Lash Off: L’Or?al Baby Roll Mascara Vs Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara

Unlike foundation, I’m not loyal to any particular brand of mascara, so anyone can woo me. And summer always brings more focus on the skin and eyes in particular; I’m more likely to shun eyeshadow in favour of mascara in the sunshine as the light always draws attention to your peepers.

And because I’m due to update my beauty kit, I was delighted to see that two of my favourite brands – L’Or?al and Maybelline – both had new options on offer and – better still – both were under €15.

I tried and tested both, and found that each enhanced the eyes in different ways.

Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara, approx. €12.30, out now

What it does: The brand’s newest edition to the colossal range promises to up the ante on volumising the lashes. The first thing I loved was the brush. If I’m going to see volume, I want to see a sturdy applicator, which this has. My lashes are quite long so I put two coats on mine and as promised, from root to tip, they were lifted and volumised. There were no clumps (hurrah!) and the brush meant?I could even coat my baby lashes evenly. The mascara itself was also very black, which I felt enhanced my lashes even more.

Result: While I saw a good lift of volume, the look was still very natural, which I liked. It means that I would class this as a daytime mascara; your lashes will look enhanced?but not over the top. Perfect for those who want a paired-back beauty look for summer.

L’Or?al Baby Roll Mascara, approx, €12.25, out now

What it does:?L’Or?al’s offering has a unique roller brush, designed to comb through the lashes and lift and curl them. This applicator is, again, a good size and my lashes were clump-free after I applied two coats.

Result: The star of this show is the brilliant roller?brush; while it lifted the lashes, the main thing I loved was the way it curled them. I was told it looked like I had used an eyelash curler – even though I didn’t. Joy! This means the lashes look more pronounced and therefore I would wear this one at night when I forgo a natural look. I seriously loved this one, it’s as good as its more expensive Benefit counterpart in my humble opinion.

Two very strong mascaras but I’d say take your pick; Maybelline will give you a voluminous-yet-natural look and L’Or?al will curl the lashes and dramatise them a little more, so maybe one for an evening event.