Review: L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara in Black

Purchased by Me 

So I have three or four other mascaras currently in my review queue, but Miss Manga cut the line and jumped to the front--all because of you! I swear I have never had so many requests to review a product before (thanks so much to everyone who asked me to review this), and you know I've been excited to try this too (ever since my post back in April about it finally landing in the US).

So I ran out and purchased this mascara at full price (the horror!) at Walgreens about a week and half ago, and I've been wearing it every day since then. I know I always give my makeup products two weeks or more of testing, but since I've worn this multiple times in very warm weather, I have a pretty good idea of what I think about it even though it hasn't been the full two weeks. So here we go!

NEW L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara in Black

(retail: $9.99, 0.27 oz)

This mascara comes in three shades: Black, Blackest Black and Black Brown. My Walgreens only had Black, so that's why I didn't get Blackest Black (the shade I usually gravitate toward in any mascara range).

For those unfamiliar with the term, "manga" simply means Japanese comics. You can read a longer description of manga here.

source

female manga character

Female manga characters are often drawn with long, thick, spiky lashes, like you see above. According to WikiHow's How to Draw Manga Female Eyes tutorial, "when drawing the female eye, it is commonplace to emphasize the eyelashes by making them long and thick, as a sign of femininity."

So if you're looking for subtle definition, you are barking up the wrong tree here. By naming this mascara Miss Manga, L'Oreal is basically telling you that your lashes are going to be a bit thick, long and spiky. I personally love a little "clumpage" to my mascaras, since my lashes are puny and nonexistent without mascara. So this explains why I was so excited to try this particular L'Oreal formula. Well, that and I just love anything Japanese or Japanese-inspired!

The brush is one of those "bouncy" brushes like Essence Lash Mania Reloaded, Maybelline The Mega Plush, etc.

Some before-and-afters:

No mascara

One coat of Miss Manga

Two coats of Miss Manga

And here's my eye with shadow and liner, just to give you a better feel for the overall look:

Two coats of Miss Manga + eyeshadow and eyeliner

I'm definitely getting the length, thickness and spikiness of a female manga character here. Here's another angle:

I realize this look isn't for everyone, but as I've said a million times, I love a little "clumpage" to my mascaras because my lashes are invisible otherwise. A mascara that just provides a little length and separation is NOT for me, but if that's what you prefer, you can still kind of achieve that with ONE coat (see pic above), although I much prefer two.

Brush and formula: This isn't a dry formula, but it's also not a super wet formula. If anything, it feels "creamy" going on, but it does dry pretty quickly. My lashes do not feel dry, brittle or crunchy when it dries--the formula actually feels a bit soft and pliable after it dries. The brush is awesome when it comes to my personal taste. I've learned to appreciate "flexor brushes" in the past year or so, and this one is like all the others. It gives and bends with your lashes, and that works nicely with this particular formula. The brush itself is one of the best I've used in a long time. I LOVE the super narrow, tapered end, because it allows you to reach all of those fine inner and outer lashes that jumbo brushes often miss. 

Application: I love that the brush deposits a nice amount of product onto my lashes with very minimal effort. One coat might be just enough for some of you, and if I were into the subtle look with my mascaras, I could easily stop at one coat. I also love that this mascara is easily buildable--since it doesn't dry to a crispy finish, it's easy to go back and apply additional coats. Yes, there is some clumping, but I find it to be just enough clumping for me. If that's not your style, you can go back in with a lash comb and that does help eliminate clumps. Again, because the shape of the brush is so awesome, it's easy to apply this mascara to even your most fine inner/outer lashes. And if you apply mascara to your lower lashes using a windshield-wiper motion with just the tip of your brush (that's how I do it), you are going to LOVE this mascara. It's one of the best brushes and formulas for lower lashes that I've used in quite some time. 

Staying power: I've mentioned many times that my one issue with L'Oreal mascaras (washable formulas) is that there's an ingredient in most L'Oreal formulas that doesn't work with my skin's natural oils. Most L'Oreal mascaras smear under my lower lash line within just an hour or two, so I was holding my breath that this wouldn't be the case with Miss Manga. I'm pleased to tell you that I had much better luck with this one. After about five hours in very warm weather, I do see some very light smearing under my lower lash line, but it's nothing compared to other L'Oreal formulas I've used in the past. And I've experienced no flaking while wearing this mascara. Overall, this can take me through an entire day with just a tiny bit of smudging but, if L'Oreal washable mascaras generally don't smudge on you, you should have no problems with this one.

Removal: The packaging states that this mascara "removes easily with soap and water" and that's absolutely the case. I can even use ONE makeup towelette to remove this mascara, no problem. I've removed it using a regular facial cleanser and also with a cleansing oil and had no issues with either method.

Fragrance: There's no strange, strong or unique fragrance to this mascara--it smells about the same as other L'Oreal mascaras I've used in the past. 

FINAL VERDICT:  I love this mascara and I think it delivers on its promise of manga-inspired long, thick, spiky lashes. If that's not your style, this probably isn't going to be a good fit for you (although you might like your results with one coat), but if you are the type of person who gravitates toward thicker, more dramatic mascara formulas and you prefer a little "clumpage" to your mascaras, I say give this one a shot. The formula is great, the brush is amazing, and removal is a snap. Oh, and if you love all things kawaii, I'm guessing you'll love the packaging too. It's a win-win-win for me and even though I know this is not going to be a favorite for all of you, I think that some of you are going to love it as much as I do.

Do you already own the new L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara? I would absolutely love to hear from you!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.