Macstack elevated mascara
- Key ingredients: Water, wax from palm leaves and rice, olive oil, fatty acids, glycerin, argan oil, pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E
- Lash effect: Defining, lengthening and volumizing
- Vegan-friendly and cruelty-free: No
- Shades: Black
- Waterproof version available: No
- Brush type: Bristle
- Why we love it
- Maintains lash curl
- Adds extra height to ends of lashes
- Coats every single lash, without clumping
- Take note
- Takes several coats to achieve the desired effect
The formula
On paper, Mac’s latest macstack formula looks really impressive, with everything from moisturizing argan oil to fatty acids featured – the latter helping to promote healthy lashes. The ingredients are more than just dyes and preservatives and, thanks to the inclusion of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the elevated mascara works to give the lashes hold.
In terms of application, the spoolie is more defined here than with the original macstack brush, featuring fiber over silicone bristles, which works to define and separate the lashes.
Performance
I was pleasantly surprised to find the S-shaped spoolie was poised to grab hard-to-reach outer hairs and nestle under the lashes at the center of my eyelid. This meant I could reach almost every lash in a single swoop but, as a defining mascara, the amount of product distributed is quite subtle.
Of course, any iteration of a macstack mascara invites you to stack coat upon coat of it onto your lashes. I proceeded to layer up the formula and found the elevated mascara to be infinitely buildable.
As someone who possesses relatively thick lashes naturally, I wasn’t altogether worried about volume. But I was concerned the mascara would weigh down the tips of my lashes, where they grow sparser. I was pleased to be proven wrong and found the elevated mascara separated and elongated the many short hairs on my lash line. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the effect overall was a dramatic lift that left some of those longer hairs grazing my brow bone.
I experienced no smudging, but I did see a few specks of mascara crumbling on my under-eye area after a few hours, however, I did rub my eyes on one occasion, forgetting I was wearing mascara.
Overall, the new elevated formula is lightweight, outlines even the finest of lashes, and chiefly, adds height almost instantly.