Does L’Oréal Voluminous Mascara Really Deliver That False Lash Effect Everyone’s Talking About_

So here’s the thing. You’ve probably scrolled past it a hundred times. That iconic pink-and-green tube. L’Oréal Voluminous Original. It’s been sitting in drugstores since what, like 1990-something? And yet people still buy it. Like, millions of people. Every single month. Which got me thinking—what’s actually happening here? Is this just nostalgia talking, or does this $9 mascara genuinely compete with the $30+ options I’ve got cluttering my vanity?I grabbed one last Tuesday. No special occasion, just… curiosity, I guess? My lashes are pretty average. Not stubby, not dramatic. Just… there. You know how some people’s eyes pop even without makeup? Yeah, that’s not me. I need help. So when the packaging promises “full, soft, thick lashes” and mentions that collagen-infused formula, my skeptical brain goes okay, prove it.First application was… messy. Not gonna lie. The brush is fat. Like, comically large compared to the skinny plastic wands everyone uses now. But that’s kind of the point? The bristles are packed tight, and when you pull it out, there’s product everywhere on that thing. I had to wipe the excess on the tube rim—which, by the way, is exactly what my mom used to do. Weird flashback moment.Here’s what surprised me though. One coat looked decent. Two coats looked good. Three coats? Suddenly I’m understanding why this thing has cult status. My lashes went from “meh” to “wait, are those extensions?” Not clumpy-spider-leg extensions. Just… dense. Dark. Visible from across the room. The kind of lashes that make people do a double-take when you’re ordering coffee.But let’s get into the actual questions people keep asking me about this, because I’ve been testing this for a week straight now and I’ve got thoughts.Does it actually stay on all day or does it flake everywhere?

Okay so day one, I put it on at 8am. By 6pm, I checked the mirror expecting raccoon eyes because that’s just… my life with mascara usually. But nothing. No flakes on my cheeks, no smudges under my eyes. I even rubbed my eyes once—bad habit, I know—and it stayed put. However. And this is important. However. If your eyes water a lot, or if you’re someone who gets oily eyelids (hi, that’s me in summer), you might see some transfer by hour 8 or 9. It’s not waterproof, remember? So there’s that trade-off. Easy removal versus bulletproof staying power.What about the clumping issue everyone mentions?

Yeah, okay, this is valid. The formula is thick. Like, old-school thick. Not that watery, buildable stuff Glossier makes. This is more… committed. Once it’s on, it’s ON. Which means if you mess up the application, you’re committed to that mess too. My technique now—because I’ve figured this out through trial and error—is to wiggle the brush at the base, then sweep up in one motion. Don’t pump the wand in the tube. That’s rookie mistake number one and introduces air bubbles that make everything clump city.Is the carbon black version actually different or just marketing?

I bought both. Because I’m that person. The regular black is… fine? It’s black. But the carbon black? It’s black black. Like, absorbs-light black. Makes your eyes look bigger somehow. I don’t know if that’s science or psychology but I’m not questioning it. If you’re going for drama—and honestly why else would you buy a mascara called “Voluminous”—spend the extra dollar and get the carbon black.How does it compare to the expensive stuff?

This is where it gets interesting. I have a $32 mascara from Sephora in my drawer right now. Won’t name names but it’s French, starts with D, costs way too much. Is the application experience more luxurious? Sure. The tube feels heavier, the brush is weighted, it smells fancy. But the result? Looking at photos I took of both eyes on different days, I genuinely can’t tell which is which. My friend guessed wrong when I asked her. She picked the L’Oréal side as the expensive one because “the lashes look fuller.” So.There’s also this weird thing where high-end mascaras dry out faster? Or maybe I just don’t use them as consistently so they sit there getting gummy. But my L’Oréal tube? Still perfect consistency after three weeks of daily use. That collagen they put in there apparently helps with the flexibility, so your lashes don’t get that crispy, crunchy feeling by 3pm. You can actually touch them and they bend. Small thing, but noticeable.What about removal? Because waterproof mascaras are a nightmare.

Not waterproof, like I said. Regular face wash takes it off. Micellar water works instantly. No tugging, no losing three eyelashes every night. My lash line isn’t irritated, which was happening with my previous tubing mascara. That stuff required industrial-strength remover and I think I was pulling out more lashes than I was saving.Let me show you what this actually looks like in practice, because numbers help:

The pattern I’m seeing? You’re paying 3-4x more for maybe 2 extra hours of wear time and a fancier tube. Whether that’s worth it depends on your budget and whether you’re the type of person who reapplies makeup during the day anyway. (I’m not. Once it’s on at 8am, that’s my face until bedtime.)But does it work on short lashes?

My sister has those barely-there blonde lashes that point downward. She tried it when she visited and her reaction was “holy shit, I have eyes.” The brush’s size actually helps here because it grabs every single lash, even the tiny corner ones. She did mention the learning curve though—that first application took her like ten minutes because she kept getting it on her eyelid. But once she got the angle right? Game changer.What about the curved brush version?

Didn’t try that one. The original straight brush works fine for my eye shape, but I’ve heard the curved version is better if you have really straight lashes that need lifting. Something about the shape helping with the curl. Might grab that one next just to compare.Here’s my personal take after living with this for a while. Is it perfect? No. The packaging feels cheap because it is cheap. The brush is oversized and takes practice. If you want natural, “no-makeup” makeup, this is the wrong product entirely—it delivers presence, not subtlety.But for that specific thing where you want to look like you have twice as many lashes as you actually do? Without spending lunch money for a week? It’s kind of unbeatable. The fact that makeup artists still use this on red carpets, that beauty editors admit to keeping it in their kits alongside $50 options, that my mother and I can now bond over sharing makeup tips because we both use the same thing… there’s something there.I think we’ve been conditioned to believe that price equals quality in cosmetics. And sometimes that’s true! Skincare, foundation, sure, invest away. But mascara? It’s literally just wax and pigment and maybe some conditioning agents. The technology isn’t proprietary. L’Oréal figured out the formula decades ago and hasn’t changed it because… why would they? It works.If you’re on the fence, just buy it. Worst case, you’re out ten bucks and you have a backup for emergencies. Best case, you stop spending $30 on mascara and use that money for something that actually matters. Like coffee. Or rent. Or more mascara, I guess, if you’re into collecting. No judgment.Hope this helps you decide whether to join the pink-and-green tube club. It’s crowded in here, but there’s room for one more.