Estee Lauder has got me thinking outside the box. Yes, Estee Lauder. I received samples of their new limited-edition Sumptuous Color Bold Volume Lifting Mascara ($19.50) and now I’m hooked on color. As a woman who loves nude makeup and usually sticks with black or brown mascara, I was quite surprised by how hard I fell for these. The bold, rich color is just stunning.

I haven’t tried many color mascaras so I can’t tell you how they compare to the major players. But one of the Pixiwoo sisters of YouTube fame says these blow Mac and YSL color mascaras out of the water. She did a lovely video creating a look with the Sapphire mascara, which I’m wearing in the photo. You can see her video here.

The Colors

These mascaras come in five colors – from the wonderfully vibrant to more subtle colors suitable for everyday wear.

Sapphire. This is my favorite. It’s the blue mascara I’m wearing in the photos. It gives a fabulous jolt of color – such a fun look when paired with bold, colorful eye makeup. I was surprised by how much color I got from the mascara, considering my lashes are quite dark. The few color mascaras I’ve used generally don’t show up well on my lashes.

Emerald. This green is also quite intense and also shows up surprisingly well on my lashes. But it felt a little weird, a little leprechaun – too green for my taste. I think I would like it better if it were a bit darker with perhaps some shimmer and/or sparkle. It’s supposed to be great for women with hazel eyes, because it brings out the green flecks of the iris.

Garnet. This eggplant shade (left wand in photo above) gave my lashes a very subtle hint of color, similar to Benefit BADgal Plum. I think this would be really pretty on someone with lighter lashes.

Amethyst. This violet (right wand in photo) was the most subtle of the bunch. On my dark brown lashes, it made my lashes look more brown than violet.

Amber. This shimmery, bronzey brown (middle wand in photo – prettier in person than in the photo) is just gorgeous. I was bummed I couldn’t see it that well on my lashes. I think it would look amazing on a blonde.

I found that using a white lash primer (I used the new Urban Decay Eyelash Primer Potion) helped make the more subtle colors more noticeable with all the mascaras. But I didn’t need it with the blue or green.

The Formula

I really like the formula of these mascaras. They make my lashes look much fuller and longer quite easily, and they aren’t a pain to remove. I had no problem with flaking or smudging. They stayed in place and the colors didn’t fade.

Quick Tip

When wearing colorful eye makeup, keep the rest of the face toned down with subtle cheeks and lips so the focus stays on the eyes and you don’t look overdone.

Where to Get It

If you’d like to try these, get to a store soon, because these are only available for a limited time at Estee Lauder counters nationwide and on esteelauder.com. I hope they decide to add them to their permanent collection.

Do Tell

Do you get adventurous and use color mascara or do you stick with basic black? What do you think of these? Are you surprised that Estee Lauder appears to have taken the lead with color mascara? Do tell.

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