Aldi’s Lacura makeup range is back by popular demand - here we review the cheap 3D Effect mascara that’s more than worth a try
I can't remember the last time I paid under £10 for a mascara ; even on the high street it can be hard to find, and as one of women's most essential makeup items the brands know we'll pay if it means bigger, longer lashes. But Aldi look set to change all that; following their copycat Jo Malone candles and reed diffusers, they've now come back to the makeup market by relaunching their sell-out Lacura makeup range, with dupes of some of our high street favourites. And the one that's won me over? The £2.49 mascara that looks rather a lot like a Max Factor product - on the outside, at least...
There are three mascaras in the range, but I tried the 3D False Lash Effect which has a conical, fat and fluffy brush - not the kind of wand I’d usually go for in my search for mascara but any reservations I had were instantly swept away from my first coat. The bristly brush grabs the lashes, so much so that I found even my lower lashes looked more defined than they usually do with my current favourite ( Benefit’s Rollerlash Mascara , £20.50).
For the upper lashes, the mascara really coats them in dense black, with no clogging yet plenty of volume (something I’m seriously lacking). Best of all, it doesn’t flake through the day, which at such a low price point I had expected, so it was great for my sensitive eyes ; for want of a better description it’s a very ‘wet’ formula and I found my lashes didn’t feel dry and brittle come 6pm. It disappears just as easily as it glides on with my usual Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water too, making it win-win.
Would I replace my favourite mascara with Aldi’s version? Yes, because lack of volume is my main lash concern these days. If I were being picky (aren’t we all with mascara?) it doesn’t add much length unless you really pile it on - which I’m more than happy to do - so I found my ultimate formula was a coat of my long-adored Rollerlash to separate and lengthen, followed by a coat of this bargain mascara to fatten the lashes up; the best of both worlds. I’d happily make do with a few coats of Lacura until payday though at that price…
Aldi Lacura 3D Effect Mascara is £2.49 and available at Aldi stores (currently sold out online )