Covergirl Peacock VoxBox Review

Note: I received the products in this post complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes!

We are going to take a little break from nail polish to talk about the fourth (possibly fifth?) VoxBox I have ever received: the Covergirl Peacock VoxBox. Once again, no nail polish. Do I need to start restricting myself to only reviewing nail-related things on that site? My first VoxBox got the whole nail-obsession thing down, but not a polish since then. Oh well, because this time around I got to review mascara, the only makeup item besides nail polish that I use on a regular basis!

The main attraction in this VoxBox is Covergirl’s Peacock Flare mascara. They also tossed in a tube of Melting Pout Gel Liquid Lipstick. I received the color #105 Gelful.

Out of the two products, I was most excited to receive the mascara! It is in a sensible black color, though I was secretly hoping it was teal. After all… peacock! Unfortunately, it is not even available in teal so I’ll have to live with something more wearable. The lipstick excited me less. I thought I was going to like the color, but… eh… no. We’re going to start with the good news: the mascara.

Peacock Flare mascara is intended to give you fuller and more defined lashes. It features an “ergonomic” handle and a “feather fan brush” to help separate out lashes. The black part of the cap is actually made of rubber, which does make it nice to grip. My favorite mascara, Covergirl’s Clump Crusher, is the gold standard I am going to be holding Peacock Flare to. If you have not used it, this review might not be of much help to you, sorry!

The brush is rubberized and a little larger than I would prefer. It kind of has a wavy pattern of bristles.

left: Peacock Flare, right: Clump Crusher

Alrighty, how does this mascara work? I used one coat of it every time I wore it (and for pictures) and I really like it! It definitely gives you more of a defined look (I really hate clumpy lashes) and provides a bit of length and curl. Definition is its strongest point. Compared with Clump Crusher… they are basically the same! I actually wore what you are seeing above out and about, because I felt confident enough of their similarity. The only thing that makes Peacock Flare slightly different is that it looks a little more volumizing and personally it wears a tiny bit better on my lashes than Clump Crusher… some days I had no flaking off at all. The formulas are different and Peacock Flare looks like it has a few more plant-based ingredients. Comparing them pricewise, Peacock Flare is a dollar more on Ulta.com. They both are available in waterproof formulas as well. Personally, I would say save a dollar and get Clump Crusher. I would only buy Peacock Flare if my store had run out of Clump Crusher because the differences are so minute and I’m not passionate enough about the little things that might make it a teensy bit better than Clump Crusher to shell out $1 more.

Covergirl also sent me one of their liquid lipsticks in the color #105, also know as Gelful. I do love the name Melting Pout, it’s cute! But I am not a fan of lipstick and this had several qualities that have made me dislike lipstick in general.

The applicator was kind of a combo between a squeeze top and a doe foot. The product is dispensed through several small holes into a soft, short-bristled applicator.

The color of Gelful is a lot more peach-toned than the packaging lead me to imagine and I really wish it were closer to the tube color. I am not a peachy pink fan and it stands out a lot on my lips. The formula was okay to work with; you definitely need to swipe it over the same spot more than once to get even coverage because it can be patchy. It felt quite drying on my lips, which is not good this time of year, and it tasted horrible. This had no flavoring, just that waxy, oily, slightly crayon-ish taste. No thanks. Maybe some will like it, but I will probably never touch it again.

I’m glad I got a chance to try out the Peacock Flare mascara. It is not a mascara I would have picked out for myself based on the images that “peacock” conjures up in my mind – flashy, showy, dramatic. But it turned out to be just the kind of mascara I love and, I have to admit, the packaging is quite pretty. I will not be trading in Clump Crusher for it any time soon, but it is always good to have another option in case of discontinuation. I think I have said all I want to about the liquid lipstick… anyhoo, thanks to Influenster for this opportunity! I’m always game for free stuff.

Have you tried Peacock Flare mascara? What are your favorite Covergirl mascaras? Bonus points if you can recommend any cruelty-free mascaras that are defining because I am trying to switch all my non-nail polish beauty items to cruelty-free brands.

xx, Ashley

I received all products in this post complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

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