The Ciaté Wonderland, touted as Holly Willoughby’s go-to mascara sold out instantly after her makeup artist shared an image of Holly’s Wonderland adorned mega-lashes and caused a frenzy of sales. In fact, (now back in stock) – Wonderland accounts for twenty per cent of Ciaté London’s total sales with it being included in one of every three online orders. That’s pretty good going!
Rewind a little – for several years my most repurchased mascara ever is Bourjois Volume Glamour, mainly because it’s the closest dupe I could find to Lancôme Hypnose with a formula so similar you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. The price tag sets them apart of course, but in terms of long-wear and performance, there’s not much else in it. This time I fancied a change.
“When I think of Ciaté as a brand, glittery nail polish springs to mind, but clearly, I need to catch up”
I hate to waste money on makeup which doesn’t live up to expectation, particularly mascara as you can’t really pass it on to a friend, daughter or mother for hygiene reasons so you’re stuck with It. Mascara is always a tricky one to get right as there are so many things to go wrong. The formula, the brush, I mean I just don’t get those spikey rubberised brushes, never have, but anyway, moving on – I’m here to talk about why I fell out of love with my Ciaté Wonderland…
“First Impressions aren’t always lasting ones”
I’m a review buff, so before making a new makeup purchase I read countless to make sure I’m clear on what I’m buying. The Ciaté Wonderland has amassed many a five-star rating and rave review so I thought I’d be safe to go ahead and make my purchase. Original price £19.99 on Look Fantastic but reduced to £13.99 (at time of purchase) – Hard to resist right?
To start with, this carbon black mascara is different. It comes in a gorgeous box which lists statistics and results found in a consumer panel survey – there’s certainly a lot to live up to. The tube is metal and decorated – also different. It’s weighty, and feels luxurious – clearly, no expense has been spared on the branding and packaging which is very appealing. The brush is odd though, its bristle as opposed to rubber with a “unique” hourglass shape. I’m not sure I understand why it’s styled this way as it doesn’t seem to improve the application; especially when you “go vertical” for the lower lashes – it’s bulky. However, It’s usable and doesn’t cause too much of a problem for me so I can live with that.
A spokesperson for the brand told the Sun…
“Unlike many a mascara on the market at the moment, Ciaté Wonderland gives four times more volume in just one coat without the use of any fibres”
There’s no denying, on initial application Wonderland mascara fulfils all of its promises which I love and there’s definitely 3D drama. However, by early evening it’s drying out and the merest absent-minded eye rub sends tiny particles tumbling down my cheeks.
“I really want to love this mascara and each morning brings renewed hope for an improvement in its performance but after using it for around ten days or so, I’m losing all hope”
I’m evidently in the minority, as according to statistics a large number of users found a long-wear result, you might love it too as results vary from person to person of course. If only the formula lived up to expectation for me, but it simply doesn’t. I’m debating giving it up completely and repurchasing my trusty Volume Glamour – a girl needs mascara she can trust – all day.
On the plus side, Ciaté Wonderland mascara removes easily with regular eye makeup remover, is paraben-free, vegan-friendly and Peta certified cruelty-free.
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Have you tried Ciaté Wonderland? What’s your take on it? Please do share your mascara go-to for full voluminous lashes, I’d love to compare notes!
The brush kind of reminds of the Too Faced Better Than Sex, and that’s a really great mascara. I had no idea that Holly Willoughby used this though, and it sounds like that revelation did wonders for sales haha! Gutted you don’t get on with it!xx
Hannah | luxuryblush
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I haven’t tried that one but I have heard good things. Maybe I’ll give it a go! It is frustrating when a product doesn’t work out the way you were expecting. I’ll let you know if I try the Too faced xx
I’d never heard of this mascara either! I always thought they did just nail varnish, I absolutely HATE when mascara falls down into tiny little bits all over you face so I can see why you fell out of love with it! I won’t be buying this anytime soon! My favourite for a long one has been the maybelline lasting perfection but it has a plastic wand so you might not like it which is a shame 🙁 Clare xx | https://www.clayaa.com
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I literally haven’t tried any Maybelline mascaras, I must be the only one! I don’t seem to get on with the rubber brushes for some reason. I might have to have a look at it though! X
Ohh I hate that when something dosent live up to the hype, its so disappointing. I really like the KiKo mascaras at the moment. Great price and reliable. Might be worth look XX
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Thank you Kerry! I’ll have a look at the Kiko. I’ve not tried anything by that brand so it’ll be worth looking at x
I haven’t tried this mascara before. Other than some mascaras needing a bit of dry down before they start to work on me I pretty much know straight away if it’s a keeper. The smudging / flakes is a major no for me. For drugstore mascaras I’ve always loved the L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes and then high end the MJ and the new By Terry Lash Expert are my faves. That said, there’s so many other ones I want to try too!
franklyflawless.com
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The By Terry lash expert looks fab, it’s always hard to get a balance right with mascara given that they need changing every few months! Thanks for sharing some inspo, I’ll have a look at those you mentioned!
I never heard of people raving about this mascara (I must be living under a rock haha) and it’s kinda dissapointing that you didn’t get on with it. I thought they were famous for their eyeshadow palettes so I’m glad I learnt something new today! I’m deffo gonna try the Bourjois mascara, I’m a huge fan of the Lancôme Hypnose mascara. Great review x
New Lune | http://new-lune.com
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It’s funny as I only knew Ciaté for their nail polishes, they must’ve expanded their product range and I didn’t notice! We both learnt something new there! Yes, Hypnose is a fab formula. If you try the Bourjois let me know how you get on! X
I’ve never even heard of this before, but I’ll definitely take this into consideration!
Katie xx
http://www.amikatie.com
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It’s a shame when things don’t work out! Thanks for stopping by x
It’s so true that first impressions aren’t always lasting ones…I loved the Lancôme Hypnoise mascara when I first used it and now I can’t wait for it to run out! Awful to say I know but I don’t find it does anything for my lashes. I’m guessing I wouldn’t like this one!! I wish I could find my holy grail mascara!!! Xx
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It’s a problem as it’s such a waste of money. If you don’t like Hypnose then you wouldn’t like the Volume Glamour so you best strike that one off the list too! Have you tried any of the Eyeko ones? They’re a pain to remove but are really good. They do a wipe to remove it. Puts me off though to be honest, if mascara won’t come off it just wrecks the lashes struggling with it every night. Xx
I think the Eyeko one I had always left black marks under my eyes. My lashes have been so dry with the Lancôme one. They cross sold me their makeup remover (which I’m annoyed about as I never let myself get caught up in cross sales if I haven’t done my research!!) and it stung my eyes!! Hated it. I’m using Dior 3D maximizing primer under it making it a bit better because that’s also a lash treatment but I’ll be moving away from the Lancôme one when it’s done. I have a few sample mascaras so I need to just get trying them!! Xx
I do love the packaging of this mascara and I have a mini size, which I’ve used and do love but I haven’t tried it for ages – so I think I need to dig it back out and give it another go xo
Char | http://www.charslittleblog.co.uk
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Hope you get on better with it than I do! I’m still wearing it everyday and getting crumbly bits on my cheeks x
I hate mascara that does that. I’m currently loving the Smashbox Extreme mascara! 🙂 xx
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Annoying isn’t it! I’ll have a look at the Smashbox Extreme, Thanks Holly x