Beauty Reporter.(new mascara; acai berry; perfumes)

Beauty Reporter

Big Softy

"Soft" and "plump" aren't words we'd want to describe any body part other than

our lashes. We asked a cosmetic chemist and a makeup artist if Neutrogena's new Healthy Volume Mascara lives up to its promise to make lashes both. THE FORMULA: Flexible gel polymers create a slippery base that "reduces tugging and resistance, allowing for an even distribution of the product," says cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson. A mix of silica and soft waxes thickens lashes with "less clumping and stiffness." THE CONDITIONERS: Olive, meadowfoam

seed, and sweet almond oils "penetrate lashes to make them less brittle," Wilson says. THE BRUSH: The plus-size barrel is densely packed with thin, hollow fibers that coat individual lashes instead of fusing them together. The length and number of bristles "carry

more product to the lashes, so you don't need multiple coats," Wilson says. PERFORMANCE: "It leaves no spikes or spaces -- just a gorgeous wall of lashes," says makeup artist Mally Roncal. And, says Wilson, the conditioners "also help definition because softer lashes are easier to manipulate." -- LIANA SCHAFFNER

Beauty Reporter