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Beautiful Beginnings with L'Oreal

Beautiful Beginnings with L’Oreal

What was the first L’Oreal product you ever tried?  Did it pave way for a real romance or did it put you off the brand entirely?  What was the first product you purchased?  Did you love it? Hate it? Still own it?

my answer: Now, L’Oreal and I did not get off to a good start when I started reviewing products on the blog. I was sooo not a fan – just too many misses in a row. However, I stuck with ’em, and then I discovered their Chrome Eyeliners, which are phenomenal! I’m also digging some of their glosses for their color/shimmer.

Share your first time experiences with L’Oreal in the comments! 🙂

36 Comments

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Kiss & Make-up Avatar

I honestly can’t remember the first l’Oreal product I bought. I’ve always had easy access to the brand (relatively cheap, sold in drugstores and even supermarkets = ideal for a teen starting to get into beauty and make-up…), so I’ve tried many many l’Oreal products. I feel that with l’Oreal it’s always either a hit or miss, though. Sometimes they’re bang on. And sometimes, well, just very very off 🙁

Mariella Avatar

Like Kiss & Make-up, I can’t recall the first L’Oreal product(s) I purchased but I’m fairly certain I did use them over the years and I know I bought a L’Oreal deep red lipstick some years ago, after seeing it in a magazine (probably Glamour or Mademoiselle, which gives you an idea of just how long ago it was). And I’ve purchased Voluminous mascara and, more recently, the Coleur Infallible powder/cream shadows, which I really like.

xamyx Avatar

L’Oreal and I go *way* back, over 25 years. I remember a counter at JCPenney when I was about 9 or 10, and although I couldn’t tell you what other brands were there, I remember the L’Oreal counter vividly. A few years later, when I started wearing makeup, I went for L’Oreal. Back then, it was significantly more expensive than all the other DS brands, so it always took some convincing my mom to buy it for me.

I’m still a big fan, and I buy often. Yes, there are some products that are complete “duds”, like the eyeshadow quads, but there are other products that are amazing (the eyeshadow singles are wonderful). I know there are many who hate the scent of the lipstick, but I actually really like it.

Julie Avatar

For the eyeshadow quads, it may not be worth the trouble, however, if you are able to use a base and layer the shadow colors, base and color, it will turn out magazine perfect…even the chalky, non-pigmented ones your eyeshadow brush doesn’t want to pick up!

angela Avatar

i swear by their telescopic mascara. best i have ever used and i’m afraid to try anything different. also loved their subtle berries eyeshadow quad 🙂

Bernice Avatar

Hey Christine. This post prompted me to ask:

How comparable are the L’oreal Chrome Eyeliners to the Milani Liquif’eye and Giorgio Armai Eyes to Kill Eyeliner? They seem very similar in your reviews but what’s the biggest difference? Thanks!

AnGeLwInGz Avatar

I think my first L’Oreal product was either a mascara or a lipstick. This is going back to the mid-90’s, when L’Oreal lipsticks were $4.99 at most. What are they at now, like $13 and up for the Infallible ones?

nacacijin Avatar

Oh gosh I have absolutely no idea. I think my first purchase from L’Oreal was like…10 years ago? Right around the time I first started wearing makeup. I couldn’t even tell you what I bought or what I thought about it, but it must have been okay because I’ve been buying L’Oreal ever since. I love the Voluminous mascara and the TrueMatch (both regular and Lumi) liquid foundations and the Infallible eyeshadows are divine. I also like their Lineur Intense felt tip liquid liner and their HIP cream eyeliners. Overall definitely one of the best DS brands for me–and one of the cheapest because I always always have coupons!

Nemo Avatar

My first purchase was a Glam Shine Cream lipstick. It was a pretty red-coral color and wore nicely as a stain too. I loved it so much and used it for years. It’s a bummer they don’t make that formula anymore, I thought it was perfect!

Wwendalynne Avatar

L’Oreal was one of my go to drugstore brands when I was much younger. I used quite a few products and had an overall good impression of the quality of their products. Fast forward to today and I still have L’Oreal Voluminous mascara kicking around for days when I don’t want to wear the expensive stuff. I’ve also purchased a number of the Infallible eyeshadows recently and although they do not always have the depth and complexity of the Giorgio Armani ETK product, they have similar feel and durability and you can buy a whole whack and not be stony broke. Some of the prettiest looks I’ve seen on Christine lately feature these same eyeshadows. How cool is that? I will never turn up my nose at a department store brand when they come up with great products that rival the high-end products in consistency and quality. Good show L’Oreal.

Kristabelle Avatar

The first product I tried was the True Match foundation, first liquid foundation I ever used (around age 19). It gave me the worst skin I ever had for most of a year that I still have scarring from, so I can’t help hating it haha.
I really love their Lineur Intense ‘liquipencil’ black eyeliner- the best I’ve ever tried. Awesome color payoff, smudges well, and once it sets it stays on forever. I haven’t bought another black eyeliner since I tried it.
I also really like the Double Extend tubes mascara but rarely buy it because of how little product you get. It lasts me a week and a half at most.
One thing I really hate is the smell of their lipsticks. Blech.

KaseyCannuck Avatar

My first L’Oreal products would go back about 20 to 25 years ago, because all I bought back then were drug store brands. I probably first bought eyeshadows or mascaras, but I can’t remember that far back as to what kind they were. I remember when their Quick Stick foundation came out. I still have mine and use it as concealer.

Jane Avatar

Drumbeat Red! If I close my eyes I can still smell it. I haven’t bought a Loreal lipstick in a few years but last time I did, the smell hasn’t changed.

Cristal Avatar

I bought a mascara, the cil architect 4D, and is the right one for me! I bought also another mascaras to try, but I re-bought the same, I just love it!

Zappa-sha Avatar

I’ve only ever tried the touche magique concealer which I got on with really well at first but am not so keen on anymore. Think my skin has got drier and it just really settles into the dry patches regardless of how well I moisturise! Want to investigate the single eye shadows soon though, esp the emerald green one.

Liz Avatar

I can’t remember the first L’oreal product I bought. It may have been a lipstick. In general, I like L’oreal products a lot. I have two lipsticks by them that I love. However, the smell is pretty bad. Million Lashes Carbon Black is the best mascara I’ve ever used, hands down. I have never found a better mascara either from the department store or drugstore.

I have a True Match Blush that is really awesome and probably the most flattering blush that I own. I also really like the True Match concealer. I don’t have a problem with their eyeshadows. They aren’t as soft as UD, but the pigmentation isn’t bad and they last long with primer. L’oreal is by far my favorite drugstore brand. I probably have more L’oreal products than any other brand.

Stacey Avatar

I have odds and ends of Loreal makeup over the years so I cannot remember what I originally bought from Loreal. I actually like the voluminous mascara. The infalliable shadows are ok. I like the chrome eyeliners but I wish it was available in more colors. It is not go-to brand because I tend to buy HE brands. I dont like the lipsticks….though the red colors are so well known way back into time.

Veronica Avatar

L’Oreal is one of those drug store brands I never touched because it just seemed so needlessly pricey that I might as well go HE…but then I fell down the rabbit hole that is their eye products. Voluminous Million Lashes is hands down one of the best mascaras on the market, HE or otherwise. Their eyeshadows can be hit or miss, but I’ve had hits for the most part. Liquid liners? AMAZING. Black mica is such a deliciously inky black. (The applicator and I sometimes quarrel thought; we are currently in negotiation over proper administration to the left eye.) I own a couple of their lip liners and glosses, which I’ve liked well enough. I hope to try some of their lip products soon, though I admit I tend to skim over their basic lipstick collection because I can’t stand the packaging. 😛

Katie Avatar

The only thing I’ve ever used is the Voluminous mascara. I recently tried the new one, Voluminous Definition but I didn’t like it very much…I’ll stick with the original. 🙂

TrishB Avatar

Here’s where I date myself. Let’s go back 30 years and I can’t tell you how many bottles of Sea Lily nail polish I went through. Heck, if they still made it, I’d still wear it. These days I’m having fun with the Infallible shadows and my go to lipstick is Nature’s Blush. It’s a perfect nuded/muted rose that’s no darker than my natural lip. It’s a close dupe for an old Bobbi Brown called Sandwash Nude that I loved.

lily Avatar

The first (and only…) Loreal product that I bought/still have and LOVE is color riche le gloss in naturally nude. Its clear, its not sticky/tacky and its a thicker formula so a little goes a LONNG way. I use it everyday over my lipstick or on its own to add a bit of shine to my lips. It doesnt smell or taste weird like a lot of other drugstore brands and when I use it up I am getting another tube and probably more colors of it as well! I cant IMAGINE spending a ton of money on something like clear gloss and 99% of my makeup stash is high end. And I also love that its in a squeeze tube. With pots I have to use brushes, and with wand applicators I cant get all of the product out and they are really hard to keep clean!

casey23 Avatar

I can never remember the first product I bought from Loreal, but probably it was from their skincare line. I know I remember that I didn’t like Pure Zone series (Jessica Biel was on their campaign, oh my!) but I did like the moisturizer happyderm! I was sad when it was discontinued (or not selling here anymore). I don’t use their skincare anymore but I do like some of their makeup stuff. For example Telescopic carbon black is my one and only mascara, and I do buy some of their eyeshadows or lipsticks occasionally, but the truth is it is verrry expensive here (as supposed to a drugstore brand), so if I plan to give that money, I would rather give it to Clinique or something..

Tina Avatar

My first L’Oreal product was a foundation I used to use. I thought they had the best and most high end products from a drugstore (this was 25 years ago). For years, I used their mascara. I don’t really buy much eyeshadow, lipstick, or blush from drugstores, but I did try their foundation again recently and thought it was decent. The main deterrent for me is that if I buy a drugstore product, I don’t get to test it out first to make sure the color is right. I have taken a chance on mineral products, and I have bought from Macy’s and Nordstrom because I can return something if I don’t like it.

Jas Avatar

Oo I remember, it was their mascara: shocking volume with 2 brushes: a white formula and a black one. It was amazing als it was also my first mascara ever! My lashes looked voluminious, but when looking back at pics when I was wearing this mascara I now think they look spidery… Iekk!

Christy Avatar

My first L’Oreal product was nail polish that was a pastel pink lavender colour. It didn’t bowl me over with it’s awesomeness but it wasn’t awful, just meh. When I finally went into actually putting on make up, I started with CG and then it jumped into HE products and it snowballed from there.
Now, I’m back to L’Oreal again with it’s fantastic Infallible eyeshadow range and I’m glad to be back.

Ally-cat Avatar

My first L’Oreal product was On the Loose Shimmering Powder in Beauty Queen and it was beautiful! It has been by far my favourite eyeshadow….it looked great on and stayed on…and I’m so sad L’Oreal got rid of it. I so wish they would bring it back!

Julie Avatar

My first experience with L’Oreal was wonderful. I must have been when I was 10, my favorite was the Colour Riche (?) eyeshadow! I loved the consistency, so velvety and opaque compared to Maybelline. I also loved the Le Grand Kohl eye pencils, they came in wonderful colors that Lancome has taken over, this was in the 80’s and and I just saw the eye pencils at the Lancome counter, I was sooo very happy! I still use the brand, mostly for mascara, but the lipsticks and lipglosses never let me down! One of my all time favorites.

Nikelle Suarez Avatar

L’Oreal Voluminous mascara was my first product from this line about 16 years ago. It is still my HG mascara. I try others, but always come back to it. The HIP line introduced me to pigments and gel liners about 4 years ago. Their latest Infallible eye shadows are spectacular.

Brenda Avatar

I haven’t had great luck with L’oreal. Like a lot of commentors I find them to be expensive for a drugstore brand and I have had poor payoff from their products.

I have tried Voluminous lashes about 8 years ago and hated it! I do own two of their loose pigments from probably a decade ago and those I like.I had a pink one that I gave away and actually still wish I had. I tried a pencil liner – too dry and waxy. Lipsticks – meh and didn’t like the texture either, or the smell. These have all been 2003 or earlier so I’m guessing formulas have changed. However I have tried their True Match foundation which is too dry and separates on my skin. I purchased an eyeshadow last year which even if I dig into it, it barely produces anything.

Honestly the only thing I would purchase is the Collegen mascara, which funny enough after all the crap I’ve had from them, I really like.

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