Like many a wise woman, my stranded-on-a-desert-island beauty product would indisputably be mascara. I’m always on the hunt for a formula that can deliver the boldest, biggest, blackest lashes. So, I put the new Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking ($30.00) to the test to see how it stacks up in the race for the most extreme lashes.

YSL’s latest mascara is all about “shocking” volume. It’s meant to give eyes a voluptuous look from every angle, and is formulated with pro-vitamin B5 that nourishes lashes. The array of six colors is quite impressive, and includes Deep Black (shown here), Ashy Black, Bronze Black, Sea Black, Cherry Black, and Jade Black.

It comes in a sleek and shiny gold tube with “Shocking” scrawled across it in black. The scribbled font gives it a cool, youthful vibe. The brush is shaped like a “helix” with bundles of short, bushy bristles that spiral around the head. It has an über creamy formula that lends it a luxurious feel (no surprise here, this is YSL after all).

Before Application

After Application

But it’s precisely this buttery formula that also makes it prone to globs and clumps. Be sure to drag the brush along the mouth of the tube or swipe it along a paper towel to banish excess product. The overload should subside after a few weeks, but definitely follow through with the necessary preventative measures when using a fresh tube — unless you dig the Tammy Faye Bakker look (god rest her soul).

Otherwise, this mascara does deliver dramatically voluminous lashes. Lashes look oh so thick and dense, with considerable length and kohl black pigmentation to boot. The overall effect is very sixties mod — think fat, chunky and full.

What do you think of the new YSL Shocking mascara? Do you have a favorite mascara yourself?

– Christiana Molina

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