Double Extend Mascara Eye Illuminator in Black Quartz for Brown Eyes.

Who doesn't love bling? I love the theory of shimmering lashes, but seriously, with dark lashes, it's usually a better idea in theory than in execution. I had purchased sparkle top coats before, and unfortunately, most of the time they were from pricier brands like Guerlain! What resulted was a barely there hint, next to nothing hint of shimmer. What that translates into is a big ol' waste of money!

With that I was pretty skeptical when I saw L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator mascara. How "illuminating" could this be? And to boot I had another prejudice against the fact that it was a double-ended mascara. Every time I've ever tried a dual ended mascara, it always ended in epic fail. There is pressure for not just 1 brush to work well but for 2! Just too much to lose!

Before - wimpy lashes. Can we bling these babies out?

Directions - apply the mascara for lengthening then the top coat to accent.

Ingredients.

Swatches of Black Quartz, option for Brown Eyes.

The black has a hint of shimmer, and the top coat is a shimmering aubergine.

The black wand.

The short handle made application a little difficult. I would have preferred a longer wand. I liked this a lot on its own.

Even the black has a slight shimmering effect.

Illuminating top coat.

The dome-ended brush makes it easier if you just want to highlight the tips. Use the entire length of the wand for full on shine.

The shimmering top coat applied over the mascara.

So ignore the lower lash smudgies, but here are the results of the shimmering effects. Going over the black mascara with the top coat, before it had fully dried, thins the application and takes away some of the volume-building effects. But I found that waiting until after it dried wasn't optimal for application.

Now this is a sparkling eye! The shimmering top coat actually showed up on my dark lashes. The sparkle did bring light to my eye! However, this mascara with top coat was probably too much for day to day wear. If you work in a conservative office or don't really like dramatic makeup in the day time, you may want to skip the top coat. The tiny amount of shimmer in the basic mascara may be a good option if you just want something slightly more intriguing than the flat black or brown for your day to day. Then kick it up a notch at night with the top coat.

If anyone tries the other colors, let me know what you think of them. Out of any other mascara top coats I've tried, this one is shiniest! The sparkle was noticeable (and not just when I was looking into a magnified mirror). I also liked that it was about $10. Not bad considering you get two products in one.

L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator Mascara is available for $10.49 and available at drugstores nationwide and in four shades to compliment different eye colors.