Full disclosure - I'm a total mascara addict. Full lashes to me are what beauty is all about, and I'm into the girly gorgeousness that a fluttery lashline brings to the face - AKA the Cheryl Cole effect.
So imagine my delight when not one, but two, of my favourite high street pharmacy brands launched new mascaras this summer. One of my fave mascaras of all time was L'Oreal's Volume Shocking, a double ended beauty that combined wand and comb. I mourned its discontinuation for longer than was normal, let me tell you. I also adore No7 (especially their foundations) and one of my beauty idols Lisa Eldridge is behind this new product, so I was excited to see how they'd both pan out.
My right eye wore L'Oreal, and my left No7
No7 Fanomenal Lashes in Black, €17.23
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L'Oreal Mega Volume Colleagene 24 in Extra Black, €14.99
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Packaging
L'Oreal's chunky black tube is sturdy and attractive, but not especially glam. No7's on the other hand is fabulous, with a silver mirrored effect.
Wand
No7 claim their star shaped brush is unique. It's small, stiff and has patented technology with a "duck foot" design that promises flared, fanned out lashes. L'Oreal's on the other hand is thick, chunky and has layers of different sized bristles which claim to evenly coat without clumping and promise 15 times "more impact". In my opinion, the L'Oreal wand is superior. No7's does definitely fan out your lashes and makes eyes appear wider, but the effect on volume and thickness is pretty subtle - it took me two coats to achieve what barely one coat of L'Oreal accomplished.
Formula
Both swatched well, but you can see here that the L'Oreal smoosh (as I like to call it) is much more dense and dramatic. Neither formula is watery or foul smelling, which is always good, and despite the claim of L'Oreal's being "extra" black, I found both to be similar shades of ebony.
Lasting Power
Both wore well throughout the day, but L'Oreal's made my lashes look obviously longer to the naked eye. Neither smudged badly and both removed easily. No7 was flakier.
Clump Factor
I have been known to wear up to six coats of mascara (I know, I know...) so buildability is key here. I found after three coats the No7 formula didn't really have any more of an effect but still looked good, whereas five coats of L'Oreal left me with almost drag queen-like lashes - which is a good thing, btw. L'Oreal wins here.
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The Result?
It's pretty obvious L'Oreal's Mega Volume Collagene 24 wins for me, but that's because I'm into the full-on lash look. I would in reality use both of these formulas, but here it is in a nutshell - No7 would be the sort you'd use as a base for falsies - with L'oreal you don't need them. Says it all really, right?
So ladies, those of you who don't want too much drama No7 Fanomenal is a solid buy. My fellow lash lovers? Get your paws on L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagen, STAT!
