Cathy Doll is a South East Asian Beauty (SEA Beauty) brand, specifically Thai. Currently, the line did a collaboration with Blackpink's makeup artist Maeng. There are several products including some lip products, but I opted for the mascara since I wanted to compare it to the K Beauty ones.
This mascara has a curved metal wand. This isn't my first stint with a metal wand. I remember way back, I think it was the late 80's when Lancome came out with one. It didn't last long on the market. I remember it beause of the coldness of the heavy metal (no pun intended) wand. When I applied it to my lashes, the wand would often times hit the eyeline and just the coldness of it made me gasp with discomfort. Besides that, the formulation was awful, nothing stuck to the lashes. Decades later, the metal wands reappeared and I wondered if anything really changed.
Looking at the curved wand, the formula contains fibers to lengthen and thicken the lashes. They aren't as obtrusive as some brands I have tried. Also, notice the thickness of the formula. It isn't that thick. This had me worried because it was similar to what I had tried before.
I have tried other Asian mascaras, mostly K Beauty ones. I tried Clio Kill Lash and Etude. Both left my lashes VERY stiff, but held the curl all day. Lilybyred had a lovely burgundy brown color which complemented my eyes, but for some reason it made them itch. It did hold a curl though, but again my lashes were very stiff. All of these were very hard to remove also. The Clio mascara remover does help. But, for such a small amount of product, it wasn't worth it in the end. Any oil based cleanser will do.
Back to Cathy Doll. Since this is a Thai beauty brand, the importance of most of their brands is longevity in HUMID weather. This mascara had to stay on! But, would it be stiff like the other ones I have tried?
By looking at the ingredients listing, surprisingly it is made without acrylates, you know the hairspray like ingredients that stiffen the hair or in this case the lashes. There is also a nice mix of waxes and oils. Still, I wasn't sure.
Since the formula isn't thick, this is more than a one coat mascara. If you are a one and done person, this isn't the one for you. I am more like 3 or more coats. But, I don't want to look Tammy Fayed! This one can be applied many times without flaking. I applied 3 coats and it stayed on the entire day without any smearing or flaking in the summer heat. One BIG thing about this mascara, the wand doesn't bother me when it touches the lashline. Another point, and what makes me like this mascara over the K Beauty ones is the softness of the lashes. They aren't stiff YET they hold a curl!
Here is a very important tip: wipe your lashes with a q-tip to remove the residue from any moisturizers, primer, etc. These products can affect how mascara lasts and sometimes cause flakiness.
I know my lash pictures aren't great and I am not one to curl my lashes perfectly. Normally, I wouldn't curl my lashes anyway. With this mascara if you skip curling them, it will lift the lashes when applied.
If you are looking for the following in mascara:
- Volume
- Length
- No Stiffness
- No Flaking
- Humidity-proof
- Waterproof
Yes, I did mention waterproof. Like most of the Asian brand mascaras, this is very waterproof and a good oil-based product will remove it. I used simple baby oil and it removed the mascara with no problem.
If you haven't found your perfect mascara, this one may be the one. The price ranges anywhere from $10 to $20. And, if you haven't tried Cathy Doll yet, this is a good intro to the line. The brand also has various products from eyeshadow to sunscreen. I bought mine at Yami. (Referral link. If you order there, make sure to tick the box that says fulfilled by Yami to receive your items from one shipper.)
