Melanin and Makeup : Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara Review

Let me begin by saying that the mascara was provided as a press sample for the purpose of providing a review. This is not however a sponsored post, sadly I’m not being paid, maybe next time.

The Details

The Noir Interdit Mascara is the latest addition to Givenchy’s line of mascara’s. It’s primary aim is to provide the wearer with long lashes and made to measure volume that is buildable. What makes this mascara stand out is the fact that the wand can bend at a 90 degree angle which can help give you more precise application. It can be used completely upright, at a 35 degree angle and at the afore mentioned 90 degrees. It’s easy to bend the wand to your preferred angle, just apply slight pressure by bracing it on the sides of the tube when you’re removing it.

The packaging of this mascara is beautiful, it’s simple and understated but has a luxe feel to it, with the ribbon detail running down both sides, the tube is also square instead of the traditional circular barrel. The bristles on the mascara are shorter and smooth instead of fuzzy. This allows you to build the mascara without worrying about clumps, it also means that you less likely to get spider lashes.

Noir Interdit bristles compared to Phenomena' Eyes mascara

Noir Interdit Bristles compared to traditional mascara brush

The Noir Interdit mascara only comes in one shade, black, hence the ‘Noir’ in the name. The mascara does have a scent to it, that you can smell when applying. It’s not overpowering but does linger for a minute or two after application.

It is available exclusively at Sephora and is $38 Canadian.

My Thoughts

In my opinion this mascara is okay. I’ll start with what I liked first. Due to the construction of the bristles clumping is minimized a lot which is nice when you want to layer the mascara on to build them up. I have short curly lashes, so sometimes when I apply mascara it tends to clump them together. This leads me to my next point, I like to use this mascara in conjunction with another mascara. I really like the Stila Huge mascara because of the volume it gives me, but it clumps easily and leaves my lashes looking like spider stumps, which is not the aim. I like to layer the Noir Interdit on top of the Stila one to separate and refine the look of my lashes.

This mascara is also nice when you want to achieve a more natural look with your lashes, because it doesn’t apply a large amount of product at one time, it works as complement to my own lashes. So if I just want my lashes to be defined and blacker in colour it works great. It doesn't flake, nor does the formula irritate my eyes.

One of the main things I don’t like about this mascara is that you have to be careful when applying it to the base of your lashes. Because the bristles are so smooth they’re a bit sharper and irritate the root of my lashes, so I tend to apply it more from the middle to the ends of my lashes instead of all the up. I’m also not fond of the scent, it’s not a major problem for me but if you are sensitive that it could be irritating.