Review: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara

 

Let's talk mascara. I absolutely love how many different formulas there are on the market. I have my favorites that I've been loyal to for years, such as the Lancome Hypnose which leaves my lashes full and over the top voluminous and the Benefit They're Real which stays on for hours even during my toughest workouts. I have two rules for my mascara it shouldn't run or clump. Other than that I love trying out different brushes, formulas, and tints.


The new Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara (that's a mouthful) promises 1800% more volume and epic lashes. It guarantees smudge-free volume in 3 strokes or less. I had high hopes when I received this mascara to review from Influenster, you too can sign up here to receive awesome products to review for free. I own quiet a few products from the Marc Jacobs beauty range and most of them are long lasting and extremely luxurious. So I was expecting this mascara to give me beautiful lashes just like most other high end mascaras.

At $26 it's in the same price range as Benefit, Lancome, and Dior. There is no waterproof version which made me slightly upset since I lean towards those for their amazing staying power. When I first applied the mascara I really enjoyed the kinda bulky packing since it was nice to grip onto and really control the brush. The brush itself has a bunch of bristles that vary in size, making it easy to get the corner lashes that I usually end up smudging with the tip of the brush and looking like a hot mess. The final result was slightly upsetting, it definitely didn't give me 1800% more volume. I wouldn't say it is a volumizing mascara, instead it lengthened and gave my lashes a beautiful deep black color without the sleek shine other mascaras give, making them look almost like velvet and as if I naturally had long dark Kardashian lashes. I would definitely describe this mascara as a my lashes but 100x better, one I would use for my "no makeup" looks.

Let's talk about the biggest fail, the "smudge-proof" claim. As I said before I love my waterproof mascara's for their staying power, especially at the gym. I've noticed that even regular high end mascara like the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara lasted me through my toughest workouts and never once smudged or ran, which I expect in any high end mascara really. Well, after 30 minutes of wearing the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara I had flash backs to my 7th grade cheap smudged mascara that I found in my mom's old cosmetic bags on hot summer days. I was horrified. I even had smudges on my top eyelids! I gave it another try a different day simply wearing it around the house and had the same exact result. I can't imagine what kind of raccoon I would resemble in the summer.

From one of my favorite and most loved brands this mascara was such a let down for the price and the promises it sets. There are so many amazing high end formulas out there that there is no reason to spend money on something that has worse staying power than $6 drugstore mascaras.

Pros:

• Made my lashes look a beautiful deep dark color. 
• Amazing for natural Kardashian Lashes.
• Luxurious packaging. 
• The bristles are very good at picking up all your lashes.

Cons:

• $26 for sub-par formula. 
• Smudges like no other
• No waterproof formula. 
• The promise of volume is nonexistent. 
• Only one color choice. 
• Exclusive to Sephora

Have you tried the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara?

What do you look for in the perfect formula?