Review: L'Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

Price: around $8

The claims:

Uniquely formulated to resist clumping, soften lashes, and build lashes to five times their natural thickness. Patented Volume Maximizing Brush™ thickens lashes evenly and smoothly, leaving them soft with virtually no flakes, smudges, or clumps. Exclusive carbon black pigments provide up to 2X the intensity of L’Oréal’s classic black shade.

• Ophthalmologist-tested and allergy-tested.
• Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.
• Clump-resistant.
• Fragrance-free.

Pros:

• very black
• easily buildable 
• leaves lashes soft and natural looking
• big brush coats lashes evenly
• lengthens and volumizes lashes
• holds a curl
• doesn't flake or smudge

Cons:

• clumps a little after a few coats
• there's always a chunk of product at the end of the brush when you take it out of the tube 

What I think:

I have never used the original Voluminous mascara, but I keep hearing great things about it, so when I found a bonus packaging of two L'Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black on sale, I had to give it a try, and I wasn't disappointed!

Of course, the first thing I noticed about this mascara was the brush:


It's really big, just like I like them. It really volumizes my lashes evenly and it even provides them with noticeable length. The result? Dark, soft and natural looking lashes. Some mascaras leave your lashes super stiff, not this one. Oh yes, and all of this, without a single flake or smudge during the day!

This mascara is easily buildable, even though I noticed some clumpiness after the second coat, but nothing near the spider lash look. Another little complaint would be that there's always a chunk of product at the end of the brush when you take it out of the tube and you have to swipe it off, but it's far from a deal breaker for me.

After my terrible disappointment with YSL Effet Faux Cils, I couldn't ask for something better.


Recommend? yes