L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale Mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale mascara offers a daytime lash look at a bargain price. The product goes on easily and cleanly, but warrants little other praise. The formula feels stiff and tights after drying, and has a propensity to flake and smudge excessively, after even just a few hours of wear. If you are looking for a natural-looking drugstore mascara, you can do a lot better than L'Oreal's Voluminous Naturale.

For users accustomed to full mascara brushes, the tiny applicator of L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale mascara may look immediately miniscule. I like a small brush for reaching lower and inner lashes, but the very narrow and flexible wand made mascara application slightly challenging, as it bent repeatedly during the process.

The mascara itself coated my lashes easily, and I didn't experience any clumping. My lashes looked longer, but also unnaturally separated, resulting in a "spidery" appearance. Lashes did not appear fuller after one coat.

The real problem with this mascara developed a few hours after application, when I noticed the unsightly appearance of mascara flakes under my eyes. After a full day of wear, mascara had settled into the lines under my eyes (not a feature one wants to highlight) and had flaked off significantly. Further, my lashes felt dry and stiff. Removal with warm water was quick and easy, though this may be because most of the mascara had already disappeared from my lashes.

At less than $8, this mascara is affordable, but its flaws make it anything but a bargain. If you are looking for a natural-looking, everyday mascara that you can buy at the drugstore, you can do better than L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale.