Vent to cosmetic manufacturers...

Vent to Cosmetic Manufacturers…why oh why do you have to change your packaging every couple of months? I don’t understand. For years, I bought the same type of mascara – normal black mascara. It came in a red tube but I can’t remember the brand. I liked it, used it faithfully every day and every 3 months, tossed the tube and bought a new one like the experts advised. Then, suddenly, the packaging changed and I forget which company I purchase from. Was it Revlon, Cover Girl or Maybelline? I can’t be sure.



I have sensitive eyes…just the slightest hint of dust and I am rubbing them raw. I never used to worry about putting on my mascara – my old trusted brand worked like a charm. It went on easily; no clumping, no irritation and it lasted until I got home from work each night. If I happened to touch my eye, I didn’t get black splotches down my face.


Then one day, I foolishly tossed my tube of mascara into the trash without studying the tube. Oblivious to my stupidity, I made my way to the nearest cosmetics dept to pick up the makeup I needed. I looked high and low for my red tube of mascara, shiny; slightly hour glass shaped…where was it? I wandered back and forth along the different manufacturers…but nothing looked the same. Where was my red tube?


I asked the salesperson but she didn’t remember a red tube…come on! She said that most mascaras were the same so I should test a couple and then write down the name of the one I liked so I would not forget it. Really? That’s helpful. So…I caved in, bought a tube of something and within days, I was back trying to find another brand.


This went on for several months – I would get a new brand, try it for a few days, get tired of being the raccoon lady with mascara running down her face and throw it away. I have tried waterproof ones – that sticks around like a tattoo! I have tried ultra thick, ultra length, false lash length and not found one I could live with. Some formulas are like glue and when you rub your eyes; all your lashes come off too. I know we live in a world where choice is king…but does the packaging on these choices have to change too? I am all for progress but I also want to live in a world where I have eyelashes!


My husband, bless his ignorance, told me to stop buying the stuff, if it causes my eyes irritation, maybe I should not wear it at all. But he’s a man and doesn’t get it – now that I have less eyelashes, I need mascara even more. So, I will continue to test these new formulas hoping for the day when I find one I like. And yes…I will write down the name. Until then, I am the girl with no eyelashes, mascara blotches running down her face.