“Volume builds up. Lashes sparkle. A concentrate of
beautiful, intense pigments adorns your lashes, which appear to have up to 6
times more volume.”
My latest review is for Lancôme’s Hypnose mascara.
I’ll be up front and honest here and say that I don’t particularly have any kind of brand loyalty where it comes to mascara. Mascara is probably the cosmetic product that I use the most, so you would think I would also be the most discerning about it, but this hasn’t proven to be the case.
For the most part, mascara has been something that I relied on heavily just to – well – not look stupid. That might sound weird, but let me explain. I’m a natural (dark) blonde, and as such my eyelashes are also very fair as well. So much so that, if I don’t wear mascara, it almost looks like I don’t have any, which in turn just makes my eyes look very odd (and coupled with my pale complexion, I look almost albino without makeup). So even on those very rare days where I’m braving the world bare-faced, even when I’m so sick that the idea of messing around with makeup makes me want to pass out – even then, I have to wear a coat of mascara.
I’ve tried all kinds of mascaras. Victoria’s Secret, Max Factor, Maybelline, Collection 2000, Avon, MAC, Make Up For Ever god only knows what else. Some have been better than others, obviously, but I’ve never actually *loved* a mascara. Okay, okay, we use the word “love” far too loosely. I’ve never really really liked any particular mascara. As long as it didn’t clump and it made my lashes black, well, I’d wear it and I would deal.
But this mascara is more than that. It manages to emphasize my lashes, adding a slight curl – although I still curl my lashes before applying anyway – definitely making them black and thick looking, adding a bit of length. Which is basically everything you can ask for in a mascara. The thing is though, even though the mascara itself is very thick and kind of creamy in texture, it’s generally really good for not clumping. And if there’s one thing that will make me hate a mascara it is a brand that creates clumpey spider-spikes. One coat of this mascara and I’m good to go. (Unlike the Maybelline mascara I used to wear, that required at least two coats to add any definition at all. One coat would colour but that’s basically it) In fact, this mascara does such a good job of what it *should* be doing that I no longer feel the need to use a lash primer underneath, which is something I’d been relying heavily on for a while.
There really isn’t much else to say about this mascara, other than it is good, it does what it is supposed to (though SIX times the volume is probably a bit of a stretch if we're being real) and you should try it. So instead of rambling inanely I’m going to get on to the final ratings and writeup:
Pros
- Very nice dark, black colour
- I really like the brush. It's a standard brush but those weird plastic spikey ones never apply well in my experience so I like this.
- Does everything a mascara should do - adds volume, lengthens, darkens!
- Doesn't clump with one coat, which is really all I need to use
Cons
- The promised "six times volume" is a bit of a stretch - it's good but not as good as the product description would have you believe
- At £22 it's pretty pricey for a mascara
- If you like to wear multiple coats then this is very likely to clump (one coat though and you will be fine though, two coats and you need to be careful with application.)
Ratings
Quality: 4.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
Does What It Says: 4/5
Packaging: 5/5
Bonus*: N/A
TOTAL: 17/20
