Is Diorshow Mascara Worth The Hype (And $25 Price)?

When we started the Controversial Cult Fave column last month, we asked our readers which popular, ultra-hyped products would be the best to review. One of the makeup items that continuously came up was the beloved Diorshow Mascara by Dior, a product that I have admittedly coveted since I was pretty young despite not knowing whether it actually worked or not. This week, we’re going to figure out whether this famous favorite is worth its $25 price tag and a big reputation.

What It Claims

This is how Dior describes the mascara on its site:

Runway mascara with extreme volume and a “lash-extension” effect. Diorshow combines the legendary power of its XXL brush with a buildable cream formula for adjustable professional volume and spectacular lashes. The result: customized volume to mirror the effect of professional lash extensions.

Sounds like the perfect mascara, right? After all, who doesn’t want false lashes that aren’t actually false (and therefore don’t require the kind of annoying time, money, and energy commitment of fake lashes)? Sephora talks about the product similarly.

This mascara delivers perfectly plush, glam lashes with an innovative XXL brush for show-stopping volume. Its creamy, buildable, customizable formula allows you to achieve the same dramatic lash volume that can be seen on the Dior runway for a glamorous, false-lash effect.

I’ve heard both positive and negative things about the famed eye product, but with a $25 price tag, it’s a bit of a risk for the average makeup user. Several readers have voiced varying feelings on Diorshow. On our NARS Orgasm Blush review last week, commenter ATH said this:

I’d love to see y’all do a review of DiorShow mascara in this thread–I tried it probably my freshman year of high school and I distinctly remember being wicked pissed that I had blown a month’s worth of allowance on a just ok mascara.

Other readers seconded her desire to see Diorshow reviewed, including Jenelle:

Also want a review on DiorShow, I tried it once and thought it did absolutely nothing. I’m still so confused when celebrities and make-up artists name it as one of their favorite mascaras.

One reader, Layla Corcoran, even mentioned that she’s allergic to the mascara, which sounds absolutely terrible (though she did recommend another one, so listen to, sensitive gals):

I’m allergic to DiorShow. The whites of my eyes turn red and inflamed. I do love my Benefit They’re Real though.

When we asked about which beauty products disappointed our readers most, sydneyb79 shared her frustration:

Diorshow! For me. No better than whatever I would get as a freebie if I timed my clinique purchases correctly.

So, is this really worth $25? (That’s 25 ice cream cones from a truck, just to put it in perspective.) Let’s take a look!

What It Looks Like

It comes in Catwalk Black, Catwalk Brown, and Catwalk Blue (so if you want to try out the brightly colored mascara look we showcased yesterday, this is an option), but we went for the first option.

Here are photos of my eyes sans eye makeup (with the exception of Laura Mercier Secret Concealer and a dusting of Makeup For Ever HD Pressed Powder) in the daylight and in our studio:

Here’s what my eyes looked like in the studio after two coats:

And in daylight:

From the side:

They look lovely! Lovely and long and lush, but I especially love how dark this color is. It’s a very deep, rich black, and the formula glided on my lashes easily with the thick, dense brush. I can see myself wearing it with smokey eye makeup to amplify the look, or on its own with a wild color of lipstick (perhaps even the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars we reviewed a few weeks ago). But then a few hours rolled by and things didn’t look quite as pretty.

I applied the mascara at about 1, and at 3:30 PM, I decided to take some more photos to show how well it wears. Spoiler alert: It does not.

Verdict

Yes, this mascara delivers on its promise to create full, plush lashes. It’s easy to use and just one stroke adds plenty of volume to your natural eyelashes, which is wonderful; two strokes make ’em look huge. But here’s the big problem: while it looked beautiful after the initial application at around 1 PM, it was faded and underneath my eyes. I wasn’t doing anything that required me to sweat, nor anything outdoors; I have simply been sitting at my desk in the air conditioning. That’s it. If any environment should be safe from leading to mascara slide-age, shouldn’t it be an office setting where you’re really not doing all that much to smear, smudge or melt your makeup off?

I can see why people would buy this mascara after testing it in a store (even though that’s gross)–it looks excellent upon first application. However, if I’m going to drop $25 on a mascara, I want to totally love it. Love it. And I want it to last all day or at least more than 2.5 hours. I’ll likely be sticking to my drugstore mascara buys, but I would love to hear your experiences with Diorshow because I’m sure they vary between individuals, so please share!

For all our Controversial Cult Fave reviews, click here! Got an idea of a famous product we should try? Tell us in the comments!