I have reviewed A LOT of mascaras on ze blog over the years. Some have been hits while others have been complete misses. Some of my favorites, to date, have been the Dior Pump n’ Volume, the Lancome Monsieur Big (reviews here) and the Benefit Roller Lash mascara (review here). They’re all absolutely fabulous and I never thought another mascara would come even close to competing with one of these three. But I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
I have heard a lot about the Marc JacobsVelvet Noir Mascara ($26USD/$33CAD) ever since it came out. You would think with me being as big of a fan of Marc Jacobs as I am, I would have tried it a long time ago. But, I really don’t buy a lot of makeup (especially from Sephora since I have a hefty discount at Shoppers) and I have a billion mascaras to use up first. But Marc Jacobs sent along this mascara alongside their brand new Velvet Epic Lash Primer($26USD/$33CAD) and MAN! Marc Jacobs did not disappoint once again.
So let’s talk about the mascara first (although it’s the primer that is actually the star of the show). The Velvet Noir mascara is a very volumizing mascara with a fatter fluffy brush that creates instant volume! While it promises to be smudge proof, I did notice it to flake off easily throughout the days so if that’s something that bothers you, I would stay away from this mascara. But a little flakin’ never hurt no one. The formula is very black as well so it creates a very dramatic impact which I love!
But the Velvet Primer takes this mascara to a whole new level. There are so many things I love about this primer.It’s described as an ultra-plush lash primer with a conditioning base that maximizes the benefits of your favorite mascara for a false-lash look. The first thing that makes this different from an ordinary lash primer is that it’s a soft beige colour. This helps you be able to see that you coated every lash so you don’t miss anywhere! In addition, I found that this primer added SO MUCH length and volume to my lashes without making them clumpy or spidery (which are two of my least favorite things)! And lastly, this primer helps your lashes stay soft and fluffy. I sometimes find with lash primers that they make overcoat my lashes and make them dry and crunchy. But not this one! Marc Jacobs, you did good with this one.