You know I love doing these Mascara Monday posts - nothing really shows the power of mascara like a good before and after! This week I caved and tried a very hyped mascara by a long known brand to the mascara world, Lancome Grandiose Wide-Angle Fan Effect Mascara
Let's see how I got on, shall we?
Lancome claims that: This revolutionary, Swan Neck™ Wand Mascara provides exceptional length, lift, and volume to all lashes. It also claims to be 'ultra black' 'high gloss' and 'clump free'. You can see in the before (far left) and afters what this mascara looks like in one, two and three coats.
Upon my first coat I was a little disappointed; I wasn't getting any volume but it was giving me length. So a second coat went on, which I would do anyways and it started to build, but also started to clump. In this time I did however notice that the short length of the brush and the curve in the wand did in fact let me get into all the nooks and crannies of my lashes.
As I got on to the third coat things started to get much thicker, but the potential for clumping was higher. I would definitely recommend keeping a lash comb handy!
In these two pictures I think you can really see how thick looking this was on the lashes, especially from the side view. The shot on the right shows that the curl did droop a bit once it dried, but I think it was minimal compared to most mascaras that aren't waterproof. I'm guessing that might have something to do with a higher wax content, as most waterproof formulas have, but it did run the minute it got wet, so I would say it certainly isn't smudge proof.
Another claim I didn't get was the high gloss tag - I found this mascara to be a drier formula. Even on the wand it looked flat and not as glossy black as some formulas I've used (I actually prefer my mascaras not to be overly shiny).
Overall, while I love me a good volumizing mascara, this left me on the fence. It did hold a curl well, which is usually the #1 important check on my list, but I didn't love the heavier feel of it on my lashes. The wand is helpful having the bend, but I often bend the bristles of my mascara wands to better reach corners anyways. I'm guessing it wont be long before a drugstore brand (no doubt probably L'Oreal) comes out with something similar.
Have you tried the Lancome Grandiose Mascara? is it worth the hype for you? Which high end mascara do you think is worth the hype and price tag? Let me know in the comments below!
