Telescopic Mascara - Carbon Black

I can't believe I have yet to review Telescopic Carbon Black mascara! In *my* opinion, this is the best drugstore mascara. I keep most of my makeup natural, but I admittedly like a lot of mascara... Like, a lot. I really dislike wearing false lashes, so finding a good mascara has been key. I want dark black, curled as much as possible, lots of volume, and somewhat on the thick side with as little clumping as possible (well, maybe a little clumping). I've found Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and Chanel's Le Volume mascara to be the best formulas for volume and curl of the lashes. However, in professional settings I think a more natural look is best. For this I always turn to L'oreal's Telescopic, but it HAS to be the Carbon Black version. It's dark black and is exceptional at lengthening. I think the comb-like brush does a great job combing through any clumps and separating. I am able to swipe back over layers time and time again without clumpy heaviness. I usually apply 3 or 4 layers (waiting about 20 seconds between layers) without problems. I recently purchased Lancome's Definicils High Definition mascara from Sephora for $27.50 to see how it compared to Telescopic. Telescopic is a third of the price and vastly superior in formula and application. The real difference was that comb-like brush. Lancome's got clumpy quickly and weighed down my lashes. Try this if you want natural, lengthened lashes with a little drama.

I was excited to try this mascara after trying the reviews. The wand shape appealed as I expected it to apply the product neatly, without getting mascara on my lids as often happens. Unfortunately, the very wet formula made application quite messy and clumped my lashes together in epic fashion. To add insult to injury, the formula was so sticky that I had difficulty using a lash separator to minimize the clumping effect. And without fail it would smudge and create raccoon-eyes within 3-4 hours of application. I wore this mascara almost every day for a month, trying it with and without various mascara primers, wearing it on days I was in air conditioning vs. humid days outdoors, wiping excess product off the wand before applying, etc. Nothing worked for me, and I discarded it long before using it up.

After trying so many others, Telescopic has become my current favourite mascara, but I just tried Telescopic Carbon Black and it is also great. In fact, it does give noticeably blacker eyelashes than Telescopic. I still prefer Telescopic as I don't need that extra black, but these are my top two drugstore mascaras. Nothing else gives this kind of natural looking length. My one dislike is the skinny wand with a comb on just one side. It makes applying it take a long time, but I realize that skinny wand might be the reason it gives lashes that long, with no clumps. I especially appreciate how easy it is to wash off.

I’m definitely in the minority here as this seems to be quite highly rated! I have long eyelashes that need a bit of volume & curl. There are so many problems I have with this mascara. 1. The wand is long, thin & bendy which I initially thought would be great for lower lashes, however the formula is so wet that if I blink, it transfers all over my eyes. 2. Doesn't hold curl! I always curl my lashes but they end up looking droopy after an hour. This rarely happens to other mascaras. 3. In general I use the ‘zig-zag’ motion to apply mascara but if I do that with this, I end up with 5 clumpy lashes. I apply with upwards movements instead. That seems to work best for me. 4. I know this is not waterproof however it flakes & smears really bad throughout the day. 5. Not waterproof, yet ironically this is an absolute headache to remove. I’ve tried various expensive & cheap removers and 6 cotton pads later I still have black eyes! 6. I don’t have sensitive eyes and this makes them quite red, bloodshot & watery after a days wear. In my Top 5 worst mascaras ever. I am definitely not repurchasing this again.

For normal people: 5/5 For me: 1/5 LET ME EXPLAIN. This is hands down the best mascara I've ever used- truly lengthens, maximizes, and holds curls for lashes all in one. I've constantly had friends ask me what I'm wearing and (stupidly) have let them tried it before, they were all amazed. As much as I loved this mascara I had to stop using it, because my skin is very sensitive and I was having constant eye problems, leading to periods of not being able to wear any eye makeup because of it. Apparently whatever they put in carbon black is not great for sensitive skin... just as fiber for lengthening isn't either. So if you're a normal person unlike me, I highly recommend getting this it will easily become your HG.

I enjoy the consistency and color of the product. It is creamy, but not wet and goopy and heavy. I prefer drier mascaras, but this isn't exactly a drier formula. It's like a gel-cream, and I love it, which is unlike me. It lengthens my lashes. I normally look like I have no lashes at all- very thin, straight, short lashes. This added length, but surprisingly added volume as well. I normally layer a length mascara and then a volume mascara over it. I would advise against layering this mascara, or layering a volume mascara over it-lashes could stick together if that is done. Just one swipe-leads to beautiful volume and length. I love the deep carbon black color. I does not curl my lashes, and I did have to curl my lashes beforehand. My eyelids are super dry, so most mascaras hold a curl for me, except the really liquidy ones. This held a curl longer than most mascaras, but not as long as Lash blast volume, or Clump Crusher from Covergirl. I like the plastic comb tip, but I HATE the long flimsy wand. It WILL hit the neck of the tube and BEND 90 degrees if you're in a hurry, so make sure to wake up earlier. I will repurchase because I LOVE the formula and the effect, despite the paranoia of breaking the flimsy light plastic wand. Great Formula+ shitty packaging. I would ignore the horrible packaging because very few mascaras give me visible lashes. Beggars can't be choosers lol. If you have better luck with mascaras in general, you could pass. Also idk what would happen with oilier eyelids. Mine are super dry.

I got this because it was highly reviewed but I found myself just never using it. It has a tiny wand and is a hassle to put the mascara on with this. And it sticks your lashes together instead of volumizing them. Not a fan.

Best mascara ever. Does not burn my eyes, does not flake, separates and lengthens lashes like no other mascara I’ve tried! The original telescopic is good but the carbon black makes it more intense which I love!

6 Skinny Lashes – I have thin lashes and the wet mascara formula combined with the comb rubber wand made it look like I had about 6 skinny eyelashes. This really didn’t work for me and I have concluded that I need a nylon bristle wand for lash separation. The little comb teeth just glued all my lashes together. I also got zero volumizing (even though I know this isn’t marketed as) although the lengthening was okay. For the price of $10.99 this just isn’t worth it for my type of lashes. I have had better luck with Essence mascaras, Maybelline Black Drama Falsies, CG Super Thick Lash or the Catrice Lashes to Kill, all of which are cheaper.

I love the skinny brush of this mascara. It's perfect for my short lashes and it's the single one (apart of Clinique Bottom Lash mascara) that I can easily use on my bottom lashes. I don't find the formula to be too liquid. It's perfect. The mascara gives length, a bit of volume, it doesn't transfer and doesn't give any clumps. Unfortunately, I have very sensitive eyes and wearing it hurts / irritates my lashline. Not for me, but a good product nevertheless.