L’Oréal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara review: Does the budget buy live up to the hype?

Many people will admit to being a little snobby when it comes to makeup, but drugstore mascaras shouldn't be overlooked solely because of their smaller price tags. These days, affordable lash lengtheners are strong competition for their more extensive counterparts, and our L'Oréal Lash Paradise Mascara review serves as decent proof that a good mascara doesn't need to cost the earth.

This under $20/£20 mascara has been compared to the famous Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara – which, at one point, was the bestselling mascara in the world for its voluminous impact but fluttery effect – and we can see the resemblance. Lash Paradise not only looks the part, it plays the part, too, thanks to its easy application, staggering volume, and fanned-out finish.

This all promises to be one of the best L'Oreal mascaras on the market, and while Lash Paradise doesn’t quite come into the major beauty bargain category, it’ll set you back less than the price of a monthly brow wax. Here's what our testers thought of this affordable makeup bag buy...

Our beauty editor's L'Oréal Lash Paradise review

L'Oréal Lash Paradise Mascara packaging

Like many others on the market, Lash Paradise Mascara is housed in a millennial pink tube, with a chrome effect lid and more of a matte finish to the tube. It’s not the most grown-up tube we’ve come across and doesn't really have a high-end feel, but equally it doesn't come with a hefty high-end price tag either, and we’re kind of swayed by the pretty simplicity of it. Plus, if you’re a fan of rose gold, then you’ll love the cute blush color scheme. 

The mascara formula and ingredients

Formulated with nourishing castor oil, this mascara also work to strengthen and hydrate your lashes, while giving you a long-lasting fluttery look. This oil infusion also gives the formula a silky-smooth consistency, meaning that it glides onto lashes effortlessly – no sticking and catching in sight.

It’s not the toughest formula we’ve tried, as one of our testers did spot a tiny bit of flaking by the end of the day, as well as a little bit of undereye smudging, though this was by no means a full-on panda look.

It also dissolved with makeup remover quite nicely without the need for any harsh rubbing (see our guide on how to remove mascara for more on that one). You can also really appreciate the castor oil’s hard work after removing the mascara, as lashes are left feeling soft and silky, which was a nice pre-bedtime surprise.

Applying and first impressions

Not only could the hourglass-shaped brush catch onto lashes with one easy swipe, but the soft bristles worked right from the lash line without scratching. Bristles also collected just the right amount of formula, so while it isn't the most buildable formula we've ever tried, it is fairly easy to layer on to lashes without ending up with clumps that had to be combed out.

One quibble we did have was that the tip of the brush is quite hefty, so did collect quite a bit of formula and made it slightly difficult to get to the inner lashes without making a mess. So, we’d make a note to remember to really wipe off the excess product before trying to tackle your inner lashes – you may even want a cotton bud or two on hand when applying.

How does it wear?

When it comes to mascara results, most of us will be happy as long as we’re given length, definition and volume – and sometimes a little bit of curl thrown in for good measure. This budget buy does achieve all of those things to some extent. It lifts lashes and, if you use an eyelash curler beforehand, it holds the shape relatively well.

We didn’t notice as much length as with some other mascaras we’ve tested – the effect is more of a fluttery enhancement of your natural lashes than standout dramatic length and volume that something like Benefit BADgal BANG! mascara gives. 

What we did love was the fanned-out and naturally volumized look that came without any clumping; Lash Paradise also gave the kind of even definition that you would expect to achieve with a comb wand, without having to actually endure using one of the trickier mascara brush types. 

L'Oréal Lash Paradise Mascara review: the W&H verdict

If there's one thing that Lash Paradise has taught us, it's that a weightier price tag doesn't necessarily mean a superior product. The well-thought-out formula is everything you might want from a mascara, with the added bonus of caring for your lashes while they look worthy of a L’Oréal advert.

While there were a couple of tiny flaws, namely the light flaking and the slightly awkward brush tip, these are by no means dealbreakers for us – in fact, we can say that we've seen worse from "luxury" offerings. And for those who don't want to splurge on a product they replace so frequently, this is a worthy contender for a new go-to.