Wednesday 18 January 2012

Review: Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara

I have been a recent convert to Laura Mercier products after my initial delve into them with the Secret Camouflage proved to be a disappointment. I recently purchased a gift set in the Space NK sale for the bargainous price of £35 instead of £70 and this mascara was included in the set. Now I certainly don’t need more mascaras as they seem to breed in my makeup box (to the extent that even my hubby mentioned this fact during his speech at our wedding!) but I have been very impressed with this one since I’ve been using it over the past couple of weeks.
 
The packaging is the typical sleek, chic look expected from Laura Mercier and the mascara itself promises to dramatically thicken, lengthen, curl and sculpt lashes with each stroke. The lightweight, nutrient-infused formula leaves lashes super-shiny, soft and clump-free all day long.
 
The wand is a regular mascara wand which I found very easy to use, not so small it takes forever to coat all of your lashes and not too big you end up poking yourself in the eye with it (or is it just me that does that?!). The formula itself is rather wet, which I like as I find drier formulas end up clumping together quickly on me. It does mean it takes a minute or so to dry though – which I found out after putting my glasses on afterwards and promptly finding mascara smudges all over the lenses!! When dried, it felt soft and lightweight, which I must say I prefer to ‘crispy’ lashes. It almost felt like I wasn’t wearing any mascara at all but the effects of lengthening and thickening were very obvious.
 
I have pretty straight lashes which I tend to curl most days and this mascara did a fairly good job of maintaining the curl, although towards the end of my working day, they had drooped a little. I was pleased to discover there is no flaking under the eye with this product and it was very easy to remove at the end of the day (cough, Benefit They’re Real!, cough!).
 
Verdict
Whilst Laura Mercier’s Full Blown Volume Mascara will not give you a super dramatic false-lash effect, I do find it a very pleasing mascara for daytime use and it subtly enhances lashes for a natural effect. I particularly liked the fact that it was a wetter formula which dried to a soft touch and I would certainly consider re-purchasing (if I didn’t have a zillion and one mascaras in my box still to use!)
4/5
 
Price – £18.50
Where to Buy - Space NK, Liberty, John Lewis

7 comments:

  1. Great review! I love this mascara. I like that I can keep building it up. It's one of my fave high end mascaras.

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  2. Thanks for this review - I don't have a huge amount of Laura Mercier products as I find them quite overpriced, though that could just be here in Ireland... xo

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  3. I love this mascara, have raved about it so much on my blog haha! I've gone through a few of these and will definitely keep buying it, its great!

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  4. Ahh I love Laura Mercier and non-obvious mascara, so this sounds like a winner! Currently 'shopping my mascara stash' as I have too many hanging around too! xx

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  5. Tracy - thanks! It is really easy to build and layer up. No clumping on the second coat!

    Emma - they aren't cheap but apart from Secret Camouflage, I have been quite impressed. I find them a bit like Bobbi Brown, neutral but very flattering basics.

    Zara - Its good to hear you like it too!

    Krystyna - It gives a fab natural lash effect. And how do we always have so much mascara?!
    x

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  6. Thanks for this reviews, i actually just used this mascara today, it came in a sample makeup bag from laura mercier (at bloomys) and WOW- i love it- just like u said, tons of volume withouth that crispy heavy look- actually, i am a diorshow fan and am considering switching to this! Xoxo

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  7. Jo-Ann - Glad to hear you are enjoying using it too! I just love the natural look and feel of it and the fact it doesn't smudge, flake or end up halfway down my face by the end of the day!
    x

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