When I first read about L’Oréal Curl Impact Collagene Mascara (S$26.90), I was sceptical about its claim to work without the use of an eyelash curler. Sure enough, when I tried the press sample for the first time, it didn’t really curl my lashes and instead, the snaky curve of the brush had a tendency to smudge my upper lids.
Subsequent tries were more successful – the mascara went on well and to my surprise, it curled my lashes without a curler…and stayed that way for quite a while, thanks to its stellar waterproof formula. The effect was quite obvious too, given my subtle lashes. (As you can tell from my photos, my Chinese lashes are short, straight and hidden…a triple-whammy of bad lash luck, so I take what I can with regard to lash enhancement! :P)
What could’ve accounted for the disparity? I don’t know, really. Iris did speculate that my lashes could’ve been drier the subsequent times, aiding curling.
Besides its ability to help my poor lashes to stay up, I also love the blackness of this mascara – my lashes are very quickly intensified with just one coat of the cream.
The brush still smudges my lids at times – I need to carefully manoeuvre it such that the wand doesn’t leave an indelible mark. The smudge-proof quality is thus a double-edged sword: it holds a curl and lasts but once it sets, it’s difficult to remove. Although it claims to be easily removed with warm water, a proper cleanser like a cleansing oil removes it more thoroughly. I do like that it doesn’t have the stubbornness of certain smudge-proof mascaras. That said, this mascara has a tendency to flake during removal (it doesn’t do so when it’s on the lashes, though).
It can get clumpy too. While I do like the inkiness and hold, I could do without the clumping and the unwieldy shape of the brush. I’m not sure if the latter actually helps to curl my lashes but I’m fairly certain a regular curved brush could create a lash curl with the same formula.
