much that her eyes hurt after, even with make-up remover.
Overall, staying power 10/10.
Conclusion
Would we recommend Neogen Code9’s Extra Volumecurl Metal Maxicara? It does a brilliant job of doing what it claims to do. The beginner gave it a solid 3/5, because it’s difficult to remove. I would give it a 4/5, because I want my mascara to stay put and not move, especially when I wear it throughout the day. It’s slightly clumpy but does an overall good job of lengthening and curling our lashes.
Would we buy it?
Honestly, it’s not for me. I’ll probably return to my Maybelline’s Colossal Big Shot after this. What can I say, I love my cheap and good bristly mascara wands that comb through my lashes and coat each and every strand with adequate product.
But overall, is it worth a try?
I would say yes. Give it a go, and maybe you’ll be a metal wand convert.
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