L'Oreal Volume Shocking Mascara: Different can be good but in this case it failed miserably!
Written: Nov 10 '05 (Updated Nov 10 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Mascara does perform well; primer brush is fantastic
Cons: terrible mascara comb--caused clumping; cumbersome handle on applicators.
The Bottom Line: Steer clear of this one. Started with good primer/base coat, but the mascara comb is a bad idea.
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| pilarzmom's Full Review: Loreal Volume Shocking Mascara |
If you think Mascara and Primer combos were just a passing fancy, think again. L'Oreal, following on the popularity of their Double Extend primer/mascara combo, has come out with yet another: Volume Shocking Mascara. And shocking it is, especially in its odd packaging and rather steep price ($12.95) for a drugstore mascara. However, that did not stop me from giving it a try.
About the product
The first thing you notice about this mascara is its weird tube, if you could call it that. It has somewhat of an elliptical shape with triangular shaped screw-off lids for the mascara and primer. There is .20 ounces each of the primer (or what L'Oreal calls Lash Defining Base Coat) and the actual mascara. That's a little bit less than most mascaras which contain typically about .25-.28 ounces.
Volume Shocking Mascara comes in three non-waterproof shades: Black, Black Brown, and Blackest Black. I purchased it for $12.95 at my local Rite Aid, but I did notice it priced for less online at Ulta.com for only $10.95.
Like all 2-step mascaras, the primer is white and is designed to define and smooth lashes. The top coat, or regular mascara, contains Expansyl-rich, which L'Oreal says will thicken your lashes and give them ultra-volume from root to tip.
In addition, Volume Shocking Mascara is fragrance-free, ophthalmologist and allergy tested, and deemed suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.
List of ingredients, as taken from www.ulta.com (because the print on the label is too small!):
Primer/Base Coat: Water, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Alumina, Acacia Senegal, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Triethanolamine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Panthenol, Methylparaben, Sodium Polymethacrylate, Sodium DNA, Propylparaben, Simethicone, BHT, Oleamido-1,3 Octadecanediol, Polyquaternium-10. May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Mica.
Mascara: Water, Jojoba Butter, Hydrogenated Jojoba oil, Beeswax, Acacia Senegal, PEG-200 Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Carnauba Wax, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Triethanolamine, Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Isohexadecane, Methylparaben, Aminmethyl Propanediol, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Propylparaben, Simethicone, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Polymethacrylate, BHT, Polyquaternium-10. May contain: Iron Oxides, Ultramarines, Chromium Oxide Greens, Chromium Hydroxide Green, mica, Carmine, Titanium Dioxide, Ferric Ferrocyanide.
My Experiences
When I first unscrewed the base coat or primer wand I noticed that it was quite short, under 4 inches long, but with quite a nice size applicator brush that measured over an inch long. The applicator brush was quite fluffy, with lots of long bristles. Now personally I like shorter brushes like this one as I feel I have more control. But the triangular handle was another matter. It was quite difficult to hold comfortably.
I proceeded to apply the base coat and despite my issues with the handle, I was quite pleased with how it went on. No gloppiness and quite smooth. I was also quite excited to see how well it separated and coated each lash separately. So far no clumping whatsoever.
Step 2, however, was not so smooth. Not once in my 25 plus years of wearing mascara have I encountered such a whimpy mascara applicator. It is actually a comb with two row of teeth, with the applicator comb measuring about an inch long. Yes, teeth, not bristles like on a brush. L'Oreal calls it a "Perfect Dose Comb" but to me there is nothing perfect about it. My lashes were perfectly separated and coated by the base coat, but that was all for naught. I let the primer completely dry, but once I applied the mascara the lashes became clumped and I now had spider lashes. I quickly rummaged through my make-up drawer and found my mascara comb (which I rarely need to use) and quickly combed my lashes to separate them. Once I had done that I indeed had long and lush lashes. But what if I had not happened to have a comb? Why not a nice brush like the base coat?
Wear-wise I do give Volume Shocking Mascara very high marks. It wore all day without one single flake and absolutely no eye irritation. Removal was a cinch as well as it came right off when I washed my face at night.
However, I am so puzzled as to why L'Oreal matched the perfectly designed base coat and applicator with such a terrible applicator. The mascara itself seems to be fantastic, too, as I haven't had such killer lashes in a long time. It really makes no sense. Even after several attempts at using this, I got no better at applying the mascara. I have since given up on it and use the primer for use with other mascaras. I probably would give this 4 stars had the mascara applicator been better, but I can only manage 2 stars and that's being generous at that.
My other mascara reviews:
Revlon Lash Fantasy Primer and Mascara
MAC Splashproof Lash
Maybelline Skyhigh Curves Waterproof Mascara
Smashbox Layer Lash Primer
Avon Astonishing Lengths Waterproof Mascara
Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara
L'Oreal Panoramic Curl Mascara
Thanks to Shantel575 for adding this product to our database.
Recommended:
No
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