- L'Oréal's new version of its Telescopic mascara is the most controversial beauty product of 2023.
- It went viral after a TikToker seemingly reviewed the makeup while wearing false eyelashes.
An unassuming drugstore mascara has shaken the online beauty community to its core, but after trying the product myself, I'm not sure it warrants the hype.
At the start of 2023, L'Oréal launched a new version of its famous Telescopic mascara in four dark shades. It costs under $20, and L'Oréal says it's so long-lasting that you can wear it for a day and a half straight.
The mascara has been the talk of TikTok since January 25, when beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira shared a sponsored post that showed her applying a few coats to achieve long, luxe lashes. Nogueira's TikTok has been viewed nearly 48 million times as of Wednesday.
Though some supported the beauty TikToker and said they wanted to try the mascara, other viewers argued that Nogueira seemingly wore false eyelashes in her video to make the product look more impressive.
Beauty fans then started reviewing the makeup to see if it made their lashes look like Nogueira's, and controversial figures like Jeffree Star weighed in on the product. Star in particular said the mascara was "cute" but not "the greatest thing on the planet," and warned people against trusting influencers who accept money to review makeup.
Representatives for Nogueira and L'Oréal did not respond to Insider's previous requests for comment on the controversy.
I've tried many controversial beauty products and techniques throughout my career, so I thought it was only fitting to test this mascara as well.
I see why people like L'Oréal's Telescopic Lift mascara, but I think it's pretty average
Like the original mascara, the updated version is said to lift, lengthen, and separate lashes "instantly."
The new Telescopic Lift, however, has a "ceramide-infused formula" that can last 36 hours on the eyes, according to the brand, and a "patented double-hook bristle brush" that's thicker and more curved than the original.
I bought the mascara at Ulta Beauty for $14.99, though it's also sold for $11.99 at other retailers like Target. I then tested it for four days in a row to see how I liked it.
Naturally, my lashes are medium-length and light brown. Without eye makeup, you can hardly see them.
So I was happy to see that L'Oréal's Telescopic Lift did what it promised. It lifted my lashes, gave them more length, and darkened their color so that they were actually visible.
The brush also worked pretty well — coating my lashes with its flat side and separating them with its comb — but I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking. I've found many mascara wands have similar effects.
And while I wouldn't wear any mascara for 36 hours straight, this one did hold up on my lashes for the full eight hours I wore makeup each day.
That said, I think the mascara was more impressive when looked at closely in the mirror than from a normal distance.
I took a selfie after applying the makeup on one side of my face, and I thought the mascara looked good, but still pretty average.
My mascara-coated lashes were darker and longer than my natural ones, but they didn't look as dramatic as Nogueira's do in her viral video.
Ultimately, I do think this is a good mascara, and I think most people who are influenced to try it by TikTok won't be disappointed.
But at the end of the day, I don't think it's entirely worthy of the hype it's received.