L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara Review

I have sparse, thin, stick-straight, short eye lashes (yes! I think I have NOT been blessed one tiny bit when it comes to my lashes). I mean, they could have been created long without being curly or lush, or short but thick, but my lashes are just bad news in every aspect! That is why I kinda gave up on regular mascara and just use false lashes when I feel like it. However, there are two drugstore mascaras that I use regularly because they do visibly lengthen my lashes and make them look just a wee bit more lush: Maybelline XXL Volume + Length Fiber mascara, and L'oreal Voluminous because the combination of these two products is amazing. The first one visibly lengthens my lashes, while my L'Oreal Voluminous helps create the illusion of fuller, thicker lashes.

Now, L'Oreal has come up with Double Extend mascara, a product that not only claims to lengthen the hairs just like a regular fiber mascara, but it also claims to create tons of volume for a false eyelashes-like look. It has an eyelash primer that coats the lashes and preps them for the vavavoom look, and the black mascara for the final touch. Here's how L'oreal describes the formula:

Get the look of salon lash extensions with the new Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara! This new lash extension effect mascara visibly lengthens your lashes up to an astonishing 80%.

Step 1: Ultra nourishing base coat infused with Ceramide R and D-Panthenol protects and strengthens lashes.

Step 2: Ultra-lengthening tube top coat sets to form lash-extending beauty tubes that visibly lengthen lashes to amazing new heights. Beauty tubes will not run, clump, flake or smudge and will stay on all-day.

Step 3: Beauty tubes remove easily with just warm water – no makeup remover or rubbing required!

My Take: This is very similar to my Maybelline XXL Fiber mascara, in a sense that it has a white base coat that creates the little fibers that visibly extend the lashes. This time, L'oreal prefers to call them "tubes", and for a good reason. They are thicker than the usual fibers in other mascaras, so much so that L'oreal Double Extend mascara not only creates the illusion of longer lashes, but also thicker, lusher ones. My other fiber mascaras typically only lengthen, but do not volumize.

Also, true to their name, they honestly look like little tubes, because I literally panicked when I applied makeup remover using a cotton pad on my eye area; I'd thought my eyelashes fell off! I didn't realize those were actually the "tubes" L'oreal was describing, because they did look like real lashes. That was a pretty scary experience for me!

This product really did make my lashes look longer and fuller at the same time. I don't need two mascaras (like Maybelline XXL and L'Oreal Voluminous) to achieve the same effect. The only downside I can think is that the tubes might look a little too heavy for some people, but it didn't bother me because I have virtually non-existent lashes, so the thicker the product is, the better for me. If you need to add volume to your lashes, you definitely need this.

L'oreal Double Extend mascara comes in two shades- Black and Blackest Black, in 0.17 oz (basecoat) and 0.16 oz (topcoat) dual-sided tubes.

SRP: $10.95

Available at drugstores, retailers and online.