Review: L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

I've been testing out the washable version of this new mascara for well over a month now (I purchased it back when I first spotted the counter display at CVS) and I'm finally ready to give you my thoughts. 

NOTE: If you want this mascara for FREE, The L'Oreal Facebook giveaway is still underway (it ends Nov 9th). So if you haven't already won a free tube of this mascara, you still have plenty of time. I've heard from several of you who have won by entering just two or three days in a row, so don't stop until you win one!

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Washable Mascara in Blackest Black

(retail: around $8.99, 0.34 oz)

This mascara comes in a very angular tube. It's sort of difficult to hold and takes some getting used to if you're not already accustomed to using L'Oreal mascaras. The ingredients:

The brush is angular as well. It's a tapered brush (thicker at the bottom, thinner at the tip) and it's bent at an angle. It's also a thin brush, in the same vein as the Maybelline The Falsies brush, however it does not have the same curved shape as The Falsies brush. It's also not flat on one side like The Falsies brush:

A close-up of the fibers:

After using this mascara for over a month now, one thing I've noticed is that the brush has a tendency to clump up at the tip. This can be challenging if you hold your mascara wand vertically to apply mascara to your bottom lashes (which is the technique I use):

This is a drier, thicker mascara that gives visible volume and length to the lashes. This means I should probably love it, however, I don't. Here's why:

1) I have never had luck with L'Oreal mascaras. For some reason there seems to be an ingredient in both L'Oreal and Rimmel mascaras that makes them literally disappear from my lashes before the day is over. This mascara, just like every other Voluminous mascara I've owned over the years, interacts with the natural oils in my system in a way that makes the mascara fade and almost disintegrate after about 5 hours. By the end of the day, it literally looks like I have no mascara on my lower lashes, and only a very light coating on my upper lashes. HOWEVER, if you do not experience this problem with L'Oreal mascaras in general, then you can probably disregard this paragraph. This is just MY personal experience with Voluminous mascaras.

2) This mascara flakes for me. After about 3-4 hours, I notice that it feels like I have something in my eye when I wear this mascara. Sure enough, I have noticed little flakes in my eyes and under my eyes just about every time I wear this product.

3) The brush is difficult to use. The fact that it's thin, tapered and bent at an angle makes it a challenge for me. I can never quite get the technique down, especially when I'm applying this mascara to my right eye (I'm left handed).

Let's take a look at some before-and-afters.

BEFORE:

AFTER TWO COATS:

 

 As you can see, this mascara does give some great volume, length and separation to my lashes. As I always say, I like a little "clumpage" to my mascaras because my lashes are so thin that I need a thicker mascara just to make them visible.

But what I don't care for is that, since this mascara is so dry, I find it difficult to apply a second coat. By the time I'm finished with the first coat and starting the second, this mascara is already so dry that it's almost impossible for me to build more volume. You know that feeling of when you try to put more mascara on several hours after you've already applied mascara? When the brush just drags and pulls but doesn't really deposit more product onto your lashes? That's exactly what this feels like, only sooner.

 What I do like: I like that this product delivers on its promise of volume, and I'm impressed with the added length it gives as well. If the formula agreed with my chemistry and stayed put and didn't flake, I would probably finish out the tube, despite the high-maintenance brush. However, the combination of this mascara disappearing on my lower lashes after just a few hours, mixed with the fact that I have to apply it with lightening speed before it dries, makes it something I just don't want to use on a daily basis.

 FINAL VERDICT: Mascara is incredibly subjective and what may work for you may be a disaster for me (and vice versa). This is not a mascara I would repurchase because I find that it fades quickly (again, this is a chemistry thing and your experience may be completely different) and it also has a tendency to flake. I think the formula dries too quickly (before I can even get my second coat on) and it's not a mascara that's easy to build up after it has already dried. Combine that with the fact that even after a month, I still do not feel comfortable using the brush, and I think you can see why this is not a love-match for me. But given your particular needs, application methods and experience with other Voluminous mascaras, this might very well be a love-match for YOU. Try to get one for free while you can, and you be the judge!

Do you already own L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara? If so, what do you think of it? Is it working better for you than it is for me?