The Lash Diaries: YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara

If you are a regular follower of this blog you will know how much I adore YSL’s Faux Cils mascara.  Unfortunately for me, we don’t have a YSL counter in my city and the only place I can get my hands on my beloved mascara is at Sephora or Holt Renfrew.  When I heard YSL reformulated the HG formula into a new mascara and added on the word “shocking”, I knew I had to try it.  Was it better than the original?  Did it make your lashes more shocking (hence the name)?  I had to get my hands on a bottle of it, but I had to wait patiently until I travelled to a destination which carried it.  Luckily for me, I went to Montreal last month, so I made sure to buy a tube.

From YSL:

Exaggerate your lashes with shocking volume from every angle!  New and exclusive to YSL, the amplified helix brush with a twisted cut, provides instant excess volume on the lashes, with effortless application. Shaped and styled for excess, this slim brush breaks the rules of volume, allowing for perfect control and precision, combined with a beautifully creamy formula to cover each lash evenly, for a thick and lustrous fringe.

I didn’t end up opening this product until last weekend because I wanted to finish up my mini DiorShow mascara.  With the hefty C$36 price tag I wasn’t about to risk drying out this product before I could get my lashes on it.

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara wand

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking mascara wand

So to my untrained eye, the mascara wands between the two mascaras seem to be the same.  However, the first thing I noticed between Shocking and the original formulation is that the new version is noticeably more wet than it’s original counterpart.  So wet that when I first applied it my lashes looked like a glob of mascara and not shocking at all.  It wasn’t love at first swipe like I thought it would be.  But then I gave it another chance.

Curled lashes, no mascara or primer

One coat

Two coats

By comparison, two coats of the original Faux Cils mascara

To be honest, after one coat I thought I had enough mascara on my lashes to last me the day, but for the purposes of this blog I decided to brush another coat on.  If I bothered with a third one I would be a spidery mess.  Because this mascara is more wet in consistency than it’s original counterpart you have to be really careful in applying it.  It does make lashes look really nice once it’s applied properly, but you have to take your time with this one.  I know from reading reviews of the original Faux Cils many people had the same complaint that the product dried up quite fast.  I used mine almost everyday for about four to five months so it was quite dry by the time I threw it out.  With that being said I have mascaras from a year ago that are still wet in consistency but I don’t use them everyday.

So would I recommend Shocking over the original?  It’s too early to tell.  Once I use it a little more I will get a better understanding of whether or not I like it better.  I can say that I find the Shocking mascara to be a bit more black than the other one, maybe that’s what makes it so shocking?

I am in love with the original formulation so anything will be hard to beat that, but for the same price, if you are between the two, try the Shocking version, who knows it may even last longer in the long run.

Have you tried YSL’s Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking mascara?  What are your thoughts?

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