The folks at Influenster and Lancome sent me a tube of Grandiose Mascara for review. Instead of the traditional purple/pink Influesnter box it came in a black box and here was my first impression:
From the time they sent it until now I’ve had a few trips and decided to take it along with me. The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the package is how pretty the tube is.
In fact, I think this is probably the prettiest tube of mascara I have ever had my hands on. It feels good in my hands too.
The weirdness happened when I uncapped the lid and pulled out the “Swan-Neck”wand. I have to admit it took me a few days to get a feel for the bend in the wand so I could apply the mascara properly. Now that I have, I quite like the bent wand. I have noticed I don’t have to contort my face as much to apply the mascara.
The box even comes with fold out instructions on how to apply.
The tasks of this formula are to add length, curve, and volume. The color they sent was Noir Mirifique (01) and it really is a wonderful bright black. I like my brushes a bit short and not too fluffy as I find it easier to apply without making a mess but with this brush I found I couldn’t get the lashes to separate as much as I wanted. I’m not sure why — it could be the bristles are a wee bit too thick.
The formula is also very thick. For me, I felt one coat was fine. What you see in the picture below is actually more like 1 1/2 than two coats as two tended to look messy to me whenever I tried it.
As for wear, I have no complaints in that department. The mascara stayed on all day and didn’t flake at all (a common problem I have even with mascaras that insist they don’t).
Overall it was an OK experience but not the exceptional I expected from a $35 tube. I can’t say I loved it enough to get another.
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