L’Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Balm Noir Mascara

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.

As an avid fan of the higher end mascara products, I was definitely super sceptical of this product from L'Oreal, as I am admittedly a bit of a brand snob sometimes.

However, this little number really surprised me! I really liked the flexibility and design of the wand, you'll be hard-pressed to have clumpy lashes with this wand. Moreover, the formula of the product is really smooth, silky and applies beautifully. I have naturally really long eyelashes and will always curl before application but this mascara makes it look almost like I've had a natural set of eyelash extensions (yes, it's that good). I usually wipe the end of the wand out of habit but with this product, you really don't need to do that (the claims are mostly true).

I think that when you consider the price point as well, this product really outdoes itself. It beats its more expensive counterparts and if you're on the hunt for a wallet-friendly mascara that really does add length to your lashes, this is your pick.

The only thing I will say it doesn't do as much is creating excessive fullness. However, this isn't something I personally mind as I'm a huge fan of adding lashes on top to achieve that effect.

Finding a mascara that glides on smoothly, lasts all day and has minimal clumping is hard to find, but this product did just that for me! The mascara didn't overload itself on the brush and there wasn't an excess of it going onto my lashes. This made it easy to control how much I wanted to use and it went on really smoothly. I found one swipe to be enough, especially for the daytime, but could easily apply a second coat if I wanted a more dramatic look. I only noticed one or two minor instances of clumping, but this was easy to remedy and was still a lot better than some other products I've used in the past. The price is fairly reasonable for a good quality mascara, and I expect it to last a while too. I would definitely repurchase this mascara again, and the thought of it having lash-nourishing ingredients in it is comforting!

After using this product for nearly a week straight, it has out-performed my usual go-to mascara, which I was pleasantly surprised by. The colour is very black, which is exactly what I look for and the consistency is thick and easy to work with, without being overly thick or clumpy. The applicator brush is great and with the right amount of product (it picks up a lot of product and I ended up consistently having to scrape LOTS off to prevent overloading my lashes), but once you've got that right it applies easily and lasts all day. However, despite only applying two thin coats I had a little flaking happening under my eyes, and some rub-off on my orbital bone a few times, nothing major, but I didn't expect that to happen with using such a small amount. It did not perform very well in the gym though, which is kind of to be expected with a mascara that isn't waterproof, but came off very nicely when I use my TO Squalane cleanser. I don't know about the claim of 7x more volume though... how would you even gauge that? It definitely defines the lashes well and didn't clump up for me, but I always do only 2 thin coats, so would be interesting to see the result with more coats I guess. All in all it performed well and make my lashes look amazing, I just had to check for specks from time to time when I went to the bathroom.

Firstly, the packaging of this mascara looks great, it's sleek and looks more like a lip product due to the clear tube. I love the brush, it has super fine bristles, which separated and fanned out my lashes very well. The first coat gave a fuller and darker appearance to my lashes, but it still looked natural which I like. The formula feels thinner than other mascaras I've used and I think this along with the fine bristles is why it rarely clumps. There was minor clumping once for me, but I had put it over a dry first layer that time (See tips below). It does take longer to dry than other mascaras in my experience. The second coat gives a much fuller look but I wouldn't say 7x more volume personally. Neither coat made my lashes feel stiff. My lashes aren't naturally curled and don't tend to hold a curl very well. I found that this mascara gave a slight lift to my lashes without a curler, and when I curled my lashes, it did hold most of the curl. I think if the formula dried faster it would hold a curl better. I like the shape of the brush, it was easy to coat all my lashes including my lower lashes without getting mascara everywhere. It lasted all day for me, and didn't irritate my eyes which can be sensitive to eye makeup. I forgot I was wearing it at one point and rubbed my eyes because I had a migraine and it flaked a little. I think drugstore mascara prices are getting really close to some high end brand mascaras, but I do love that the ingredients in this one are 99% natural origin and it is suitable for sensitive eyes. Overall, I really like this mascara and will continue to use it. I might even replace it when I run out.

Okay so I am insanely picky with mascara.

I cannot stand anything that makes my straight yet long lashes not hold a curl or anything that's too clumpy. Usually I find volumising mascaras tend to sit in "team clumpy".

So when I was invited to this trial and saw it said "balm mascara" I thought maybe I'll give this a go.

I have used this for my zoom calls - Aucklands in lockdown and let's face it. We're all doing bare minimum to look human on zoom.

On the first call with one of my team one of the girls asks "are you wearing falsies?!". I wasn't. It was this mascara.

It doesn't claim to lengthen but does hold a curl beautifully and it's very soft. My lashes still feel like my own.

I will say it was a little hard to remove but that may just be me. A good oil cleanser will get rid of this fairly well.

All in all I'm pretty happy with this and will continue to use this!

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!

I always tend to seek out mascara that are suitable for sensitive eyes; I suffer from easily irritated eyes, be it hayfever or just the cold air. On paper the Volume Million Lashes Balm Noir sounds perfect for me - and it pretty much is!

I love that the formula is full of the big NOs - no silicones, mineral oils or parabens. All things I try to avoid in my cosmetics. I would have thought fragrance-free was a given for mascaras, but as they're advertising this as fragrance-free I guess it isn't!

The brush collects just the right amount of product to coat the lashes evenly, top and bottom. It does definitely separate lashes, and they remain neat and evenly fanned out even with a second or third coat. No clumping at all.

The only downside is it does smudge a little towards the end of the day, but that's par for the course for a washable mascara I'd say.

All up I'm happy with my volumised lashes and would totally buy this again!

I usually buy cult favourites of mascara like better than sex or Jeffree star mascara so to try one you can just grab from the chemist or supermarket was awesome. I’m really impressed with this mascara really fans the lashes out while giving length and volume. Not clumpy or spider lash giving. Does not transfer to eyelids or go everywhere smudge etc. I would definitely buy this one again