L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara

...one with Penelope Cruz, which L'Oreal have now admitted that she was wearing false eyelashes for) and I was attracted to it because it was called clean definition, something that is important to me with a mascara. The next time I was in Boots (hardly a week goes by without a visit, this is what happens when you live next to a shopping centre) I was having a browse of the makeup section, and noticed that our Boots had just installed a new L'Oreal ...
...Product Claims

L'Oreal claim that this mascara will give you cleanly defined, perfectly separated lashes that are up to 50% longer.. Sounds great, I hate it when mascaras make my lashes stick together or it clumps. L'Oreal says that this is down to their innovative High Precision Flexible Brush, which separates your lashes and defines them one by one. On the website L'Oreal have a quote from James Kaliardos, an International Make-up ... more

I must start off by apologising for another mascara review, but I am rather fond of buying new makeup items, especially when they are on offer. As much as I love my Maybelline Great Lash mascara I suffer from the grass is greener syndrome, I am convinced there is a better product out there. I saw the advert on TV (the one with Penelope Cruz, which L'Oreal have now admitted that she was wearing false eyelashes for) and I was attracted to it because it was called clean definition, something that is important to me with a mascara. The next time I was in Boots (hardly a week goes by without a visit, this is what happens when you live next to a shopping centre) I was having a browse of the makeup section, and noticed that our Boots had just installed a new L'Oreal counter thingy, so I had to have a closer look. I was really looking for the True Match Minerals (in my eternal search for the perfect foundation), which they didn't have, but I noticed that the Telescopic Clean Definition mascara was on special offer, £2 off, so it was £6.99 rather than £8.99. That was incentive enough for me, I had gone in to buy some Palmers Cocoa Butter lip balm anyway, so now I could use the spend over £10 get 75 points voucher that you get from the advantage card machines (I bought 2 lip balms, and anything to get more points, I love points).

Product Claims

L'Oreal claim that this mascara will give you cleanly defined, perfectly separated lashes that are up to 50% longer.. Sounds great, I hate it when mascaras make my lashes stick together or it clumps. L'Oreal says that this is down to their innovative High Precision Flexible Brush, which separates your lashes and defines them one by one. On the website L'Oreal have a quote from James Kaliardos, an International Make-up Artist, who says "My secret to making an everyday lash look sensational? Definition. This new mascara gives length to every lash individually so lashes look naturally spectacular. Zig-zag the brush through your lashes for a perfect result."

Packaging

This mascara comes in a cardboard blister pack with all the usual product blurb on the back. The tube itself is a shiny silver coloured cylindrical tube that is wider at the bottom than at the top. It is meant to be shaped like a telescope. On the packaging alongside the name it says Telescopic Clean Definition, Length + Precise Definition Mascara, High Precision Flexible Brush. The tube contains 7ml of mascara and I have only seen it in one shade, black. On the back of the cardboard packaging it says this mascara is ophthalmologically tested and is suitable for contact lens wearers, I wouldn't have bought it if it didn't say this as I wear contacts and am rather paranoid about irritation and eye infections.

Application

The lid twists off and the brush is quite a tight fit in the tube so all excess mascara is removed. The brush is very bendy and flexible, and is long and thin. You can see beneath the mascara that the brush is pink and has eight rows of spiky rubber things, which seem to be grouped together in pairs. These are, from what I can gather, supposed to be combs, and are what gives the separated look. I personally think that the wand is too long and I do not feel like I have complete control over the brush, which itself is nearly 3 cm long, and this is made worse by the brush being so flexible. I feel the lid is too big and I find it feels quite clumsy to hold. This being said the mascara is easy very to apply, it transfers to the lashes easily and the brush does a good job of separating the lashes. I found it quite difficult to get mascara onto the outer lashes, but I have that problem with all mascaras. The mascara dries very quickly, not so quickly that is has set before you have finished applying it but quick enough so that is does not smudge when you blink. I found it easier to apply the mascara to the roots of my lashes with this brush than I have with others I have used.

The Result

Firstly - does it live up to its claims? It claims to lengthen your lashes, and I do agree with this, my lashes definitely look longer. Second it claims to cleanly define for perfectly separated lashes, and I agree with this too, there are no clumps or lumps and I do not need to use my eyelash comb. All of my lashes from root to tip are covered without getting any mascara on my eyelid. This is a bonus as it means I do not need to find a cotton wool bud to mop up the mess.

I like the result this mascara gives. It makes my eyes look larger, and my lashes look longer but unfortunately they do not look any thicker. I think that the mascara also has had a curling effect too which is a bonus. I only ever apply one coat of mascara as I have found in the past that more coats make my lashes stick together giving the impression that I have less lashes (can't afford for that to happen, they are sparse enough as it is) and it looks like a big mess. One coat of this mascara make my lashes look very natural, and unless you look closely it doesn't look like I am wearing mascara at all, there are none of the tell tale signs, my lashes just look like they are naturally longer and darker than they really are. I wouldn't wear this mascara if I was going out and wanted a more intense look, but for everyday use it is perfect. It does not make my lashes feel hard and stiff either, they remain flexible and I can touch them without causing the mascara to flake off.

I cannot be bothered to curl my lashes every day but I found that with this mascara it did not make much of a difference whether I did or didn't. I am rather lazy in the mornings and always running late so I don't normally have time to apply eye makeup before leaving for work. This means that when I get to work I go and apply it in the toilets, so my mascara, eye shadow and eyelash comb all live in my handbag. Therefore I want a mascara that is quick and easy to apply, and this mascara fits the bill. I am also obsessed with combing my lashes but it is really not needed with this mascara as the brush does this for you, a bonus and makes application a lot quicker. The brush separates the lashes and removes any excess mascara so clumps do not form and your lashes don't stick together. Now I can leave my eyelash comb at home. Actually as it is so quick and easy to apply I might even have the time to apply it before running out the door in the mornings!

This mascara does not irritate my eyes either; I don't feel like I am wearing mascara, I am not conscious of there being something on them. Even at the end of the day my eyes do not feel sore or irritable, and the mascara does not flake off. I managed to get mascara on one of my contact lenses during application once (I can be a bit clumsy) but it did not irritate my eye at all, it came off the lenses completely after a couple of blinks and was easily removed from my eye. I must say I was rather surprised not to have any ill effects from this.

This mascara is not waterproof but it does not claim to be. The merest hint of moisture and it bleeds all over the place. If you think you might blub do not wear this mascara. I have had no problems removing all of this mascara at night with eye makeup remover and I have not noticed it making my lashes dry or brittle either.

As I am a bit odd I wanted to see how it compared to my normal Great Lash mascara, so I applied one coat of Great Lash to one eye and one coat of Telescopic to the other. I found the Telescopic a lot easier and quicker to apply. The results were pretty similar but the Great Lash made my eyelashes look thicker than the Telescopic did, lengthwise both made my lashes look longer but the Great Lash gave a more intense effect. The lashes with Telescopic felt softer and less stiff than the Great Lash ones and they were more flexible. As the Great Lash is a lot cheaper (it is £4.99) I feel it is better value, but the big advantage the Telescopic has is it much quicker to apply and doesn't require as much faffing around. I am not going to give up my Great Lash, but I might save that for evening and weekends when I want a more dramatic effect and use the Telescopic during the day when I want a natural effect and speed is important.

Update

I have been using this mascara for about 6 months now, and it has pretty much replaced the Great Lash as my mascara of choice. I liked it so much that I decided to buy another tube of it instead of the Great Lash. It is currently (as of 8/1/08) on offer in Boots, it is £2 off so it is only £6.99 instead of £8.99.

Summary

This is a good mascara for everyday use that is quick to apply and gives you longer looking clump free lashes. If you are looking for volume or dramatic looking lashes then this is not the product for you. If you are happy for a natural looking effect, and want the mascara to be fast to apply with no faffing around, and that won't irritate your eyes then this mascara is worth a try. 

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