If Urban Decay really wanted to start sh*t with their new Troublemaker Mascara, instead of calling it “sex-proof,” why not say that it’s tough enough to handle your next mission to MARS? Or that it’s worthy of wearing while you defend your thesis? Or that it can handle all of the many obstacles you’ll encounter on your path to earning an Olympic Gold Medal?
There are just soooooo many other ways brands can appeal to women without tying something to sex.
OK, stepping off my soap box!
Troublemaker is a $24 lash lengthening and separating mascara coming to UD counters in September (there’s also an $11 on-the-go sample size if you aren’t ready to make a full commitment). It’ll be available in only one shade, a rich, dark matte black, a color that Urban Decay says they achieved by mixing two types of black pigments together.
I can appreciate this because, as any girl who went through an all-black wardrobe phase knows, there are many, many different shades of black.
Have you ever tried NARS Audacious Mascara? — because the two are similar (although I think NARS Audacious is better at holding a lash curl).
Both of them — Troublemaker and Audacious — have brushes with alternating long and short nubby bristles to grab individual lash hairs and comb through them from root to tip. Both of them also build up well in layers and don’t flake or smudge.
The lash look they create is similar, too, with lots of separation, length and a good amount of volume (but not as much as Chanel Le Volume or YSL Faux Cils, especially at the roots).
Troublemaker might not be particularly revolutionary, but if you’re looking for something new to try and you like Urban Decay, it should do you well.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. If you feel like doing a little more reading…
One year ago on MBB: The NARS Audacious Collection for Fall 2016, and Apoline, My New Favorite Pink Lip, Layer Glitter on Top of Shiny Liquid Liner for Wicked Wings
Two years ago: Sundays With Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 360
Four years ago: How a Tinted Red Lip Balm Like Butter London’s Lippy Tinted Balm in Strawberry Field Can Save You Time This Fall, The Secret to Exceptional Lash Length, Curl and Definition Resides in Every Tube of Clarins Be Long Mascara, Who Wore It Better: Ralph Macchio or Karen?, Like the Universe, Benefit’s Box O’ Powder Line Is Expanding…With Rosy Gold Rockateur Powder Blush
Five years ago: Have You Tried Artdeco Makeup?, Songbirds Sing, Gypsies Dance and Moonstones Shimmer on Becca Counters This Fall, The Long-Lasting LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stains Lay Down Loads of Color, The Perk-Up Artist Loves Giving Ladies a Lift: Benefit’s New Perk-Up Artist Complexion Corrector Palette Neutralizes, Covers and Conceals, Breakfast o’ Champions
Six years ago: Nuance Salma Hayek Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Smokey, Smile for the Camera with These New Smashbox Photo Op Eye Shadow Trios, I’d Gladly Stay Awake Till Sunrise for This Vibrant Sula Beauty Lipstick, The LORAC Ooh La Lace Palette Makes Me Feel Ooh La La, Nuance Salma Hayek Color Vibrance Lipstick in My Favorite
Seven years ago: Jemma Kidd Make Up School Hi-Shine Glosstick, Becca Hyawatha Loose Shimmer Powder, Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, August 23, Back to School Beauty: From Class to Off-Campus Party with LORAC Close Up Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tutorial Kit
Eight years ago: Miss Piggy: Her Best Hair?, Sundays with Tabs the Cat: Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Aug. 23, Do You Like Pink Lips?, Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani
Nine years ago: News – Makeupandbeautyblog.com Attends Dinner Hosted by SF Fashion Week Key MAC Makeup Artists, Victor Cembellin and Louise Zizzo
I totally agree Karen – I found that “sex proof” thing totally annoying. Of course, I’m not a millennial with a subverted sense of what feminism is. Still, my first impression was that is was stupid and that they could’ve done better.
This!
I don’t love the “sex-proof” claim either. But I don’t hate it because I’m not a boomer with a puritanical aversion to sexuality.
Boom. ?
Adrienne, are you aware that the boomers grew up in the 60’s and 70’s? They may be many things but “puritanical” is not one of them. Myself, I’m a Gen-X’er with no hang-ups about sex, it just bothers me that many (not all) younger women feel obligated to push sexuality out there as their defining characteristic.
thumbs up, Kristy!
right on Kristy
Whoa there. Guys, I think of this blog as my virtual living room (a place where we can hang with my cat and my daughter, drink smoothies, feel safe, you get the picture). Respectful debate is cool but let’s please leave assumptions (and any rudeness) at the door. Let’s build each other up, not tear each other down.
I, myself, am not a boomer; technically I’m Gen-X. I don’t have hang-ups about sexuality, either. I’m just tired of it being constantly pushed front and center to sell makeup to women. We’re all wonderfully complex creatures with many facets. Sexuality is just one of them, but it’s not the only thing I identify with.
And sh*t… Ultimately it’s just a mascara. It ain’t world peace. I’ll hand it to Urban Decay… Controversy creates buzz. And that they’ve done.
Adrienne, I don’t think it’s necessarily a puritanical aversion to sexuality that makes someone think a selling point like “sex-proof” is an attractive description for MASCARA. “Cry-proof”, “swimming pool proof”, or even “nap-proof” would be just as descriptive. I, too, am tired of the recent spate of cosmetic names being sex-related to be “cute”, or whatever. Do manufacturers and/or marketers still believe that sex has to be spotlighted in the product description in order to get our attention to get us to want to try something?
I think that for Urban Decay specifically, it has always been part of their branding. In the early 90s, the suggestive names were risqué and different. Now, everyone and their mother is doing it. It will be interesting to see what Urban Decay decides to do in the future since their “sex sells” routine obviously isn’t aging well.
Amen to your “rant” Karen! I’m so tired of makeup being only about sex. I don’t wear makeup for men, I wear it for me! To make a statement, to reflect my mood, to get a boost of confidence if I need it, and yes sometimes to look pretty or sexy but that’s not my first goal! I’m a millennial feminist so I don’t know what the first commenter is trying to say but I know we both agree with each other and you and wish we could tell these companies to kiss off! ?
I totally agree NARS is getting so tiresome it started with orgasm but it wasn’t the name! It was the shade that made it popular.
They’ve played out the sexy theme until it’s just gross with names like ‘back door’.
Sex names don’t get our attention duh. It is degrading and makeup should empower women we are more than Sex objects! We run the world!
I like the packaging but I am also tired of the sex marketing. Gosh I can’t believe some of your posts are 10 years old! I think I’ve almost been reading since the beginning!
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for being here since the beginning! The blog is always changing but one thing remains the same — the wonderful ladies in the comments!
Has your taste in makeup changed much in the last 10 years? I’m now much more open to wearing color, for sure. Plus my brows are in much better shape than they were in 2007, LOL.
I would say I’m less crazy with my eyeshadow colors but have a new appreciation for browns, they look so good with bright lip colors which is what I do if I need a pop of color!
For anyone interested, here are a few great pieces on Puritans, one by an excellent historian (another is Margaret Bendroth). Kind of academic, but they show how Puritans actually had a positive theology of earthly desire and social equality:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/opinion/24hall.html
https://mereorthodoxy.com/worldly-poetry-puritans/
Anyway, this marketing, big yawn! Mars mission any day. 😉 Cute mascara name, though. But the star of this show is definitely the cream shadow – WOW. Amazing finish and look!!
As a guy I have trouble to name myself a feminist (I consider myself more of an ally) and also I can be considered a millennial so I don’t really understand what Kristy was trying to say; feminism is a really abstract concept and the number of women in the world is the number of possible feminisms we can have, so please stop throwing shade among generations.
I understand sex sells, as a person who always try to be sex positive I’m not afraid of talking about it; but you’re right, is so common to push women to be sexual characters instead of saying all the possibilities a woman can have that not necessarily are related to sex, so Urban Decay lost a great opportunity to help female empowerment, something like fight-proof would be way better, because anything can be a real fight for anybody, doesn’t matter if you’re raising a child, working so hard to broke a glass ceiling, fight for your rights, healing from a health issue or even just living your normal life, those are the fights I want my mascara to stay on.
Hey Efrain, nice comment. 🙂 Remember our small chat about eye cream? I did stop using the Chanel one and went back to simpler formulas – and so far so good. My eyelid sensitivity is gone at the moment.
As for the other topic, I’m no different to most of the other commenters. I too dislike very obvious, sexual names/labels for products. If anything, I think names like that only serve to make things less sexy, not more. Nars, I am looking at you! :-/
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Wow the mascara looks really good on you, Karen! The brush looks like it would be really stabby though. This is why I’ve never tried the Nars mascara Either, it just looks too spiky to be volumizing. Is it comfortable to apply?
As for the sexproof spin, it feels a little silly. I like your comment about it lasting a space mission to Mars. In general there are lots of physical intensive activities that will push your mascara to the limits, not just sex.
I love UD’s Perversion mascara and let’s be honest, the tube of this baby looks gorgeous, so I’ll probably try it eventually.
But I had the same reaction as you when I read the “sex-proof” BS. Big sigh. Are all mid-end brands going to compete on the sexualness of their mascaras now? As if Too Faced Better Than Sex wasn’t tacky enough. What’s next, a liquid lipstick marketed to resist oral? For real, if you want to get me intrigued about a new long-wear formula UD, tell me it can resist my spin class or hot yoga session or a 5K on a humid day, or a 15-hour work day at a trade show, or a long-haul flight across the world. Then I’d be listening.
Dear Karen,
I loved your rant! I would LOVE to see a company to actually be creative and take an original approach. We all know sex sells but why not really shock us with new slogans such as yours. Is this mascara “thesis proof “, “mission to mars proof”, marathon running proof or even running a household or running a meeting proof. That is what women and men would like to see in their beauty products, at least once in awhile. Thanks again for a refreshing point of view! Keep them coming! ?
Best wishes,
Jennifer
My questions about this mascara are does it really lengthen? If so, it can be forgiven for a lack of serious volume. And does it really last all day without leaving raccoon eyes?
I’m a baby boomer and did the whole sex, drugs, rock n roll thing. I’m over it. I want my daughter to be known for her intelligence, strength, hard work and tenacity. So in her honor, how about a mascara that lasts through a whole day of hard work, meetings and then an evening session of Crossfit where she does multiple sets of thrusters, burpees and dead lifts?
BTW, you were talking about tough mudders the other day. My daughter and some of the women from her crossfit are doing this one. https://toughmudder.com/events/2017-norcal I’m not joining her, but I might go to cheer her on.
What is the eyeshadow that you are wearing in this pic? Thank you.
I totally agree with almost everyone, there are way better ways to define this as long lasting and sweat proof. I don’t know, the sexual names don’t bother me (what bothers me is that women can’t be seen as sexy and intelligent at the same freaking time GRRRRR) but I do think the naming is silly. I’m not conservative about sex by any means. I enjoy it and I like it steamy and rough haha, but sex has never made me sweat. Not on my face anyways. What makes me sweat … running stairs and hills, sprinting, a hard core work out at the gym … and how about giving birth. I sweat like mofo trying to push this kid out! How about that UD, it will last through giving birth! They would have had me at hello! ?