Tubing Mascara Review 3: d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX review

I was hard pressed not to put the words "a.k.a the perfect way to ruin my HG" in the title, but I think it would be too biased, so I refrained. This is one of those few products that make me feel so primitive. Why? Well, you'll see...

First off, to avoid confusion, this is the current "upgraded" version of the best-selling fiberwig mascara, and the only version that's officially available. My friend told me that there was something akin to panic in the beauty crowds in Japan one day because Imju announced that they are discontinuing their best-selling mascara. Women rushed out to stock up on this mascara, and the next day, Imju announced that they are immediately releasing an updated version of Imju, and many women felt cheated because the return policy is not as good in Japan as it is in the US. Well, I later found out that this story is way exaggerated, but you get the general idea of what happened. 

What's different in this version? 

I'm sure some people are searching for the answer to this question, so I might as well give it to you. :) Fiberwig said it's now without synthetic fragrances and sulfates, and a few other things that shouldn't be in mascaras anyway. There's also supposed to be a few conditioning ingredients added in. This is supposed to lengthen better than the original fiberwig. The brush is also curled as shown in the picture, which was supposed to help with curling. 

Well, that's the official statement. What do I think? After struggling with it for several weeks waiting for it to work, I've given up. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great mascara, but in my opinion, this is not an upgrade of the old version, but a down grade. This mascara still gives me the longest lashes I could get with mascara, but not as long and as easily as the old one does. With this mascara, it's really random when I can get it working well. I've also tried a couple of other things. Adding layers while dry, adding layers while wet, using a primer, applying when lashes are wet.....you name it, I've probably tried it. 

And this is why I feel primitive with this kind of products. How can I not know how to use an upgraded version of a product when I love the old one? Am I that primitive? well... but it does make me feel better that at least some Japanese girls feel the same way I do. 

Fiberwig is now no longer on the top 50 mascaras list on cosme.net whereas it was always within the top 10s and 20s for the past years.

Although I want to go on whining about how they ruined my mascara, I still owe you the review :)

1. Smudging: This is by far the most important aspect of all mascaras to me, because before tubing mascaras, all mascaras smudged on me. Before, it was not a matter of whether it smudges, but whether how much or when it smudges. Relatively speaking, fiberwig can be said to never smudge (even this new version), except if you rub and rub or wear it into the wee hours of the morning. So an 8.5 in terms of smudging. 
2. How long does it last on my lashes: This mascara lasts for around 10 hours before starting to flake and smudge (undetectable smudging really) more. I thought it would be similar to the old fiberwig, and it's almost similar, but it's not as long lasting.  However, it would still be functioning all right, i.e. usable after 16 hours :) So a 8 in terms of how long it lasts. 

3. Flaking: This mascara flakes on me a lot, especially when I apply multiple coats, but nonetheless, it mercilessly flakes on me, sometimes even within an hour of application. I'm not complaining, since flakes are easier to deal with than smudging, but to be fair, this only gets a 3 in terms of flakes on me. It might be better with a primer though. In this aspect, it's exactly the same as the old fiberwig. 
4. Color and longevity of the tube: Isn't it weird that I put those criteria together since they are not so much related? But I don't know about you, but I don't care that much about either the color or longevity of the mascaras I buy, which is why I thought I'd give each of those 5 points instead of 10. In terms of color, this gets the perfect 5, since it is jet black on me. In terms of longevity, after daily application, a tube always dries up before 3.5 months. I think it's all right since you should toss mascara every three months anyway, but this might matter a lot to some. So a 2.5 in terms of longevity. Together, this mascara gets 7.5 in this section. So it's a little better in terms of longevity compared to the old fiberwig. 
5. Application: This is where the mascara freaks me out. I'm sorry, I rarely use words like that, especially when I'm not in the privacy of my own home, but I can find no other words to express my frustration. Just so I'm clear, the old mascara is not perfect in terms of application. I have to spend a good 5 minutes on it if I want to get perfect lashes, but then if I do spend the 5 minutes, I generally do get them. For this mascara, it is in no ways guaranteed. I think it might have something to do with the awkward curved brush and the fact that I can't really apply from the tip of the wand anymore, like I used to with the old mascara. Or it might be the new formula or it might be me, but I get really random lashes. Some long, some short that are really uneven and almost uncontrollable. 

I'm probably making it sound worse than it is. In a pinch, this could work if I am willing to spend 15 minutes on it to do it, take it off, and redo, but I don't have that much time to spare. Therefore, I might have gorgeous lashes one day (like I always do with the old fiberwig), and really uneven lashes the next day. This brush is smaller than the old one, but I found it gets onto my lids even more easily. However, accidental marks on the lids are easy to clean off. You either wait for it to dry and just swab off with a q tip, or do what I do: get some water on a q tip and just swap off. I like to use green tea, which I drink every morning, but just water works just as well. In terms of application, I'd say a 5 since it takes so long and works so random. Don't get me wrong though, you can apply this in 1 minute if you just want a little length or a darkening of lashes. 
6. Length: This is where this mascara behaves best, and where I care most about each mascara other than smudging. I don't have tiny lashes, but they are not long either, so I really really care about length. This mascara gives the most length I've ever seen a mascara give if I take the time to apply it. I can actually use this to get my lashes to reach my brow. However, this does not work as well as the old one. Yes, if I really work on it, I can get the same length, but it takes much much longer and more trials. So a 9 since this is still the most length I get out of any mascara except the old one. 
7. Volume: Fiberwig always gives people the impression of not giving volume, but I didn't mind because I can make the old fiberwig give me volume by layering. This gives much more volume (after layering), but it borders on clumpiness, so it's volume I'd rather do without. So a 6.5 in terms of volume. 
8. Removal: If you compare tubing mascaras with regular mascaras, most of them would get a 10 in terms of removal, but since I'm comparing tubing mascaras, I'll make the bar a little higher. The mascara that was easiest to remove (that I've tried) is L'Oreal Beauty Tubes. It really does come off in tubes with lots of warm water (even if your hand never touches your lashes). This mascara needs you to gently touch the mascara before it fully slides off. Not bad, so a 8.5 within the context of all other tubing mascaras. 
9. Clumping: This is the second biggest issue I have with this mascara (the first being application). When I try to layer in order to get the perfect lashes in the morning, this might give me give clumpy lashes. So a 6.5 in terms of clumps. 
10. Sensitivity: This one is pretty good in terms of sensitivity. So stinging and not much discomfort should it flake into my eye. However, I am aware that some people wear contacts, so the flaking might be painful for you. I've heard people say that this is actually more sensitive to sensitivity issues than the old mascara. I'll give it a 6.5 in terms of clumping.

This mascara gets a total of 60.5. It doesn't sound that bad, but it makes it seem worse to me because it replaced my HG, and this is far from getting to be my favorite mascara. However, I tried not to let my anger influence my judgement (trust me, I took a month to cool down and trials to share this with you). People like to say that there's a silver lining with every gray cloud. Well, I found my new HG mascara (if you consider it to be a silver lining), and it's quite as good as the old Fiberwig. It doensn't do the exact same thing: it doesn't give the same length, but it does have a few other benefits. Want to know what it is? Well...read on, I'll share it with you in my next or next next review. :)