L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise: A Drugstore Wunderkind for Wonderful Length

loreal voluminous lash paradise
All this lash drama for less than $10. Thanks, L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise!

“I’d like two tickets to Lash Paradise, please! — one for me, and one for my awesomely affordable pink tube of mascara. Actually…make that three tickets, because I’m gonna need a separate seat for the added length. Yeah, because my lashes, which normally disappear into the background of my face, even after I curl them, look so incredibly long when I wear it that you’d think I was one of those genetically #blessed people.”

loreal voluminous lash paradise before after
Before, and after a single coat

I heard about Voluminous Lash Paradise, a new-ish addition to L’Oréal’s mascara family, from my friend Vanessa, who does makeup for weddings and celebs down in L.A. She was like, This is going to rock your world. I can’t live without it. I use it, and I use it on my clients, and…just GET THEE A TUBE ASAP. (In so many words.)

V, you weren’t playing!

I know it’s trite, but it’s like wearing falsies. The look is similar to Tom Ford’s awesome, but very expensive, $45 FullScreen Mascara (they even have similar wavy brushes), but creates a little less volume.

There are so many different versions, too, including waterproof and non-waterproof, all in different tones of black. I have the Waterproof one in Blackest Black, which looks dramatic even after a single pitch black layer (and it gets even better with two).

The length? It’s crazy. Plus, it creates fine-toothed separation and a tight curl with a major volume boost, although I’m hella greedy when it comes to volume and always want a little more, since I’m all about that fatty YSL Faux Cils/Chanel le Volume lash life.

Lash Paradise’s volume is still good, though.

loreal voluminous lash paradise k
That curl is no joke.

I love it, but heads up — I’ve seen some reviews on Ulta and heard from friends that say it clumps up on them. It doesn’t really happen for me. My lashes look smooth and feel silky and light, but not all products perform the same way for everyone.

I wore two coats yesterday, had ’em on for 10 hours and saw a bit of smudging at the end of the day (no flaking, though). Half the time I’ve got a smoky lower lash line, so a tiny, barely-there smear is no big deal for me for a $9 mascara.

This is a new staple in my makeup bag, and I like it so much that I’m going to pick up the non-waterproof version next time I go to Tar-ghay, which is where I got mine for $8.99. A friend dropped the knowledge, and now I’m dropping it on you.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen