I have been wanting to do a review on this product since the first week of having it. I have had it now for about a month, maybe a little less than a month. I have worn it quite a few times now. I will say that I did pick up the waterproof version of this mascara, it was by complete mistake, I usually do not like the waterproof versions of mascaras because my eyes are a bit on the sensitive side and I find that waterproof mascaras often times irritate my eyes. However, being that I didn't want to run it back to the store and I really wanted to try it, I decided to give the waterproof version a try.
THOUGHTS ON PACKAGING:
The packaging is really nice. Very sturdy and sleek looking. I love that it also snaps into place when you close it. It really helps to ensure that it is closed securely so that you know it's not going to dry out.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
When I first opened the mascara up, my first impression of the brush was that the brush was indeed a lot bigger than what I had thought it would be. It reminded me a lot of the brush that comes with the Rimmel ScandelEyes mascara, it is a tiny bit smaller than the Rimmel mascara but the brush is overall pretty much the same shape with the same bristles and spacing of the bristles. Here is a picture of the L'oreal Power Volume Collagen mascara wand beside the Rimmel ScandelEyes mascara wand. As you can see the L'oreal wand *on the left* is a little bit smaller than the Rimmel wand, but the overall appearance of the brushes are pretty much the same. The L'oreal brush has bristles that seem to be spaced a little bit farther apart than the Rimmel mascara as well but it is a subtle difference in my opinion. The picture below does make the L'oreal brush seem a bit more sparse than the Rimmel one, but guess that has to do with shadows and lighting because in person the brushes have very subtle differences.
Here is a close up picture of the L'oreal Volume Collagen Mascara wand/brush.
FINAL THOUGHTS & OPINION:
After using this mascara for awhile the first conclusion that I came to was that I should have went with my gut feeling and took it back and exchanged it for the regular version instead of the waterproof version. The waterproof version is extremely hard to get off. Even when I used my waterproof makeup remover it still took alot of work to get it off, which for some that may be a good thing. However, for me it was not so good. Since my eyes are more on the sensitive side it really bothers my eyes after I have it on there for about three to four hours. I find my eyes starting to feel a little heavy and I have that slight burning feeling and sometimes even experience a stinging sensation. So, with that being said, I would not recommend the waterproof version to anyone who does have sensitive eyes.
The mascara itself, I liked really well. The overall formula is really nice, not to wet, not to dry. It goes on really evenly I found with the first coat. However, I will say that you need to be careful when applying the second coat because it can start to make the lashes look a bit spidery, which for me isn't an issue because call me weird but I kind of like that look to my lashes to a certain extent. The brush does really good at separating my lashes too, especially on the first coat. I really love the way the brush makes my lashes appear alot thicker! As far as length goes, I really do think that this mascara does give some length as well as volume. It does give alot more volume than length but like I said, it did also appear to lengthen my lashes a bit.
So, if your looking for a mascara to seperate and volumize then I would recommend this mascara. It is a very nice mascara I think and I will buy this mascara again but next time I will make sure to not get the waterproof version!
