Review: Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils

I'll admit it - I'm a mascara junkie. My natural eyelashes are thin and light-colored, yet I drool over the pin-up girl, doe eyed look, so I am constantly on the hunt for the best, darkest mascaras that really add volume and length. Add to this fact that I'm also incredibly picky (I prefer wet formulas with natural fiber brushes and have a zero tolerance policy for clumps) and it means that I spend what feels like hours returning mascaras to Sephora or throwing products away before they're used up. No bueno.

Since I'm a member of the Influenster community, I was given the opportunity to try Yves Saint Laurent's newest mascara for free and am excited to share my thoughts with you. Apparently this product - known as Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils, or for my non-French speaking friends "luxurious mascara for a false lash effect" per the packaging - is a re-issue with a new formula. It's not clear to me why they ditched the old formula or why this came off the market, but YSL is trying to make a big splash for its reintroduction.

Let me start with the positives:

• The packaging is beautiful. Yeah, I know this actually matters relatively little when you're evaluating a mascara, but there's something so luxurious about holding this gold metal tube in your hand. Even the way the mascara wand clicks into the base feels high end, and for the price you're going to pay for this ($32), I guess that becomes more of an expectation than a nice to have!
• The formula feels really nourishing on my lashes. It's a wet formula with a natural fiber brush (two for two!) and comparatively speaking, really doesn't clump very much. It also dries on the slower side, so you're really able to work with the formula and apply a few coats to achieve the look you desire.
• It does add volume, and with a little work, provides nice length too. I would say on its face this is more of a volumizing mascara than a lengthening mascara, although if you're patient and focus on just the tips of your lashes after applying a couple of coats, you can definitely achieve a lengthening effect as well.
• It lasts well throughout the day. I haven't had any weird flaking or chipping off, although it's not the easiest to remove at the end of the night.
• It has a pleasant fragrance, but it's not overpowering. I'm not great at labeling fragrances, but I'd guess it's akin to a subtle floral or rosy scent. When applying the mascara, I don't notice anything, but I did purposely sniff it (and got mascara all over my nose as a result), just so I could comment on it for you!

Despite the positives, as with any product, there are a few negatives:

• This is one costly mascara! We all know you're supposed to ditch your mascara every 3 months (although this one says it'll stay good for 6 months - not sure I trust that), so that starts to add up. 
• The ingredient list is terrible. I'm a huge proponent of searching for, and using, mostly natural and organic products that have healthy ingredients, and this is as far from that as you can get. Usually mascaras don't have parabens, but this has all varieties! It also has paraffin, triethanolamine, PEGs and lots of artificial colorants. I never quite understand why all of these harmful ingredients are even necessary, but ultimately it means that once this baby dries out, I will NOT be re-purchasing it. 
• I wouldn't go so far as to say this delivers on a false lash effect. Sure, it's volumizing and can be lengthening, but I don't think anyone would look at me and believe that I was wearing falsies.

Overall, I don't really have many negative things to say about the quality of the mascara itself, so if you're not one that's particular about the ingredients and price isn't an issue, I would definitely recommend that you go check this out! YSL is carried at Sephora, as well as many department stores, or you can go straight to the YSL Beauty website and purchase it here. 

Have you tried this mascara? Do you have another holy grail mascara that other ladies should try? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!