Ultima Beauty: Benefit | They're Real! Magnet Mascara | Worth the Splurge?

Collage: First picture: Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara box; Second picture: Closed eye lid displaying lashes; Third picture: Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara Tube; Fourth picture: Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara tube and mascara wand

Hey Beautiful People!

For today's installment of 'Worth the Splurge?' I'm giving you an in depth review of Benefit's They’re Real Magnet Mascara.

It is an update on Benefit's original 'They're Real' mascara.

For the record there is no actual metal pieces or magnets in the mascara formula, so no worries there.

They claim the wand has a magnetically charged core that is attracted to the "magnetic mineral enriched" formula that lifts and pulls lashes for extra length and definition.

Top of Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara Box with the shade "Supercharged Black" printed on it

I received a travel size of They're Real! Magnet mascara as a sample with my Sephora order and one in my ipsy Glam Bag the next month. So, I am pretty well acquainted with this mascara now. 😄

But does it really give length and volume?

Is it better than the original They're Real?

And the bigger question: is it worth the splurge?

My review/investigation answers all three of these questions.

Back of mascara box. Picture of an eye with Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara on the lashes, and another picture of an eye without Benefit They're Real Magnet Mascara. Printed: "Extreme Length" "Powerful Lift" "40% Longer"

Side of Mascara box. Printed: mascara with a magnetic force that draws lashes out to EXTREME LENGTHS. Extender Brush with magnetically charged core pulls the magnetic mineral enriched formula up and OUT BEYOND the tips of lashes.

First, here is a quick breakdown of They're Real! Magnet mascara

Name of Shade: Supercharged Black

Color: Black

Waterproof: Almost

Formula: Lengthening/Lifting

Wand Shape: Straight, Short Bristles

Lasts for: 12+ Hours

Smudges/Flakes: No/No

Pros: It gives a subtle, natural look to lashes; they are your own lashes ("They're Real") and it appears that you're wearing no mascara at all, but your lashes look fuller and more fanned out.

It lasts me all day with no smudging or streaking.

It could almost be waterproof (it doesn't claim to be though) as it stands up pretty well to water, only an occasional fleck of mascara comes off.

Cons: Not dramatically different from it's OG counterpart They're Real! mascara.

Some claims are overdramatized (read on).

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭑⭑ (3 out of 5)

Would I Purchase: No

Claims VS Reality

Claim: "Builds 40% longer lashes"

Reality: Without getting out a calculator and figuring out what length my lashes would be at 40% longer, I can say by comparison to even just other Benefit mascaras, this one does not give me as much lash length.

I get better length from Benefit's Bad Gal Bang and original They're Real! mascaras.

Claim: "Flexible, lightweight & builds easily"

Reality: Yes, the formula is easy to work with and can be built up to cover lashes in a thicker coat.

Claim: "Won't smudge or flake"

Reality: 100% accurate, it has not flaked or smudged once.

Claim: "93% said it was extremely lengthening"

Reality: This is probably an accurate percentage. I suppose I would just be in the other 7%

Also, if I was less familiar with Benefit and other mascaras that are "extremely lengthening" I might too perceive They're Real Magnet as such.

Opened black mini mascara tube with mascara wand. "Benefit They're Real!" printed on it. Next to it, an opened gray mini mascara tube with mascara wand. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet" printed on it.

Claim: "95% said it lifts & lengthens lashes up & out"

Reality: To an extent I agree with this claim. It does give lift and length to lashes, just not as dramatically as the hype would have you believe.

Claim: "93% said it gives lashes fullness AND length"

Reality: It definitely gives fullness to lashes "AND" (really?) to a relatively lesser extent it gives length.

Here are some before and after photos 📷

Collage: First picture: a closed eye lid. "No mascara" printed on it. Second picture: a closed eye lid. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet" Printed on it

Collage: First picture: an opened eye. "No mascara" printed on it. Second picture: an opened eye. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet" printed on it.

After applying They're Real! Magnet mascara it really did give fullness to my lashes and a fanned out effect. It gave some length as well.

They're Real! Magnet VS. They're Real! OG

Collage: First picture: an opened eye. "Benefit Original They're Real! Mascara" Printed on it. Second picture: an opened eye. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara" printed on it.

Collage: First picture: a closed eye lid. "Benefit Original They're Real! Mascara" Printed on it. Second picture: a closed eye lid. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara" printed on it.

Both are really lovely mascaras, but if longer lashes is your goal, the original definitely gives more length. If you are looking for volume and fullness, magnet is your friend.

Two black mascara wands next to each other. "Benefit Original They're Real! Mascara" printed next to the left wand. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara" printed next to the right wand

The wand for the original mascara has a slightly rounded, spikey tip that helps grad little lashes.

The OG also has slightly longer bristles.

Ultima Beauty's face: Both eyes opened. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara" printed under left eye. "Benefit Original They're Real! Mascara" printed under the right eye.

Ultima Beauty's face: Both eyes closed. "Benefit They're Real! Magnet Mascara" printed under left eye. "Benefit Original They're Real! Mascara" printed under the right eye.

Final Thoughts

They're Real! Magnet mascara is nice but truly over-hyped.

It gives fantastic fullness but doesn't really "pull" lashes up, making them appear tremendously longer.

I don't see myself purchasing this mascara again because it doesn't fully deliver.

It's not bad, or poor quality, but for the price ($27 for a full size) I can get better lengthening results from a more affordable mascara, or from a similarly priced Benefit one.