Monday 21 September 2015

Review: Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash So Volume Mascara





Hello hello!  I am writing from a new room in a new house that I moved into last week and will be living in for the next eleven months while I'm doing my second year back at university.  This is all very well and good, but does means, especially after term starting today, that it will be a bit more of, shall we say, a squeeze to fit in blogging.  In between lectures, reading (I was crazy enough to study English literature despite my snails-pace reading abilities), trying to hold a household together, working, etc. etc. etc., blogging is, very regretfully, probably going to move slightly down on my agenda.  That is not to say though that I will let the stresses of life thwart it completely.  I'm going to aim to do one post a week, but I'm sure there will be weeks where I have more or less going on and you will see posts from me according to that.  Anyway, I feel like I've written my disclaimer paragraph - on with another review!

I bought this Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Mascara in #01 Noir at the Duty Free in Gatwick before our flight out to Dalaman... does anyone else find it absolutely impossible to walk through there without buying anything!?  However, I had been on the lookout for a new mascara, waiting patiently for weeks for my usual favourite mascara brand Lancôme to be on offer in Boots.  Typically, that didn't happen, so I took it as a sign of fate, and decided to be adventurous and try another brand entirely.  

I haven't actually tried much by Guerlain at all, aside from their perfumes, Insolence and My Insolence which have proved to be two of my favourites, and take me right back to when I was thirteen or fourteen and got one from my Grandpa as a birthday present.  I do love the sleek packaging though, and, similarly to the Lancôme range, the product is fragranced very delicately with an intoxicating variety of floral notes.  Slightly odd, for a mascara, but I believe it all helps add to the impression of a rather luxurious product.  The brush comprises of short plastic one-length bristles and is tapered; I find these brushes are best for dramatic looks giving both length and volume to lashes as opposed to more feathery (brush-like!) brushes.  



Above are photos without mascara (the eyebrows + foundation combo is looking scary as ever, you may notice...).  My eyelashes are naturally medium length and thickness, and are medium brown at the base then graduating to lighter ends.  I lightly curled my lashes before applying a coat of Cils d'Enfer, and my results are below.




As you can see from the photos, the product gives a great amount of length and volume, which is great for a more dramatic look, or, for example, if you want to wear simple eye makeup with an emphasis on big lashes.  For me, it does take a bit of getting used to using a new mascara, particularly as the brush is quite bulky and only slightly tapered, making it a little harder to get into the very corners of each eye.  As with all fresh mascaras, often the brush comes out coated in slightly too much product which can then leave residue on the tops of the eyelids.  The way I deal with this is by waiting for it to dry, then taking a cotton bud with a drop of water on it to wipe away any smudges.  

Aside from this small issue, I do love the mascara.  It's instant volumising effect means it's very quick to use, and only really takes one coat (more runs the risk of clumping!), pushing it up, surprisingly to a product I now regard as highly convenient and part of my everyday makeup routine.  It is very long wearing, and copes well with hot weather, as I found out in Turkey - I had almost no problems with it smudging in the heat, yet it is very easy to remove with an oil-based or oil-free eye makeup remover.  

Ultimately, for a product that will halve your mascara application time, looks and smells lovely, and gives great length and volume to my pretty damn average eyelashes, I think the price tag of £23 is  one hundred percent, no regrets, justified.  And that's coming from a student, too.

Ruby x




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