L'Oreal PRO XXL VOLUME MASCARA

I wasn't sure what to expect from this product as I had tried a similar product a few years ago with disastrous results (clumpy, straw-like). The first application (the white primer) went on nicely without any clumping. The black mascara went on smoothly and didn't look too spidery or thick. It didn't make my lashes look much thicker but they were considerably longer. I haven't noticed difference with lifting the lashes. Overall a nice product and not a bad price tag either.

Create instant fullness for your lashes in two easy steps thanks to the L'Oréal Paris Pro XXL Volume Mascara. I love long thick lashes, so I was excited to give this mascara a go. This is a 2-step mascara, which is designed to give volume and boost to your lashes creating a dramatic, intense look with longer lashes and a curl. The packing is an eye-catching silver tube, with a brush at each end, that feels comfortable enough in your hand but is heavier than a standard mascara. It doesn’t have any instructions printed on the tube itself, aside from identifying 1 and 2, so I took a bit of a guess at how to apply (you can also search this on the web). Firstly, you coat your lashes with the volumizing mascara primer then follow on with the ‘black booster’ to intensify the look. Each wand has a different shaped brush at the end – longer for the primer and curved for the second coat. I found doing the two steps closely together produced a better look, than letting the primer dry between coats, as it was easier to glide over the top. My eyelashes appeared to be thicker and longer with this mascara, with a dark black, but I’m not sure I saw the ‘3D’ affect I was expecting. I was concerned the layering of two products would result in a ‘clumpy’ look but this mascara didn’t clump nor flake off, even when wearing it all day – which was relief! Overall, this is a great mascara, but probably not something I would use daily for work or popping to the shops - more of a 'going out' mascara when I have additional time to apply, dry, and wear.

Arriving with no packaging and instructions, I wasn't sure if the primer was supposed to be left to dry or the mascara was to follow straight away so I tried both. Personally, I found once the primer dried fully it became very stiff and made it difficult for the mascara to glide over the top particularly well so I went with applying the primer and then following straight on with the mascara. This way it covers the lashes much easier, but I am unsure if in doing this if I am diluting the volumising quality of the primer if it was intended to dry first?...

The primer is a luminous white and very thick. There is so much product on the straight shaped wand when you open it, I would wipe off the excess but it still seemed very goopy to apply. The Mascara brush is curved and good to follow the lash line with. The product is an intense jet black colour, it went on smoothly and provided good coverage. Ends of the wand are numbered with a 1 for Primer and 2 for Mascara which helps to identify what end of the product you're aiming to use.

Volume - I found nothing especially XXL about it. The coating of primer followed by mascara seemed similar to simply applying two coats of most mascaras I have ever tried.  I found the application of primer and mascara lasted the whole day though, and was easily removed at the end of the day.

Personal preference, but I found the very long wand with pointed rounded ends less user friendly - I like to put my mascara tube down while applying the mascara and found this less easy to do as it could not stand upright on its uneven surface. I also found the wand & unopened tube just a bit too long for me liking while applying the product. 

So overall I found the product itself suitable enough, but personally I would not rush to purchase again as the cons of the primer thickness, stiffness once dried, and wand length and shape, outweigh the pros of an intense black mascara which provides good coverage and lasts the day through. It just wasn't the 'XXL volume' I was hoping for in this product,

I was lucky enough to be picked for a trial team for this mascara. The tube is very sleek and quite weighty as far as mascaras go. There is a primer and a mascara at opposite ends of the tube. The primer wand is a fairly standard hourglass shape which I like. The primer itself is white and reasonably thick consistency but it does glide on easily. It separated and defined my lashes really well and definitely picked up all the little fine lashes. I wasn't sure if I was meant to let it dry before putting the mascara on top as there's no instructions but I decided to give it a minute before proceeding. The mascara wand is curved with medium length bristles. The formula is thick rather than wet which I find easier to work with. The curved brush does a good job of grabbing all my lashes. The mascara gives awesome volume with nice defined lashes but I was pleasantly surprised at how much length I got with it too. My lashes looked amazing, thick, long and well defined without a clump in sight. I have tried so many mascaras and this gave some of the best results and easily beat most of the high end volume mascaras I've tried. There is just one wee snag, it runs at the slightest sign of moisture. My eyes can get a bit watery and I often got in the car to go to work in the morning to see I had a small tide mark under my eyes in the rear view mirror. It was easy enough to fix up with a careful swipe or two but something to be mindful of. I found it easy enough to remove at the end of the day, I double cleanse and the oil based cleanser easily took care of it. Overall I really love the mascara, if there was a waterproof version it would be my holy grail.

This is a great mascara and perfect for everyday. Super easy to apply with the 2 steps. First coat lashes with the primer then top with mascara. This was easy to do and i found the applicator brushes really good to use, they're nice and firm which ensures good coverages of all lashes. It definitely adds volume and lengthens lashes without feeling too heavy or clumpy like some mascaras can be. It lasts all day without smuging and I have also found that at the end of the day its really easy to remove with a bit of make up remover.

I was quite excited to receive the L’Oréal xxl mascara to see if it could make a difference to my lashes.

It’s quite a big mascara container as it has the primer at one end and the mascara at the other but you soon get used to it.

The first step is the primer and you apply this with a straight brush which helps to spread it evenly. It was strange coating my lashes in white. It’s very easy to put on and my lashes were ready for step two.

The mascara brush is curved and goes on easily over the primer. I was worried it would look quite clumpy but it looked really even, and made my lashes look fantastic.

I haven’t tried lash extensions but I feel this mascara is somewhere in between lash extensions and normal mascara.

It definitely made an impact as I’ve had a couple of people comment about my lashes since wearing it.

The size of the mascara handle is a bit bigger than I’m used it doesn’t take long to get used to.

I’d definitely recommend this product if you want more impact than normal mascara but not quite lash extensions.

Although this mascara was lovely to apply and looked great, it all ended up under my eyes after a few hours. Most mascaras don’t do this when using a primer so not sure why this one did. It was convenient having a primer and mascara in the same package but also the labelling could be improved as without my glasses on it was difficult to see which end was 1or 2. I wouldn’t use this product again as I have used far better primers/mascara before.

Was a bit confused when it arrived as it didn’t come with any packaging so wasn’t sure what to do with a 2 ended mascara. Thankfully Mr Google had the answer, which in hindsight wasn’t that difficult to work out. First use the end (1) and apply, then use end (2) and apply. (1) Is a brush coated in a white substance (primer), which when applied adds volume and length to your lashes, then (2) Is a second brush which is the black mascara and this is applied over the first coat.

On first use, I only applied one coat of each and it definitely adds length, and some volume. On second use I tried adding two coats of the black mascara, but it tended to become a bit clumpy so my advice is to stick to just the one coat of each. Also best to apply them straight after each other, I didn’t find any need to let the first coat dry before applying the second. It stayed on all day without flaking and was easy to remove with my normal cleansing routing in the evening.

The only downside was when applying the black mascara the brush did get quite clumpy on the end, so my tip is to keep a tissue handy to wipe off the tip of the brush.

It definitely made my lashes look longer and more noticeable. I’d highly recommend and would absolutely purchase again. The females in my family just might find one in their Christmas stockings this year to try!!

I was very excited to try this mascara. It looks very attractive with its shape and size, draws your eyes to it. Unfortunately, every time I put it on, I would find it smudging down my eyes everyday. I have never had this issue with any other mascara i have previously used.

I tried it both with and without the primer to see what kind of a difference it made, and didn’t feel the primer added much of a difference to the effect the mascara had other than slightly filling them out.

It gave a nice fullness and length, but not what it advertised.

I sometimes have sensitive eyes and this didn’t give me any irritation which is good.

With trepidation I opened my mascara package, hopefully to find one to meet my needs. I have short and sparse lashes. So the label says XXL Volume. We know L'Oreal makes great products, but could it solve my lash problem. Here goes ... It is a two step process, but easier and quicker than I expected. The first step seemed to isolate and prime lashes ready for the big promise of things to come. The second step coats and highlights the lashes easily. They looked longer and thicker. They didn't smudge or flake off at all and best of all, they didn't need a second or third coat as other mascaras have needed. My lashes looked great all day, was I impressed, yes! Happy with the product, yes! Would I buy it again? YES! The price is comparable with most mascaras, it didn't irritate my eyes like some others had, therefore in my eyes, it's a winner.