Testing: Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer

Photo courtesy of Hourglass Cosmetics.

I have never been a huge fan of patent leather. I don’t care whether it’s on shoes or handbags or studded dog collars, there’s just something about it I find unappealing. And yet when I heard about Hourglass’s Film Noir lash lacquer — basically a patent leather topcoat for eyelashes — the gimmick lover in me couldn’t resist checking it out.

The website bills the lash lacquer as “ultra-glossy” and “inky black,” and promises it’ll give your fringe an extra dose of “length, volume, and high-gloss shine.” It comes in a tube, not unlike regular mascara, but the main difference is the brush, which is short and flat like a paintbrush. After applying mascara (the website is careful to specify use of a lengthening formula, as opposed to a volumizing one), you stroke the product on one or two lashes at a time until each one is coated. You can build it up for a dramatic effect, but I had major problems with it clumping and getting spidery. (Oddly enough, the press release I received mentioned that as a perk. I guess if you’re going for a Real Housewives of Transylvania look, I see how it could be a plus.)

The high shine is admittedly pretty, but any points I gave for that were negated by what happened when I tried to remove the product. “Lacquer” is a more accurate term than I expected; 10 minutes, several cotton balls, and half a bottle of makeup remover later, my eyes were red from rubbing but not entirely free from the product, which still clung stubbornly to my lashes. Yes, it made them look thicker and maybe even a bit longer. But you know what else does that? An extra coat or two of mascara. Guess I probably should have trusted my instincts: me and patent leather, we just don’t mix.

$28, hourglasscosmetics.com.