I started my blog as a creative outlet but somehow ended up doing reviews at the expense of creativity, probably because getting creative is so time consuming! I’ve decided that I would try a different approach to my reviews so let me know if you like it.
You might wonder how it could be fair to pit the £26 Lancôme Grandiose Mascara against the £10.99 L’Oréal Telescopic Extra-Black (now called “Carbon Black”). A more expensive product doesn’t automatically mean it is better.
Lancôme Grandiose Mascara in 01 Noir Mirifique (which roughly translates as “wonderful black” or “marvellous black”) comes in a bulbous bottle to accommodate the bendy (swan-neckTM)wand, which rather than being a zig-zag is actually a gently curving spiral. At the end, there is a tapered, hard-plastic spikey brush. The bottle itself is very pretty with a “floating” Lancôme rose in the lid which evokes memories of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The wriggly brush makes this mascara very easy to use – I spend much less time applying mascara. The bends in the wand mean I can put my hand in a more comfortable place. First I push the brush up from the roots of my lashes to add volume, length and a little curl then turn the brush around so that I pull my lashes up to add curl and really open up my eyes. The tapered brush makes it easier to grab the corner lashes and fan out the outer lashes.
Lancôme says that the Grandiose Mascara gives a “wide-angle fan effect” and I agree. A good amount of product is deposited on first brush-through and it is buildable. It is a good, deep shade of black and is comfortable to wear. I am glad I bought this and I am likely to buy it again.
I was incredibly impressed with the L’Oréal Telescopic mascara. At first glance I didn’t think it would be any good at all because the brush is long and thin with tiny spikes making it more of a comb than a brush. At the join between the brush and the long wand, it bends very easily so I wondered if this was by design or chance.
I think it was by design because the flexibility came in handy on application. This mascara is some kind of miracle mascara. It elongated my lashes before my eyes – I didn’t realise my lashes had so much length potential! It is certainly telescopic and therefore perfectly named. My lashes ended up very long and defined and a little shiny which I like.
As for the shade, it is probably the deepest black shade I had ever tried. I have naturally black lashes so I didn’t think that they could get any darker but they did! It’s an astronomical black hole kind of dark. The comb applicator takes a little getting used to but it’s worth it. Similar to the Grandiose mascara, it was comfortable to wear and I would buy it again.
Overall, it is difficult to choose between the two as they each make me equally happy! For quick and easy every-day application, the Lancôme Grandiose Mascara is best for me and I would wear the L’Oréal Telescopic Carbon Black for days when I have a little more time to get ready or when I am wearing contact lenses so as not to hide how beautiful it makes my lashes look.
