Ok, this has to be said. I really hate mascara ads in which cosmetics companies show models that are obviously wearing false eye lashes or in which the pictures have been photoshopped to show abundant and extra long lashes. Isn't that false adverstising? The ad for this mascara is no different. Come on people!
Anyway, I wanted to try this mascara very badly since I'm a fan of L'oreal Mascaras and fan of big mascara wands. LOL. This one looked promising.
NAME: L'OREAL Extra Volume Collagen Mascara
SHADE: Blackest Black
PRICE: $7-$8 USD
CATEGORY: Drugstore
DESCRIPTION: L'OREAL claims this mascara "is made with hydro-collagen that enhances the thickness of your lashes up to 12x without any clumping. Its patented brush is 50% bigger so it builds incredible volume fast in just one sweep". Okay.
SO?: I have mixed feeling about this mascara. I bought this months ago and used it at least once or twice a week (I have not been using much makeup lately. Shocking, I know.) I got it on sale.
The brush is indeed huge and applies the product quite well. I like to feel how a mascara wand grabs my lashes. I don't know about 12x lash enhancement (I'm not able to measure my lashes, lol) but they do look larger. But bear in mind I do have naturally curled and fairly long lashes.
On one hand, yes, it will give you bigger lashes, maybe not in just one sweep, but two. More than that and it will clump. At first I thought "...Ugh..." but after trying it for a second time, adding a little product at a time...wow. I really liked it. The formula is very thick and it will dry pretty quickly. For some reason the mascara wand leaves more product at the end on each individual lash ¿? I loved how it gave my lashes that "false eyelashes look". I did had to comb my lashes with my Tweezerman I LASH Comb to separate them. After doing that, the results are in my opinion amazing.
What don't I like about it? It does smudges pretty fast (less than 4 hrs maybe?), but I do live in a high heat/high humidity environment. You have to work with it pretty quickly or it will start to dry. Also, my tube is around three months old and I feel the formula is already dry inside the tube (mind you, I do keep my makeup in a very fresh environment). =/
My biggest concern it that for some reason, my eyes get a bit irritated if I sweat much when using this. I don't know. I tried it alone (no other eye makeup) to see if it was the mascara and it was indeed. Sorry, I don't know what ingredient may be causing this. I do have read reviews about this mascara and that issue has been mentioned. I hope the waterproof version doesn't cause this same problem.
Oh, I don't get the "collagen" part, I mean, it is listed almost at the ends of the mascara ingredients (maybe the qty that is needed for it to work is not much? IDK).
So I hope you see why I have mixed feelings. I like it but I don't love it. Not a total disappointment, I would like to try the waterproof version but let's say I won't be running to get asap. That's no biggie for me, there are so many mascaras out there, lol. I'm guessing I will be using this when I know I'll be out for a few hours preferably in an air-conditioned environment and want people looking at my lashes, hahaha.
RATING: 3.5/5 (I love how it make my lashes look, so great; but the dry tube in less than 3 months and that bit of irritation just doesn't do it for me).
ETA (Sept. 2010): I got the WP version of this mascara and I love it. It doesn't irritate my eyes (maybe because I don't use it everyday) but I love love the 'false eyelashes look'. Yes, it can clump a bit but I use my Tweezerman I-Lash Comb to remove excess product. It's more like it provides so much volume. Wow. Up one point! -- 4.5/5
ETA (Sept. 2010): I got the WP version of this mascara and I love it. It doesn't irritate my eyes (maybe because I don't use it everyday) but I love love the 'false eyelashes look'. Yes, it can clump a bit but I use my Tweezerman I-Lash Comb to remove excess product. It's more like it provides so much volume. Wow. Up one point! -- 4.5/5
Here are a few pics of it. I'm also adding pics of natural look I did around 2 months ago using this mascara.
OH, OH, almost forgot---> Nouveau Cheap did an excellent review on this mascara Read it HERE.
You be the judge.
FACE
Borghese Prima Viso Face Primer
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation -- 3W1 Tawny
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer -- Medium
MAC Mineralize Blush -- Merrily
MAC Blot Powder, Loose -- Medium Dark
EYES
TFSI
MAC Paint Pot -- Soft Ochre
L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara -- Blackest Black with L'oreal Lash Out Waterproof Mascara (in Black) on top of it
MAC Eyebrow Pencil -- Stud
LIPS
Honest to God, I can't remember...Sorry! But it was something reddish.
NOTE: I took these pics after a super hot day where I was on a field trip with my kids and Oh-My-God did I felt dehydrated. My face looks dry but the makeup was pretty much intact...I love ELDW. =D
Well, talk to you later guys. Leave your comments.
¡Vivan, amen y rían!
