A Beautyful Sentiment: Fresh

The Claim: Get the ultimate dramatic lash with this conditioning mascara enriched with panthenol, protective linden extract, and nourishing meadowfoam oil. The rich formula thickens, extends, and delivers an ultra-glossy finish in one coat. Lashes are scientifically proven to have 34% more eye-opening curve after applying Supernova.

The Packaging: Lately I seem to have become even more packaging-obsessed than usual, and this is definitely one cute mascara! The tube is a nice matte black (I'm loving matte mascara tubes lately) with a fun contrasting white pattern. I really like it!

The Brush: The brush is nothing too special: it's comprised of your conventional mascara wand bristles, evenly spaced apart, and it gets the job done but doesn't do anything extraordinary.

The Formula: I kind of like that Fresh decided to focus on the mascara's formula rather than going over the top with the applicator, although the formula could still use a bit of tweaking. The beauty of Fresh's Supernova formula is in its lightness; there're days where I've applied 4-5 coats of this stuff and I still can't tell that I'm wearing mascara, it's that light and flexible. Supernova coats lashes in a glossy, deep black layer of mascara while providing beautiful length and lift to the lashes. The volume is mediocre at best, but there's definitely some there unlike Givenchy's Eye Fly which was super super wispy. I don't find that this mascara holds a curl very well, but it does provide some really nice lift to my normally sad, droopy lashes which I love.

This would make a great everyday mascara as removal is also a breeze except for one small factor: it smudges -- like crazy! It doesn't clump or flake and it's definitely non-irritating, but after two or so hours of wearing this mascara I definitely notice the onset of raccoon eyes.

The Verdict: Fresh's Supernova is one of the lightest lengthening mascaras that I've tried to date, so it's pretty tragic that it smudges so quickly. The shiny patent look and soft length it gives my lashes is beautiful, but it lacks the drama I look for in my mascaras and seems a bit overpriced at $25.

RATING: 3.5/5