May 13, 2016

Hit or Miss: L’Oreal Voluminous, Eva Longoria Made Me Want It

l'oreal mascara

I’m trying to think back to a time I tried L’Oreal Voluminous. I just remembering disliking it but never actually trying it. Is that weird? Brain fart! Recently, I was reading Cosmo or maybe it was Vogue and Eva Langoria was in a L’Oreal Voluminous ad with her dark, inky, long lashes splashed all over the entire page and there was a blurb about it being one of L’Oreal’s bestselling mascara.

Suddenly, Eva made me want it. Or maybe it was L’Oreal who made me want it! I hear bestselling or limited edition and I’m like Pavlov’s dogs!

But I’ve always associated Voluminous with Maybelline Great Lash. Lots of hype, no substance.

So, I’ve decided to make it my mission to re-try out L’Oreal Voluminous because 1. I can’t recall using it! 2. I can’t recall using it and if I did try it I can’t recall if liked it or didn’t like it! and 3. Why the heck not? It’s cheap! Maybe it’ll blow my mind!

What about you?

Is L’Oreal Voluminous a hit, a miss, or maybe you just can’t remember using it?

In that case, we may all need to check into a nursing home.

37 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Susan K

    This was my HG mascara back in the day, like way back in the day, mid 90’s to early 2000’s. Then, the formula changed and all of the sudden it sucked. It got by on past (well deserved) accomplishments for a while but eventually the truth got out. At one point they brought out an “original formula” version, but it wasn’t the same.

    • Isabella Muse

      firgures, they change an already good thing and destroy it!

  • Kimkats

    Oh, voluminous is my go to mascara! If I don’t have Clinique high impact, this is what I use! I am never without it. I like it light years better than any maybelline mascara I have ever used.

    • Isabella Muse

      I really need to try it! I can’t recall using it lol!

  • Jules

    Putting godawful Great Lash & Voluminous in the same category is blasphemy!! Seriously, Great Lash is THE. WORST. I remember buying it after reading in Teen magazine that Madonna used it. Terrible. Then about 10 years ago, I read some other article raving about it, so I tried again. Even worse. But Voluminous, on the other hand… It was my go-to for years!! It was the best drugstore mascara out there for a looooong time. I think some newer formulas have eclipsed it, but it’s still a good, but maybe no longer great, mascara!

    • Jules

      Also. Is it crazy that I now have this sudden urge to go buy a tube of Great Lash, just to experience the awful again?

      • Isabella Muse

        hahahahaha! I love to punish myself with Great Lash! Every few years I buy it just to see if it I missed something!

        • Dee

          I do the same thing and always find that I’ve missed nothing because it’s the worst mascara on the planet. We should stop.

    • Isabella Muse

      I can’t recall every using it TBH, I really need to try it again and see what I’m missing out on 😀 But yeah, Great Lash, everyone and their mother raves lol! except me!

  • Rachel

    I used to love the waterproof Carbon Black formula, using it only on my top lashes. But then one day I noticed that it tended to smudge under my eyes. Other than that, I loved how it looked!

  • Carrie

    I’m on the hunt for my HG mascara it always seems and I decided to try Voluminous on a whim – awful decision!! It wasn’t terrible but it just wasn’t for me. I’m a little happy that at least I didn’t break the bank trying it.

  • Jay

    I love Voluminous but recently it hasn’t been the same. I thought I just had a few bad tubes. But when it’s on sale I always go back. Its the only mascara that I always have a back-up of.

  • amy

    I’ve been using it off & on for nearly 30 years, and while I stray on occasion (usually with freebies, or other L’Oreal mascaras), I *always* go back to Voluminous. Besides some older Revlon mascaras, L’Oreal is the only brand I’ve ever liked.

    *Disclosure: I have decent length & volume in my natural lashes, don’t have a real need for waterproof formulas, and have a natural lift/curl already. I just look for something lightweight, that adds extra volume, deeper color, and doesn’t flake. I also rarely use concealer, and don’t have issues with smudging.

    • Isabella Muse

      I need to buy it and give it a try! I can’t recall using it for some reason and I’m dead curious now 😀

  • Liana

    did you try it? I think this is actually one of the better drug store mascaras. And it definitely makes the lashes look very volumized. I hope you gave it a go! =)

    • Isabella Muse

      I haven’t, literally just wrote this post a few hours ago 🙂

  • Alys

    Before I switched to cruelty free or higher quality (I’m now using Paula’s Choice because it’s cheaper than Urban Decay and it washes off way easier) Loreal mascara was my GO TO. I used Voluminous Carbon Black mostly but just Voluminous was fine too. And what do we have here in my daily makeup bag that I love so much I have yet to replace with a cruelty free version?? Why it’s my beloved Loreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense! That felt tip point is just the best for me!!! I’m about to try out some NYX.

  • Tuberoseabsolute

    I used to love the Lash Out Mascara when it came out in the late 80’s or early 90’s. It was the first mascara I tried with a “teddy bear” brush, and far superior to the Voluminous imho. None of the other L’Oreal Mascaras ever worked for me, sadly.
    What is your favorite Volumizing mascara, Muse?

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m a lights camera lashes girl all the way! Good volume, good length 🙂

  • Amanda

    I like it. It’s not my “go to” mascara (I like the million lashes one) but it’s still good and I’d recommend it if someone wanted a mascara with a more traditional wand (vs a plastic wand). The exception being the carbon black in waterproof. I never have issues with smudging with L’Oreal mascara (I always use waterproof mascara) but that one smudged.

  • blee

    Yep, this is a must have in you MU staples. I likes it a lot! <3 🙂

  • Kitten

    I love the look I got with Voluminous but it smudges like crazy for me and I dislike waterproof *sigh*

  • Allie

    My favorite l’oreal is extra collagen and think it’s a good dupe for the better than sex mascara.

  • Jen

    This mascara does nothing for me; even the waterproof smears all over in about half an hour. Maybelline Full and Soft has been my go to before Japanese mascaras.

  • Rebecca Elson

    I just bought a tube because I read somewhere that it made a decent dupe for DiorShow. Now I love DiorShow, but it’s $27. At $7 this is pretty decent. I already have long dark lashes, so I’m fortunate in the lash department. The trick is that I take some blotting paper and blot my lashes before I apply it. Then I find it to be a long lasting and pretty much smudge free. It’s not quite as good as DiorShow, but it’s good enough.

  • Silver girl

    Used it for years in the 90’s. It had a ‘sweet spot’ in its shelf life where it was creamy enough for easy application, when the fibers set up nicely and it wasn’t clumpy – yet sadly it was for only a few weeks after opening. After that I remember it becoming such a clumpy mess that the bristles of the curved brush became matted down. Sad because the carbon black color was superb and you really did get instantly thick lashes with just 1 coat!

  • minda

    the “Voluminous” one is different than the “Original” label on the tube and packaging.
    I recently bought the “original” labelled one (not carbon black either just Black”
    and it’s one of the best Ever….
    it’s really cheap enough to give it another whirl

  • minda

    P.S. I may be alittle senile, or alot, but the tube has to say “original” it can say voluminous also but has to say original.
    it’s time for my meds…lol

  • Katherine T.

    This and Maybelline Great Lash were one of my first mascaras. I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was with Great Lash (very meh IMO), I thought Loreal Voluminous was better. Now I prefer other brands

  • Dusty

    Gurl! Great Lash bites the big one big time. It’s poop LoL! I always loved Voluminous and I still do but I like it for some specific reasons:

    1) It’s really wet! I like a wet, glossy, “soft” feeling mascara most of the time. This has never felt dry or flaky at all. Really comfortable to wear and even tho it’s a fairly wet formula it doesn’t take forever to dry. I’ve used some Rimmel mascaras that I have to sit and fan for three minutes afterward otherwise they’re all over my face.

    2) Run Forest Run! LoL! This stuff runs like nothing else I’ve ever used! Fantastic for taking photos with inky blackness streaming down your face (and who doesn’t want to do that?!) but bad if you’re going to watch a sad movie and don’t want to look like a raccoon afterward.

    • Isabella Muse

      ok, avoid! I hate wet mascara! It ends making me look like I have a uni-lash! One lash all clumped together ha! I was tempted before but now you’ve convinced me I don’t need it Dusty! 😀

  • danadoo

    Oof, i hate this so much that i threw it in the trash after 2 uses! I’ve never had anything smudge on me as badly as this did, and any mascara that does that is a complete fail in my book considering that staying on my eyelashes is a mascara’s main job! Please do not waste your 10+ dollars on this junk! I’d sooner wear Great Lash, at least it stays on my lashes!

  • Meaghan

    It’s my HG, I’ve tried a million other mascaras and after a few uses the always get thrown away and I pick Voluminous up again. I don’t even bother trying new mascaras anymore because of this.

  • Marie Katz

    I have been using Loreal Voluminous since I was 15 and I am now 38! I am a NY Based Freelance Airbrush Makeup Artist and this is the ONLY mascara I have used! I have tested many…many…many..mascaras and this is the one I go back to! I LOVE IT!!!!

  • Jennifer

    The carbon black non waterproof is my go to drugstore mascara. I have tried many, many mascaras. It make my lashes long and thick without major clumping. It does gets dry and clump in the container after a little over a month, but for $5, who cares? Is it better than my all time faves from Benefit? No way. But for $5, it is a great product.