Must-buy mascara is a hit among misses
By Lauren Kelly, Graphics Manager
After a love affair with the dramatic eyelashes given to me by Marc Jacobs’ Velvet Noir mascara, I was ready to try find a cheaper mascara that would give my eyelashes a similar look. I have been hearing great things about L’Oréal’s Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara, so I decided to pick it up in Blackest Black, alongside the Lash Paradise Mascara Primer and Lash Paradise Liquid Eyeliner in Rose Gold.
I have worn the Lash Paradise Mascara for the past two weeks, and I mostly really like it. It gives my lashes both increased volume and length so I can get the dramatic, long eyelashes I want, while having very little clumping even though the brush is big and doesn’t really seem to have any bristles to comb the lashes. One problem I had with the Marc Jacobs mascara is that I often had to be careful with finding the right balance, because it was easy to use too much. However, I haven’t found that at all with Lash Paradise, and I appreciate the easier application.
I do have two caveats, though. Firstly, this mascara is much more difficult to remove than any other I’ve used, and other people who use it have told me the same thing. Make sure you have a good eye makeup remover before picking this one up. Secondly (and this seems completely counter to the previous point), this stuff cries off super easily, so I wouldn’t wear it if you’re expecting to have a tough day. On the bright side, it looks awesome, so if neither of these points will be a problem for you, you’re golden.
On the other hand, the mascara primer did not work as well for me. I found that, while it coated my lashes well, it made the mascara look much clumpier and messier. To test it, I used the Lash Paradise Mascara on both eyes, with the primer under one. The lashes without primer were very well-defined compared to the ones with the primer, and they generally looked cleaner more deliberate. If you have a problem with lash volume, the primer might be worth a try as it definitely helped with that, but it’s not something I will use in the future.
Another disappointment was the eyeliner. The metallic rose gold shade was gorgeous, but the felt tip applicator applied the product in a very streaky way. My attempted cat eye look was filled with gaps and looked very messy. Unless you’re doing a single line, this eyeliner can’t really stand on its own as you can’t fill it in without removing product. It’s so finicky and specific that I wouldn’t recommend it. The liner also comes in black, which I did not try, but based on this I would go with a different brand. Only pick this up if you love the idea of having metallic rose gold eyeliner and are okay with sacrificing performance for that. For more information on a worthwhile eyeliner, check out my previous article “Beauty on a budget: A guide to felt-tip liquid liners.”
Ultimately, I would say the mascara is a definite pick-up for those of you who are seeking long dramatic lashes without worrying about clumping. Since it also comes in Black, Black-Brown, and Mystic Black, there’s a colour for every level of desired impact, and a Waterproof Blackest Black option will be good for days at the beach—and possibly those aforementioned “tough” days. However, I would mostly skip the primer and eyeliner. You can find the mascara and primer at London Drugs for $13.99 and the liner at $12.99, while Walmart sells them all for $10.96 each. If these prices are a bit steep, hold out for a sale—I picked them all up at Shoppers Drug Mart for $8.99 each with a regular price of $13.99.
