{"id":236,"date":"2025-04-18T18:39:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T18:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/?p=236"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:27:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:27:20","slug":"does-loreal-voluminous-actually-outperform-revlon-mascara-for-length-and-volume-or-is-it-just-better-marketing__1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/?p=236","title":{"rendered":"Does L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous Actually Outperform Revlon Mascara for Length and Volume, or Is It Just Better Marketing__1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c63e80604217.41066765.jpg\" alt=\"Does L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous Actually Outperform Revlon Mascara for Length and Volume, or Is It Just Better Marketing__1\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c63e833b4859.67773065.jpg\" alt=\"Does L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous Actually Outperform Revlon Mascara for Length and Volume, or Is It Just Better Marketing__1\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c63e86256c10.59891873.jpg\" alt=\"Does L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous Actually Outperform Revlon Mascara for Length and Volume, or Is It Just Better Marketing__1\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/bestofashion.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ly_ai_69c63e88eece25.39291720.jpg\" alt=\"Does L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous Actually Outperform Revlon Mascara for Length and Volume, or Is It Just Better Marketing__1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You know that moment when you\u2019re standing in the drugstore aisle, staring at two pink tubes that basically look identical, and you realize you\u2019ve spent fifteen minutes of your life comparing brushes? That was me last Tuesday. L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous on the left, Revlon So Fierce on the right. Both promising &#8220;instant volume,&#8221; both under $10, both claiming to change your life or at least your eyelashes. I bought both. Obviously. My wallet cried a little but my curiosity cried louder.Here\u2019s the thing about mascara. It\u2019s personal. Like, weirdly personal. What works for your best friend might make you look like you have three spider legs glued to your eyelid. I\u2019ve been burned before. Spent $8 on a &#8220;clump-free&#8221; formula that clumped so bad I had to start my entire makeup over. So this test? It needed to be thorough. One week. Two eyes. Different formulas every day. My coworkers definitely thought I was having some kind of crisis.<strong>First impressions: the wands matter more than we admit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s brush is fat. Like, almost too fat. The kind of brush that makes you nervous you\u2019re going to poke your eye out. Revlon\u2019s is curved, plastic, with these little spikes that look aggressive. I stared at them both for a while. Which one would actually grab my lashes? The bristle density on the L\u2019Or\u00e9al felt promising. Soft, fluffy, like it would coat everything. Revlon\u2019s felt more like a comb. Precision tool versus blanket coverage. I started with L\u2019Or\u00e9al on my right eye, Revlon on the left. Looked ridiculous. Felt like science.The first coat went on. L\u2019Or\u00e9al was immediate drama. Black, thick, almost too much. I panicked slightly. Revlon was&#8230; subtle? Defined, sure, but where was the volume? I waited thirty seconds. Second coat. L\u2019Or\u00e9al started getting chunky. Revlon started building. Interesting. Very interesting. By the third coat\u2014because I\u2019m excessive and needed to know the limits\u2014L\u2019Or\u00e9al was approaching spider territory. Revlon was still separating, still adding length, but the volume never quite caught up.<strong>But here\u2019s where I started questioning everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Is volume actually what we want? Or do we just think we want it because marketing tells us &#8220;voluminous&#8221; is the goal? I looked at my two eyes in the mirror. Right eye (L\u2019Or\u00e9al) was bold. Statement. &#8220;I am wearing mascara.&#8221; Left eye (Revlon) was softer. &#8220;I have nice lashes.&#8221; Both valid. Both completely different vibes. This wasn\u2019t going to be a simple winner-takes-all situation.I started asking myself: what am I actually looking for in a mascara? For work, Revlon\u2019s subtlety felt appropriate. For dinner, L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s drama felt fun. But could I only own one? The horror. Let\u2019s be real, most of us have multiple mascaras for multiple moods. But if you\u2019re on a budget, if you\u2019re a one-tube person, which direction do you go?<strong>The wear test revealed things the mirror didn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<header data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\" style=\"position: sticky; left: 0px; top: 0px;\"><span data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\u8868\u683c<\/span>  <\/header>\n<table data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<thead data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Test Condition<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Revlon So Fierce<\/th>\n<th align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">8-hour office day<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Flaked slightly at hour 6, some smudging under eye<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Held perfectly, no transfer<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">My office is dry, air conditioning everywhere<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Humid walk (30 mins)<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Major smudge on lower lash line<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Minimal smudging, mostly held<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">This was the dealbreaker for me<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Crying (sad movie)<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Ran. Obviously ran.<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Also ran, but less dramatically<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Both waterproof versions exist, I should\u2019ve bought those<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Removal<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Required actual effort, cleansing balm<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">Came off easier, less tugging<\/td>\n<td align=\"left\" data-v-5c5bdb04=\"\">L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s staying power has a downside<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>That table took forever to format in my notes app. But the data matters. The humidity test especially. I live somewhere where summer exists. Where walking to get coffee shouldn\u2019t destroy your makeup. L\u2019Or\u00e9al failed me there. Not completely, but enough that I noticed. Enough that I was doing that subtle under-eye wipe in public, hoping nobody saw.<strong>Let&#8217;s talk about the formulas because &#8220;black&#8221; isn&#8217;t just black.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s pigment is intense. Carbon black, they call it. It looks like liquid eyeliner in tube form. Revlon\u2019s is black too, but softer. Less&#8230; aggressive? I wore them both on different days to the same meeting. Nobody complimented either. Rude. But I felt different. L\u2019Or\u00e9al made me feel like I had made an effort. Revlon made me feel like I was naturally put-together. The psychological effect of makeup is weird and real and I\u2019m not ashamed to admit it.I started wondering about the ingredients. Not because I\u2019m a chemist\u2014I\u2019m definitely not\u2014but because my eyes are sensitive. L\u2019Or\u00e9al made my eyes water on day three. Not badly, just enough to notice. Revlon didn\u2019t. Could be coincidence. Could be the fragrance\u2014L\u2019Or\u00e9al has that classic mascara smell, slightly chemical, slightly nostalgic. Revlon smells like&#8230; nothing? Plastic? Hard to describe. If you\u2019re sensitive to scents, this might matter. It mattered to me more than I expected.<strong>The brush debate: is bigger actually better?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>I tried applying L\u2019Or\u00e9al with a different wand\u2014took an old clean spoolie and transferred the formula. Worked better, honestly. Less clump, more control. Which made me realize: the formula is solid, the brush is just aggressive. Revlon\u2019s curved wand actually helped with the curl. Lifted my lashes without me having to break out the eyelash curler. For mornings when you\u2019re running late, that\u2019s gold. Pure gold.But some friends want that dramatic, false-lash look. What should we do? Let\u2019s keep reading below! I brought in my roommate for a second opinion. She has naturally long lashes. The kind I\u2019m jealous of. She tried both. Preferred L\u2019Or\u00e9al. Said Revlon &#8220;didn\u2019t do enough.&#8221; See? Personal. So personal. Her lashes are already long, so she wants thickness. My lashes are average, so I want length and definition. Different needs, different winners.<strong>Price point reality check: are we actually saving money?<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Both are around $8-9 regular price. Both go on sale for $5-6. The difference? L\u2019Or\u00e9al dries out faster. By week three, it was getting thick. Gloopy. That texture where you know it\u2019s going to start clumping no matter what you do. Revlon stayed consistent. Same thin, workable formula. So per-use cost might actually favor Revlon if you\u2019re not someone who replaces mascara every month like we\u2019re supposed to. (I don\u2019t. Judge me.)I started thinking about the &#8220;clean beauty&#8221; trend. Neither of these is clean. Both have chemicals with long names. But they\u2019re drugstore staples for a reason. They work. They\u2019ve worked for decades. Sometimes I think we overcomplicate makeup searching for the next new thing when the old thing was fine. Not great. Fine. There\u2019s comfort in fine.<strong>The flaking situation: a detailed breakdown.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Day one with L\u2019Or\u00e9al: perfect. Day four: tiny black dots under my eyes by 3pm. Day seven: noticeable flakes I had to brush away. Revlon? Consistent. No flakes. Ever. This might be the deciding factor for some people. If you wear contacts, if you rub your eyes, if you have long days\u2014flakes are the enemy. L\u2019Or\u00e9al gives you glamour but demands attention. Revlon is the low-maintenance friend who just shows up and does the job.I kept asking: am I being too hard on L\u2019Or\u00e9al? It\u2019s a classic for a reason. Makeup artists love it. Beauty editors recommend it. But maybe that\u2019s the problem. Legacy status means it gets passes on things newer formulas have solved. The smudging, the drying out, the occasional irritation. We forgive because it\u2019s familiar. Like that ex you keep going back to even though you know better.<strong>Final verdict? Not that simple.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>If you want drama, if you want people to notice your lashes from across the room, if you\u2019re willing to check a mirror occasionally\u2014L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous delivers. It\u2019s not perfect. It requires work. But the payoff is there. That old-Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor, look-at-me lash.If you want something you can apply in a moving vehicle (passenger seat, obviously), something that stays where you put it, something that won\u2019t betray you at hour five\u2014Revlon is your friend. It\u2019s not exciting. It\u2019s reliable. Like a good pair of jeans.I\u2019m keeping both. Rotating based on mood. But if my house was burning and I could only grab one? Probably Revlon. The consistency matters more to me than the drama. But ask me on a Friday night when I\u2019m getting ready for drinks? Different answer entirely.The mascara battle doesn\u2019t have a winner. It has preferences. And maybe that\u2019s the real lesson. Stop letting TikTok tell you what to buy. Buy both. Test them. Be your own judge. Your lashes, your rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You know that moment when you\u2019re standing in the drugstore aisle, staring at two pink tubes that basically look identical, and you realize you\u2019ve spent fifteen minutes of your life comparing brushes? That was me last Tuesday. L\u2019Or\u00e9al Voluminous on the left, Revlon So Fierce on the right. Both promising &#8220;instant volume,&#8221; both under $10, &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16,17],"class_list":["post-236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loreal-skincare-review","tag-does-loreal-voluminous-actually-outperform-revlon-mascara-for-length-and-volume","tag-or-is-it-just-better-marketing__1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=236"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofashion.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}