I recently received the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara as a gift from Influenster and Marc Jacobs Beauty and have been putting it to the test for about a month. I’m ready to share my pros, cons and some photos of the product in action in today’s Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara review!
If you haven’t heard of Influenster, it’s a website of over 1.5 million individuals who review products in all types of categories – food, pets, fitness, home, beauty, baby and much more. Occasionally, if you have an active profile, you may qualify to receive products for free to test out and give feedback. Anyone can sign up – you do not have to be a blogger or YouTube personality – it’s completely free. Since signing up, I’ve gotten a few free things from Yves Saint Laurent Beauty and now Marc Jacobs, so it’s been great! If you’re interested, sign up here.
Back to my review…
Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara ($26) is part of his newest collection, or “wardrobe,” of mascaras to the high-end beauty line. Included in the wardrobe is the original O!mega Lash ($24; volumizing), new Feather Noir ($26; lengthening), new Lame Noir ($26; a sophisticated lash glitter) and new Velvet Noir (extreme volume). You can pick any of these up at your local Sephora, or by clicking here.
Velvet Noir claims to provide 1800% more volume and the look of false lashes. From MarcJacobsBeauty.com:
The lash-maximizing, curvy brush places the most volume at the hard-to-reach center lash line, and the defining tip styles lashes for major drama. The ultra-concentrated black pigment delivers the greatest visual impact, and the flash volume complex creates instant, smudge-free length and volume in three strokes or less.
When I received the mascara from Influenster, naturally I was psyched to immediately test this baby out. Anything that promises all of the above sounds sent from the heavens, so let’s do this. I have worn it every which way possible at this point:
Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara has amazing packaging because of the hexagonal shape. It feels nice and steady when holding the tube or the wand during application. It’s also very classy – in its simplistic lacquer black tube with silver embossed ‘Marc Jacobs’ lettering.
The wand/brush itself is the gold star of this product. It reminds me so much of the TooFaced Better Than Sex mascara wand – but slightly smaller, which makes application significantly less messy and easier. The shape of the brush makes catching the inner lashes so easy (I am not sure why they mention that the center lashes are so difficult to reach? Is that really an issue for people?). It’s such a plush brush that it really gets the mascara coated on lashes very evenly.
No matter how long I wore it, it didn’t flake or smudge anywhere. This is major for me since I live in Houston and even though it’s January, we still have 70something degree weather and most non-waterproof mascaras do a hot number on my eyes.
It’s very black. I love a deep black mascara on my lashes because I’m dramatic, let’s be honest. The blacker the better, and Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir delivers. It’s not a shiny black, but as advertised – a velvet-like black.
It volumizes my lashes. Now, I don’t really have the sort of tools to properly measure the volumization of this mascara to prove that it gives me 1800% more volume, but it definitely volumizes.
It layers well if you work fast, but CAN get a little thick/clumpy with more than three applications. However, you’re working with a volumizing formula; so it is to be expected (and maybe even welcomed for those who like that look).
It washes off easily. I never had an issue removing this mascara with any of my basic face washes and never needed a separate eye makeup remover.
It’s not the best at holding a curl. I find this to be true for most non-waterproof mascaras (no matter if they’re $6 or $36). This is a huge bummer for me because I think curling the lashes is such a quick way to make a huge impact in any makeup look and not being able to hold a curl is fairly paramount in my mascara preferences.
It doesn’t provide much length. This is an obvious one because this mascara doesn’t claim to provide length – only extreme volume. But I just had to mention that on me, it just darkens and thickens the lashes… no added length. I personally want volume AND length. Maybe I need to pair it with Feather Noir… 🙂
It tends to dissipate as the day goes on. As mentioned earlier, it does not flake or smudge, but it simply seems to just evaporate later in the day (particularly – of course – on longer 12+ hour days). Upon initial application, my lashes are very black, thick, volumized and fairly dramatic even with one application, but if I check a few hours later, it seems like my mascara needs a little afternoon Starbucks run.
It depends. If you’re someone who doesn’t care (or doesn’t need) to curl your lashes, this may be a gorgeous mascara for you. If you’re someone who desires only volume, this is a great mascara. It’s probably one of the best volumizing mascaras I’ve ever tried, however; do not expect any added length. If you’re someone who loves fluffy, plush wand/brushes like this one, it’s a MUST-try.
If you’re a waterproof mascara junkie, love volume AND length, need your lashes to hold a curl, then Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir may not be for you.
Pick up Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara online here.
Here’s a close up of me wearing it yesterday. I’m only wearing mineral foundation and eyeliner in this photo, so nothing else would interfere with the mascara. I applied one application to the front of my lashes (your standard way of applying mascara), and then a little to the back of the lashes for added oomph.
PIN ME!
Thank you to Influenster and Marc Jacobs Beauty for this mascara – it’s definitely getting a lot of love and I may have to pick up Feather Noir to pair the lengthening formula with this volumizing one.
What do you think of Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara? Is it something you’d try? What other high-end mascaras are your splurge-worthy favorites? Comment below!
Happy volumizing,
-Steffanie
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