Random Product Review! Silk Naturals Vegan Mascara

By Unknown

Purchased

Is it still indie if it's supplied by a vendor? 

A while back I took a look at the mascara from Herbanluxe and was very fond of it. However, there were a few things that in retrospect held it back from being "the best" for me. The price was a bit higher than I'd have preferred, the risk associated with liquid indie products with minimal preservatives, and that it didn't provide my lashes with more volume. While I'm not sure if this is "truly" an indie product, the Silk Naturals mascara was the first mascara I've ever purchased to work really well for me, and the one I come back to again and again. So.. I'm going to bend the rules a tiny bit and take this random product review time to talk about it!

Silk Naturals Mascara

Eyelash mascara - 0.3oz at $8.99

Are you ready for gorgeous, soft, fluttery lashes?  It's just a normal simple mascara.  It doesn't clump, flake, smudge, run or glue your lashes together.  Just a few coats, and you look good- no fuss, no muss, no combing it through- and it stays put until you take it off.  What's awesome about it is that it's 100% Natural, over 85% Organic, Vegan and Gluten Free!

Back in 2014 Silk Naturals switched to a different vendor for their "100% Natural" mascara. It makes a lot of promises. Fluttery lashes, clump and flake free, natural, almost all organic, vegan and gluten free. It's like the Renaissance Man of mascaras. The ingredients list:

Water (Aqua),  Chamomile Hydrosol (Matricaria Recutita)*,  Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Mica (CI 77019), Coffea Arabica (Coffee Powder)*, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder*,  Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch*, Lecithin, Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Flower Extract, Hydrastis Canadensis Root Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract*, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract*, Vanilla Planifolia. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), (CI 77491), (CI 77492. (*Certified Organic)

As I mentioned above, this is mascara replaced an older version. This thread on the Silk Naturals forum highlights the old formula:  

Water, Propylene Glycol, Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Tricontanyl PVP, Stearic Acid, Kaolin, Paraffin, PVP, Triethanolamine, Carnuaba Wax, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Keratin, Lecithin, Simethicone, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imadazolidinyl Urea, Trisodium EDTA. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarines 

I ran both ingredients lists through COSDNA's database, and the old formula contains preservatives, whereas nothing in the new ingredients list appears to function as a preservative. As with any indie liquid product, always exercise caution. I never keep my mascara longer than two months. I shot off a quick email inquiring more information, but regardless you should always be cautious.

I find the Silk Naturals mascara to be very buildable due to the full, fluffy wand:

Silk Naturals mascara wand

The only downside is that the tip seems to gather a great deal of product, so I wind up scraping it against the side of the tube. It's a bit annoying. It doesn't cause huge issues for me though, just a minor nuisance.

I get great volume with this mascara! The "no clumping/smudging" isn't wholly accurate in my experience, but with a well-angled wiggle of the wand I can usually work out the little clumps easily. Please be warned - the following are very amateurishly awkward closeups of my eyes! I don't wear eyeliner, so keep that in mind.

Here are my lashes first thing in the morning - no makeup whatsoever and just a light curling with my lash curler.

Forgive my creepy naked eyes.

Mascara-clad eyes

The above pictures are my eyes after a full day of wear and a 30 minute jog. Not too shabby, huh? They do a pretty good job building up more volume.

Post-exercise with minimal flaking, hooray!

I keep coming back to this mascara time and again. It's easy to apply, it builds up well and it doesn't leave my eyes feeling uncomfortable or irritated. I've been buying the Silk Naturals mascara for almost two years (new formula and old) and really appreciate it. I'm always looking around for new formulas to try, but this is my steady go-to.