Man, oh, man! There’s just so much I love about L’Oreal’s Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara ($5). Two coats transform my eyelashes from toy car to monster truck, and at just five bones, it’s also pretty cheap.
Before
After two coats, WOWZA!!
Before
In yo’ face … IN YO’ FACE!
At first, I was seduced by the color (a deep black), and then teased by its ability to hold a curl all day long. But things didn’t stop there; my infatuation grew once I saw its ability to thicken and seemingly lengthen, too.
L’Oreal claims their makeup gurus engineered it to plump lashes with — brace yourself for marketing speak — “revolutionary lash-pumping technology!” and “hydra-collagen.” (The lingo always sounds corny, doesn’t it?)
Too good to be true
Alas, my love affair wasn’t meant to be. The fire fizzled when I saw flakes at the end of the day. Black smudges made unexpected and unwelcome appearances, BOO!
Without a portable, purse-sized chimney sweep, I think I’ll have to pass. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: C
Onward to Tuesday!
So how was your day? I hope it passed with flying colors.
I’m looking for inspiration this afternoon… What was the best part of your day? 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hmm… it it just me, or is that tube highly unattractive? 😛 I’m actually kind of tempted to check this out — I layer a tubing mascara (Fiberwig’s my weapon of choice at the moment) over flaky, smudgy mascaras, and it seems to do the trick!
.-= Rae’s last blog post… The subtle fantasy edge of Halloween =-.
Hi Rae,
Yeah, it isn’t the most alluring of tubes.
I think the brush kinda kicks arse, though. If you try it let me know what you think!
I had the same problem – great volume, great colour…but it flaked off so much in my eyes that I had to take the stuff off in the middle of the day. It was dreadful. I may try it again in the waterproof version (waterproof = always better), but if it still flakes I’m gonna have to give this a FAIL…
.-= sarahPUFFY’s last blog post… FOTD with H.I.P Shadow Duo in Roaring =-.
I had the same problem – great volume, great colour…but it flaked off so much in my eyes that I had to take the stuff off in the middle of the day. It was dreadful. I may try it again in the waterproof version (waterproof = always better), but if it still flakes I’m gonna have to give this a FAIL…
.-= sarahPUFFY’s last blog post… FOTD with H.I.P Shadow Duo in Roaring =-.
Hi sarahPUFFY,
Yikes! Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who had trubs with this. It’s too bad, as it had so much potential.
hi, Karen!
I would never get this mascara. I am thinking about new mascara by YSL but it’s $30 so maybe MUFE or Max Factor “False Lash Effect”. Still DiorShow is my fav. I am sure I wrote it here lots of times 🙂
It’s almost 4 a.m. here and I am still not sleeping. So I can’t wait till the end of my “day”
.-= Marina’s last blog post… Yves Saint Laurent Spring 2010 Makeup Collection =-.
Hi Marina,
Girl, why are you up so late?! Somebody loves the night life!
Don’t you hate when you think you have found something great and then it fails?
The best part of my day was cuddling with my dog; when you scratch his back he rubs up against you like a cat 🙂
Hi Tiffany,
Aw, I’m kinda jealous! I’ve been having dog envy lately! My neighbors have the cutest lab and now I want one too. Le SIGH.
Did you get all of your studying done?
Hmm this mascara made your lashes a bit spiky, which is too made because it looked and sounded promising. The packaging is beautiful though.
.-= amy’s last blog post… EOTD MAC Soft Sparkle Eye Pencils Night Sky, Iris Accents Product Pictures, Swatches on Eyes and Review =-.
Hi Amy,
It was kind of a bummer, boo!
How was your day?
Karen, I had the same reaction when I tried this mascara. I was in awe of my lashes after just 2 coats, but I noticed that the wand picks up too much product. I had to swipe the wand on the tube’s rim for a full minute before I could get anywhere near my eyes.
Still, I wore it for about 2 weeks straight, thinking I’d found my new favorite mascara, when one morning I pulled the wand out of the tube and found a gunky, sticky mess. After just 2 weeks, the mascara got so thick, clumpy, and sticky, it was impossible to even wipe off excess on the rim of the tube. It can only be described as goopy and messy.
If only they could get the mechanics of the formula and packaging right, this stuff truly would be one of the best mascaras on the market.
.-= Kristen’s last blog post… Mad Men: Betty Draper goes to Rome =-.
Hi Kristen,
Yikes. I hope they find a way to evolve this mascara — it could kick some serious booty if it wasn’t so darn flaky!
I was seriously going “OMG I am getting this for sure” when I saw your before and after then there was the surprise…Boo for L’oreal, I actually sort of like the tube.
Hi Citrine,
I know, right? I was in love for like eight hours, LOL!
@sarahPUFFY – the waterproof isn’t great. It goes on clumptastic and isn’t easy to straighten out. That’s the one automatic fail for mascaras for me, if they’re too much work to de-clump.
Sounded to good to be true, indeed. I’m still in love with Lancome’s mascaras, for me they are really good. Here it’s 5 am and as usual I don’t sleep. I stay all night long awake and I’m going to sleep only at 10-11 am:D….
.-= Tavia’s last blog post… A few rules to follow for a complexion without wrinkles =-.
Hi Tavia,
Wow, so many night people up in here!
Do you work the night shift? Or are you a student?
Hi Karen – the ones you get look a bit different from the one we get here (here’s ours) It does give good volume and i don’t get the flakies but I do get a bit of clumpiness 🙂
.-= Paris B’s last blog post… How many credit cards do you really need? =-.
Hi Paris B.,
Interesting! I wonder if it’s the same formula.
Hmm, I actually love this mascara and haven’t found it to be flaky at all. It’s my new fave, so I’m sorry to hear about all the bad experiences. I haven’t used it in over a week, though, so I hope it hasn’t gone all clumpy on me! I’ll test it again tomorrow…
Hi Barbara,
Let us know if it still works for you! 🙂
the effect is not too bad but i dun like the packaging.
.-= Blovet Beauty’s last blog post… 100th Follower Giveaway =-.
Hi Blovet Beauty,
It would be so fab — too bad it flakes so much!
How was your day?
Aww man! I got all excited about this too! LOL. If it doesn’t last on you, there’s probably no way it’ll last on me (since even the UD 24/7s smudge on my bottom lashline). Almost perfect though.
.-= Catherine’s last blog post… (Not So) Short Video Update – MotoJewelry, EkiLove & other stuff =-.
I got this and initially I liked it, but I probably wouldn’t get it again. I don’t get the smudging or flaking, but I just find it doesn’t hold curl at all. I liked how thick and long they got, but I really need something that doesn’t weigh my lashes down.
.-= Christy’s last blog post… MAC Holiday Mineralize Kits: Pinkazoppin! & Fun In The Sun Swatches =-.
Aw, you had me until the flaking. I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for, right?
.-= Kajal Couture’s last blog post… Shades of Pink…Eyeshadow that is =-.
I was excited about this mascara and I like how it looks on you but it’s too bad it is so flaky 🙁
.-= gio’s last blog post… Product Review: E.L.F. Studio Powder Brush =-.
Hey Karen! At least you have tabs to cuddle with! I studied my booty off yesterday and have to do the same thing today 🙁 But them tomorrow it will all be over!
Hee hee! I’m picturing a teeny little Mary-Poppins-esque chimney sweep dancing merrily out of your purse to mop up mascara flakes! Ah, if only! 😉
Yesterday was rough, the best part was going to bed!
I have this mascara, too! While I love the length, volume, and curl, I hate the brush. It is so chunky and messy to use. Did you try the new L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion yet?
P.S: love that “in yo face” line! I imagine you saying that to Tabs 🙂
.-= Dao’s last blog post… Organize It: Cataloging Your Mineral Pigment Sample Stash =-.
drat, while reading the posting i got super excited… thought i found my new mascara! but of course, it was too good to be true… 🙁 my hunt will continue for an awesome mascara that will curl, lengthen, thicken and won’t irritate my eyes…. any suggestions girls?!!?
I love and hate this mascara for the exact same reasons! Flakes all over the place 🙁
.-= Megan’s last blog post… Brag Monday #2 =-.
You had me wanting to run out and buy it until I read through the whole review. Darn! I wanted monster truck lashes!
.-= jeannie’s last blog post… world’s prettiest panties =-.
Oh, it looked so… perfect! But I can NOT deal with flaking and smudging. I have a pretty long school day and I don’t want to look like a raccoon by the time I get home. (Which has happened many times before D:)
.-= Rebecca’s last blog post… Skin Saving Superhero: Dior Hydraction Serum =-.
Hi Rebecca,
I hear that. I can’t even count the times I’ve looked in the mirror and found raccoon eyes at the end of the day!
What are you studying in school? Are you in college?
My day (yesterday) and today has been well! Thanks Karen!
.-= amy’s last blog post… LOTD Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in 76 Ming Swatch on Lips and Review =-.
Hi Amy,
That’s good. Can you believe tomorrow is Wednesday? This week is going by so fast!
Hey Girl,
After paying big bucks for Dior Show Iconic, I have four words for this: The price is right!!! I’m a gonna try this one on for size. Louise
Hi Louise Gray,
HOT! I hope this works out for you. Let me know if it flakes. 🙂