L'Oreal PRO XXL EXTENSION MASCARA

If I had to name one makeup product I couldn’t live without it would be mascara. I love trying out new mascara and love it even more when it stacks up to the hype and delivers on what it says it would.

I loved that this mascara did live up to its name.

Step one gave me the best results, my lashes appeared longer which I loved.

Step two was supposed to apply fibers to give extra length but I didn’t really notice a difference with this step.

I found the formula to be on the drier side, I would’ve liked it to be a bit more wet as I feel that applies better.

I loved the shape of the wand and found it coated the lashes nice and evenly.

The best part of using this was that it didn’t clump my lashes together as most mascaras do especially when applying two coats.

It was handy to have the primer and fibre in the one tube of mascara as this saves space in the makeup bag and saves time with application.

All in all it’s a great mascara and I’d happily continue using it.

This mascara arrived with no excess packaging, perfect! The 2 ends are clearly labelled ‘1’ and ‘2’ so you know which to apply first. Step 1, the volumising primer, has a straight brush. I found this very easy to apply, and was the only coat I applied to my bottom lashes and it was perfect for them. Step 2 has a curved application brush. This was simple to apply and get onto those small inner lashes. There was no clumping from either mascara. I was disappointed with the amount of extension provided by this mascara. I didn’t feel it was any more than I have achieved with other mascaras, so the name ‘XXL’ seems a bit excessive. I did find that throughout the day, some of the filaments fell out around my eyes. Even worse when I accidentally swiped them causing smudges. Given the price, I think you can achieve the same, if not better, look with cheaper mascaras

I really wanted to love this because for special occasions I currently use two different mascaras, one for volume and one for length and this 2 in one product could've solved this. However, unfortunately I didn't love it. I really liked the volumising step one on it's own, I felt it did a great job of adding volume without clumps and the brush didn't have an excess amount of product on it like some mascaras do. But I found when I added step two, the lengthening mascara, it didn't really add to the overall look except for going clumpy and making multiple lashes stick together which kind of undid the volumising effect of step one. So I'll continue to use it but only step one and I don't think I'd buy it again.

The first thing I noticed was the cheap looking finishing on the product packaging. Some of the silver coating in the center was already chipping off when it arrived - not really what I expect from a brand new product.

The application was simple enough, coat with a swipe of step 1 then a coat again with step 2. The curved brush shape seemed to give good coverage and make it easier to get those corner lashes.

But the application was not clump free as claimed - it wasn't terrible but definitely made a few clumps on my lashes. I also found the mascara took quite a while to dry, bits coming off on my top eye lid and sticking top and bottom lashes together in the corners which is never a great feeling.

I think that the design of the bottle could be improved too as it felt like the wands should be screwed in the opposite way (ie with the product in the center and the wands coming off rather than the other way around). As the packaging is all curved it doesn't feel safe to put the mascara down as you apply, so I could only use one hand. It made me feel worried that I was going to absent mindlessly drop it and torch something else and and get mascara everywhere.

Wearing the product was the real disappointment though. After 4 hours of not leaving the house and only working in my home office, I looked in the mirror and the mascara was already flaking off, giving me that grey under eye smudgy look that we all try to avoid. I tried again the next day, this time I went and worked at a cafe, but when I got up and looked in the bathroom mirror I was so embarrassed by how bad it looked I thought stuff this - never wearing this again! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's a NO from me!