The Most Expensive Mascara To Ever Touch My Face

*I received this product free from Influenster for testing/reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own*

I will be the first to admit I prefer my makeup on the cheaper side. I've never bought a bottle of $40 foundation, no $50 blush is sitting in my bathroom, and I have never in my life spent more than $10 on a tube of mascara. My current favorite mascara is under $5, so as you can imagine being given a free tube of one of the most expensive mascaras on the market for free is kind of a big deal. I may have called my Grandma to tell her about it, I was that excited. I'm of course talking about the Yves Saint Laurent MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS, which retails for $32 on the Sephora website. This mascara is suppose to make your lashes look longer and fuller, like you are wearing high drama falsies. Shall we see if it lives up to the hype AND the price tag?

First, I'd like to say this is the prettiest tube of mascara I've ever seen. The multi-tones metal tube is really lovely and makes my makeup bag feel a bit fancier than normal. The tube itself is heavy because of the metal, but I like the weight in my hand. And in a pinch I can throw it across the room and knock someone out! Another luxury point is the scented formula. Instead of the usual mascara smell (or the burning rubber smell of the world's worst mascara), this has a pretty strong floral scent. This can be a negative for people sensitive to perfumes, so please keep that in mind if you are looking to purchase this. It is not strong enough for me to smell it when it's already applied but I can smell it as I am applying it.

The brush reminds me a bit of the Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced, each section of bristles is packed with bristles. The brush makes this virtually impossible to get clumpy, tarantula legged lashes, so I really really like that. Clumpy eyelashes are an instant deal breaker for me, I can't stand it. Even when I piled on layer after layer the brush really pulled through and kept my lashes looking like, well...lashes.

The formula itself is black and waterproof and that's about it. It did not make my lashes fuller looking, or even any longer than they already are. You can barely tell the difference between my lashes with this mascara and my lashes without the mascara. Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't see better results. Even when I piled the layers on it never gave me that false eyelash look. My $5 mascara performs way better in that department. There was never any flaking though, which is nice when I'm working all day long. Black flakes all over your face will never be in style, sorry crappy mascaras.

Overall I'd call this a really average mascara with a fantastic brush. Would I pay $32 for a new tube? Not a chance. I wouldn't even pay over $20 for it. But for under $20 I'd give it some serious thought. I think Yves Saint Laurent is banking on their brand name here, and that just doesn't cut it in my book. If you have the money to spend $32 on an average mascara go right ahead, for everybody else I'd recommend giving this mascara a pass.