Great Lash Mascara is in Bloom!

It's summer—time for Maybelline's annual limited edition colored shades of Great Lash mascara. When I say these mascaras are colored, I don't just mean subtle hints of color, I mean vibrant and full-on color to make your eyes pop!

Last year when I posted about these shades (Link) there were four colors available: royal blue, green, teal and purple. This year, Maybelline has upped the ante by adding two more shades to the collection: a hot pink and a soft berry/burgundy.

The shade names, which have changed since last year, are:

• I See Blue

• Teal Appeal

• Green With Envy

• Wink of Pink

• Vision of Violet

• So Very Berry

Great Lashing in Color!

I spotted this display at Rite Aid today. One of my favorite mascaras in four fun colors. I'm a big fan of colored mascara and I always feel it's underappreciated. There's nothing about these on Maybelline's website because they (weirdly) avoid any mention of limited edition collections there. 

Anyway I'm pretty sure Maybelline offered these last summer as well because I bought the teal and green shades from the clearance shelf at Walgreen's last September. Today I bought the purple. I've found them all dark enough to be subtle, but my lashes are dark so your mileage may vary.

The shade names are:

• Go Go Green
• Totally Teal
• Blink of Blue
• Pop of Purple

(8/31/12): I'm updating this post to add a few more pictures. My local Target had the mascaras as well as 4 limited edition matching Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows. The eyeshadow shade names are:

• Blue on By
• Ready Set Green
• Fuschia Fever
• Test My Teal

Old Skool: Forty Years of Great Lashing

Then

Maybelline celebrated the fortieth anniversary of Great Lash Mascara this year. This is no small feat—as other makeup products have come and gone this mascara has managed to become one of the bestselling cosmetic items of all time. It's been the #1 selling mascara in America for most of its forty years.

Now

Here's why I think Great Lash has stayed on top this long:

• Quality: it's a good, basic clump-free mascara at a reasonable price.
• Shade Range: It comes in a wider variety of shades than most mascaras. The range includes three different blacks, clear (so hard to find) and a bright Royal Blue that is like no other mascara I've ever seen.
• Packaging: the lime green and hot pink tube is fun and eye catching (any resemblance to my blog is purely coincidental :). Incidentally, any resemblance to Lilly Pulitzer's designs is not coincidental—they were actually the inspiration for the packaging. Although other features such as the logo and tube shape have evolved over the years, Maybelline has wisely kept the iconic pink and green combination.
• Tradition: Many girls' first mascara experience came from experimenting with their mom's makeup kit which inevitably included this mascara. The easy application and familiarity led them to choose the same product when they made their first mascara purchase.

As part of Maybelline's celebration they commissioned three famous designers to create patterns for a limited edition collection. Pictured above, from left, are the designs created by Tracy Reese, BCBG/Max Azria and Vivienne Tam.