L’Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Balm Noir Mascara

Let's start off with what I loved about this mascara - it's formula is fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, something my eyes are thankful for (application, wearing and removal I never had any eye irritation!).

The brush seems to be a little over-hyped, I wouldn't say it was anywhere near "individual lash by lash separation, for millionized lashes". It's not the worst brush, but it certainly didn't separate my lashes that well.

The mascara applied somewhat clumpy. I'm not sure what the "anti-clump wiper" is, but if it exists it wasn't removing excess formula like it was advertised.

Overall? Despite the mascara applying clumpy and the brush not separating lashes for "millionized" lashes, I actually liked it... I used a different mascara brush I keep on hand to separate my lashes after I applied it and it turned out great. My eyelashes looked thicker and longer, my eyes didn't get irritated and it lasted long enough for what I'd expect of a non-waterproof mascara (plus it was super easy to remove afterwards. No panda eyes!).

Is this the holy grail of mascaras I've been searching for? Unfortunately, no. Is it good enough for everyday occasions though? It sure is.

Let’s start with the packaging… sleek, smooth with no plastic in sight. The mascara fitted perfectly in the box and there was no cardboard wastage.

The mascara itself was easy to use and gave me brilliant results. I didn’t have to wait for it dry and then layer more on like other mascara because it gave me the lashes I was after. I was complimented on my makeup and it really took no effort at all. I would definitely recommended this product and once I run out, I think it’s going to be my go to from now on.

My review is unfortunately not as considered as I would like it to be when it comes to mascara, as I had a lash lift the day before this product turned up. Nevertheless, I trialed this mascara on the basis of colour, volume, formula and ease of use.

I want to preface this review by saying that I have never found "the perfect mascara" for me. Some apply amazingly, but flake. Some separate your lashes well and don't clump, but leave you looking a bit thin and flat. Here are some reasons why this mascara is a strong contender...

1. The product claims that the built in wiper removes excess product and IT ACTUALLY DOES. A pet peeve of mine is when the excess gets wiped but remains at the end of the brush and you still have to wipe that back into the tube. L'oreal have eliminated that nightmare in this mascara! Love! Effectively wiped excess means that the mascara does apply evenly and mitigates the likelihood of clumps forming. 2. It's black, it's noir. No oxidizing and ending up with grey looking mascara at the end of the day. 3. The formula is gentle. It doesn't flake and end up in your eyes. I actually slept in it last night (oops) and my eyes aren't sore and sensitive from having mascara rubbed into them. I mean, my entire face feels gross and chalky, but that's what you get when sleeping in makeup. I love that the formula of this mascara is fragrance free, hypoallergenic and contains no nasties.

Additionally, some considerations... 1. I did apply a few layers of mascara to get my lashes to appear fuller. Overloading the product did cause a couple of clumps to form but I separated these out with a clean spoolie wand. 2. I can't speak for the lifting properties of this mascara as my lashes have recently been lifted. I have long lashes but they are naturally quite flat and mascaras do not do much to fix that. I do have the inclination that this one would be no different but can't say that without having tested! I look forward to updating my review once my lashes cycle back to natural.

I'm always up for trying a new mascara, and so was excited to trial the L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Balm Noir.

First of all, I like the packaging. In black and gold it's very chic looking. The wand is fabulous, and it separated my lashes and layered the product on perfectly. (And the in-built excess wiper really does do the trick!)

This mascara made my lashes look super pretty - long, fluttery, black. Unfortunately, after the four hour mark it flaked and I ended up with panda eyes, more so than what I see with my favourite mascaras. I also found after cleansing my eye area I would still have panda eyes the next day.

I do love that this mascara uses 99% natural ingredients and that the wand is sourced from recycled plastic, but unfortunately the formula wasn't my favourite. Would I recommend it to friends? I would, because not everyone has as oily lids as mine. Would I reach for it again? Yes, but only if I was needing an eye look for an hour or two. What I will do though is keep the wand once the product is used up or expired, as the wand worked magic and will be great for separating clumpy lashes in the future.

A sucker for awesome packaging I picked this up. A really good product, doesn't seem to clump or be to drying on the last. It can smudge at times though, being that it is not waterproof

I love this addition to the Volume Million range, I have tried them all and love them all (even though I don't see much different between all the different variants to be honest). I use this daily and get so many comments, people often think I have extensions. No clumps, no smudging throughout the day, just long, thick lashes. What more can you ask for? My eyes can be a bit sensitive and this product doesn't sting like others can.

The Packaging on this Mascara is very luxe looking and feeling. Its heavy and feels like Glass with a gold handle and gold writing, it feels very high end.

The Brush and bristles are very nice, I like how bendable the wand is and was able to get all of my lashes without covering my face in it.

The colour of the mascara was a beautiful deep black. It claims to give 7x more volume, I have to say it really delivered on that. I usually struggle to find a mascara that gives me length and volume, I really loved the way this looked my eye lashes were so think and full and not clumpy even with a couple of coats.

Now to the clain that it lasts all day, within 6 hours I have panda eyes and flakes coming off, I have combo oilly skin, and work as a vet nurse so getting hot and moving around alot. the first time I had tried using two coats, so the next day I tried just one- it still looked lovely but again within 6 hours panda eyes and flakes.

I REALLY wanted to love this and on first application I thought this may be my new holy grail.

so hence the low rating- perhaps if you have a sedentary job or more of a dry complexion this may work better for you

This mascara is quite thick which I am often a bit cautious of because I don’t want clumpy lashes, but it didn’t really clump at all which was great. The applicator brush is great and easy to use, it has quite short bristle but that wasn’t a problem. It took a bit of extra effort to get all my lashes coated because it’s quite thick mascara, but once it was on they looked great! Unfortunately throughout the day I would notice little specks of it around my eyes as it started to crumble off which is not ideal at all. Overall I think it’s a fairly standard mascara, I think it’s easy to apply, and added great depth to my lashes, but didn’t last super long. So not bad at all, but not wonderful either.

I really enjoyed this mascara trial - thanks BR!

I like that it's suitable for sensitive eyes, its obviously a very gentle formula, I noticed no irritation even though I began using it just after a very painful Retinol reaction!

It really is anti-clump, separating lashes easily and evenly. No spider legs here, just longer, thicker lashes.

I wish it were waterproof as it does transfer easily, but I guess one mascara can't do it all and on a plus point the non-waterproof formula does make it easy to remove with your usual cleanser.

I'd say it's not one for the eye rubbers among us, but if you prefer a non-waterproof finish, or have sensitive eyes, this will give you dramatic lashes with no irritation or hassle!