I love the look of dramatic false eyelashes, but they aren’t the most practical things for everyday use. Momentarily overlooking how much a good pair can cost (WTF?!), I don’t always have the time, patience or coordination, either.
Enter Lancome’s new Hypnose Drama ($24.50, comes in just one shade called Excessive Black) mascara. It’s like the imitation crab of the eyelash world, delivering most of the flava of the fake real thing at a fraction of the cost.
It makes my naturally thin, short and sparse (read: sad) lashes appear thicker, longer and generally more fab.
But (there’s always a but) this false lash fabulosity comes at a price, and I’m not talking about the $24.50.
First, the pros
With even a single layer of Hypnose Drama, I’m convinced my lashes look longer, thicker, fuller and better defined, showcasing the most delicious shade of glossy black, and curled lashes hold all day long (although it’s not waterproof) without any noticeable flaking or smudging at all (YES!).
The product would be an all-around great performer if it weren’t for one thing…
Brush woes
The darn thing is hard to use! It’s curvy (s-shaped), with lots of soft, thin bristles that tend to pick up too much mascara. Whenever I forget to dilute the brush before lifting it to my lashes, I’m guaranteed a clumpy, thick mess and oodles of mascara in places it doesn’t belong.
It’s not a deal-breaker for me, though. Carefully wiping/tapping excess product from the brush before using it, coupled with strategic placement along the lash line, equals very sexy, dramatic lashes able to rival a $40 pair of falsies.
STEP BY STEP: False lash fakery with Lancome Hypnose Drama
Nekkid lashes
STEP 1: I load the included brush with mascara, remembering to dilute as much of the excess as possible by sliding the brush head a few times across a clean tissue.
STEP 2: I apply one layer to my upper lashes only (I prefer to use Tarte Bottoms Up on my lower lashes), wiggling the brush a little near the roots and swiping up to the tips.
Apply first coat to the upper lashes
One coat of Hypnose Drama
STEP 3: Re-load and dilute again. Then, I go in for a partial second layer, applying only to the outer half (toward the ear) of my upper lashes from root to tip. I think when I apply more than one layer to the inner half of my upper lashes (toward my nose), the application looks a little too heavy.
STEP 4: Finally, for more length, I load and dilute the brush again and add a little more mascara to the tips of the outer third of upper lashes — just the outer third, or about 1cm from the outside in.
Apply a second partial coat to the outer half, and then a third coat to the outer third of the tips
All done! A false lash look, no glue required. 🙂
Despite the tricky brush, I still think Hypnose Drama’s a great mascara — maybe not one I’ll try to apply in a hurry, but one I’ll save for when I’m in the mood to go big with my lashes. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I’ve been waiting for this review for a long time and finally here it is. I’m surprised that the brush gave you such a problems. I’m a fan of Lancome’s mascaras I love and use them all from Definicils to Hypnose and Fatale. In the beginning I used to have some problems with the brush from Fatale but after getting used to it all became very easy. I’m sure that I will like the Hypnose Drama as much as I like the other ones. Thanks for the helpful tips Karen
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great review Karen! I have a question though, I know you love your Chanel mascara, would you say this is comparable to it, or that they are two different products? I ask because I always hear such good things about the Chanel and even YSL’s Faux Cils, but I also like Lancome, so i’m a bit confused 🙂 Thanks!
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Holy CRAP! Those lashes look AMAZING! I can’t wait til I become a nurse and finally afford myself such awesome mascara! (Thank you, Karen, for the before-and-after! They help every time :D)
What a difference! I wish I could rock falsies everyday but no time for that in the mornings. I am about to change mascaras (been using Mally Roncal’s Volumizing mascara for the past 6 months – 2 tubes) and this one may be a contender for my next purchase. I was planning on going back to DiorShow even though I really like Mally’s. I just want some variety.
.-= Marisol’s last blog post… Obsessed much? =-.
It does look like this mascara holds curl well along with adequate lengthening and thickening, but I don’t like the curve brush. I find it hard to use and gimmicky. A prefer a heated eyelash curler to curl my eyelashes post mascara because I suffer from skimpy lashes syndrome.
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I wish this came in brown — black mascaras just look too dramatic/dark on me. Oh well. I’m pretty happy with Lancome’s Courbe Virtuose, which does come in brown. If only Estee Lauder hadn’t discontinued my HG mascara years ago (sniffs dramatically)!
I have one and really love it. Not as much as the regular hypnose but still!!
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thanks for the review! I am kinda torn about trying it, but I will probably pick one up when I have some cash to spare…
Thanks for the review and the tips. Your lashes look amazing! I’m always look for a good mascara that gives a false lashes look and, althoug I’m not a fan of curvy brushes, I think I may give it a try.
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Not my favourite lash look on you. Too clumpy.
Wow, that’s some killer fringe! I want to try the combo (gleaned from one of your lovely links) of the turbo-primer and this mascara, sounds uber-dramatic! 😀
I love Lancôme mascara. really I love it but I’ve gotten to know Clinique now and well… Interesting brush though. I like smallish brushes.
I remember to play with Lancome mascaras when I was a kid and although they made a lot of difference, I was not a fan of the brush. Too bad they did not improve their brushes because their mascaras are really good.
.-= Dao’s last blog post… Beauty Literotica: Get Positively Beautiful by Carmindy =-.
I :love: Lancomes Hypnose mascara and I cannot wait until it is empty so I can try this one. Thanks for the review!
Wow. I think it looked amazing in the first coat. I really LOVED my Lancome Courbe Virtuouse. The squiggly brush def takes getting used to so that doesn’t really stop me from trying it out. Did you find the formula a little drier than usual mascara formulas? That’s what I usually have issues with when using Lancome mascaras.
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To be honest, i’m not crazy about the way it looks on you. It glued the lashes and i notice clumping… I have much sadder lashes than yours so i’ll abstain from this mascara. Thanks for saving my money 🙂
Hey Karen!
I am using the regular Hypnose mascara by Lancome and I really like it! I usually like to apply only one coat of mascara but with the Hypnose, I find that two coats give me the kind of volume I like while one coat is a little too wimpy for me. I also find that it is not clumpy, separates the lashes well (with one coat) and gives volume with the second. And most importantly there are no hassles with the brush shape getting too much product on there. It really is a very convenient brush, being the right size for wiggling between the tiny inner lashes. Have you ever tried the original Hypnose?
As far as the “false eyelashes” look goes, I like Fiberwig better. Nicer brush, doesn’t clump!
Wow. Im usually not a fan of Lancome mascaras, but maybe I’ll give this one a try. My wimpy lashes will thank me 🙂
Spot on, I wish I read your review before I bought it. I’m not a fan of the clumpy stuck together eyelash look. I’ll try blotting the bristles next time.
Decisions Decisions! I just ordered the Lancome Hypnose Drama waterproof mascara from Sephora.
After reading comments I am not sure whether I should have ordered the DiorShow Iconic mascara.
I am hoping the Lancome mascara proves to be great. Thanks everyone for your comments.