July 30, 2009   ∗   7 Responses   ∗   by agiri

Bourjois Coup de Theatre!

Hear ye hear ye! I finally got my hands on Bourjois’ new Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 mascara offering not to be confused with the older Coupe de Theatre Duo Mascara. The new 2 in 1 formula eliminates the hassle of duo side application while continuing to boast lash lengthening, volumizing, and a maxi false lash effect at just $17 a tube available at your local ULTA or Sephora. Everything about this product is just aesthetically pleasing; from the design to the advertising — it all looks good! And being a sucker for pretty packaging, I just had to try this!

Verdict? Not impressed. I’ve been searching high and low for a mascara to replace my current mascara, Dior DiorShow BLACKOUT, which has been my staple for about a year now. I’m absolutely in love with BLACKOUT, but with a price tag of $24 a tube, and the rate it dries out, I feel like I should been getting intensity, color, and minimal clump-age instead of the spikes I normally spend ages brushing through (but that’s a different review). Hence, my excitement when I saw Bourjois’ advertisement boasting maxi false lashes and intensity all in one sweep. And since Bourjois is usually pretty good about delivering quality products, I decided to ignore my skepticism and give the mascara a chance.

Bourjois’ Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 Mascara isn’t by any means a bad product. It just seems bad when you compare it to the unrealistic market scheme presenting this product. A false maxi lash effect? Not even close. The only mascara I’ve ever seen come close to even giving the intensity of false lashes is DiorShow BLACKOUT (and you already know how I feel about that). This mascara provides subtle intensity, and just the right amount of definition for an everyday pop. It’s not very build-able, didn’t do much to lengthen my lashes, and gave it decent volume. I’d say this mascara is comparable to Lancome’s Hypnose except a little less creamy and build-able.

However, despite the false advertising, I find myself quite satisfied with the product. Although it’s definitely not going to replace my DiorShow, I find myself reaching for Bourjois’ Coup de Theatre for my day to day look more than any of my other mascaras. It’s a truer black, doesn’t clump easily, gives the eye a nice, natural intensity, holds the curl well, and doesn’t make my eyelashes look dry. The applicator is just the right size and intensity for my lower lashes making it sinfully easy to go from day to night with just an additional sweep of DiorShow to the upper eyelashes.

I can’t say that I love Bourjois’ Coup de Theater nor that I hate it. It just seems a little mediocre, and falls a little flat in comparison to its sister mascaras in the Bourjois line. I can’t say that I’d repurchase this product either, mostly because there’re probably a dozen other mascaras out there able to achieve the same mediocre effect at a cheaper price.

And so the search for my HG DiorShow replacement continues …