Mascara Review: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Excess

A mini(ish) review today of the black mascara I am currently using -- Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Excess.

I bought this from Selfridges when I was briefly in the UK a few months ago, but only opened it recently. Given their short shelf life I try to limit the number of mascaras I have on the go at any one time. This was a repurchase so I must have liked the mascara previously (I think I first got it around last April). Sadly I am not particularly enamoured this time around -- perhaps my expectations have grown.

My basic mascara requirements are as follows:

1) must give good volume (my lashes are longish but spindly);

2) absolutely no smudging or flaking; and

3) should be easy to remove without industrial strength products.

My lashes are naturally quite curly so I don't need any special formulation to hold a curl. I usually avoid waterproof formulas and Japanese mascaras because I don't need the technology and they are such a terrible pain to remove (even with something like Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Remover longest name ever).

Onto the Armani. Good points are -- it's nice and black and it has a bristly wand that's easy to use and doesn't poke you in the eye like some of the plastic ones. Unlike many mascaras I find I can apply this without smudging it all over my eyelid in the process. But... it's just not enough. I want more volume, dammit! See below:

Lashes curled (badly) with elderly Shu Uemura curlers and eyebrows filled in with Suqqu Eyebrow Liquid Pen in 02 Brown

I think my lashes still look pretty spindly (apart from where they've stuck together). Two coats might provide greater volume, but unfortunately this mascara is quite liquidy and tends to glue all my lashes into a single blob if I apply more than one layer. I would say that ETK Excess is a good option for anyone looking for a day time mascara that offers a little volume and length while still looking quite natural BUT it flakes during the day and leaves me with a speckled face, which is obviously unforgivable (especially because it cost £24.50).

So, I'm on the look out for a new mascara that meets my unrealistic exacting criteria. Let me know if you have any recommendations :).