Product Reviewed: Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara


Anyone familiar with luxury and high fashion knows the name Yves Saint Laurent.  Everything from shoes to clothes to make-up, YSL epitomizes luxury.  At $30 this mascara certainly carries a luxury price tag.  But does it live up to the YSL standard?  In my experience, no.  


The Volume Effet Faux Cils promises intense, dramatic lashes in a single stroke.  Both the formula and the brush are unique.  The brush is comprised of nylon fibers of varying diameters in order to deliver exceptional volume.  The Triple-Flex Complex formula provides a film agent to intensify, a conditioning agent to curl, and a fixing agent for staying power.  


Great pedigree, but this mascara just doesn't deliver.  The brush hairs seem disorganized, with uneven and clumpy fibers.  The formula add to the clump-factor by gouping onto lashes and applying too heavily.  To be fair, this mascara has supposedly won an award, so it would seem others are having better luck.  


Tip:  Stuck with a heavy, clumpy mascara?  Instead of tossing it, use it as a second coat to take lashes from day to night.  Apply the heavier mascara over a dry first coat, and only to the tips of lashes.  Keep the heavy mascara in your purse or desk at work, so you'll always be ready for an impromptu happy hour.