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Victoria Beckham Beauty’s debut Future Lash mascara: Our honest review

 (Victoria Beckham Beauty)
(Victoria Beckham Beauty)

In the pantheon of mascaras, few reign supreme.

Launches may come and go, but the lash lengtheners that really work are few and far between. This ultimately results in an immunity to the hyperbole which surrounds many of the beauty realm’s debuts.

When Victoria Beckham goes near anything beauty-related though, well, that’s a whole other story.

Since launching her clean beauty brand in 2019 with ex-Estée Launder beauty executive Sarah Creal, Victoria Beckham Beauty has churned out innovative skincare (with science supremo Augustinus Bader, no less) and oh-so covetable make-up (its Posh lipsticks provide the perfect pout.) The only thing missing from its offering so far has, of course, been mascara, which the brand is remedying with the launch of its debut mascara, Future Lash (£26).

With a starry plant-based ingredient list that includes vitamin E and shea butter to nourish and condition lashes, niacinamide, which aids in the production of keratin to promote growth, and pro-vitamin B5 to help prevent breakage, Future Lash promises “silkier lashes over time."

Future LashVictoria Beckham Beauty
Future LashVictoria Beckham Beauty

“I was tired of my mascara being unable to keep up—always smudging, flaking, or harming lashes," Beckham said in a statement. “The perfect mascara is something I’ve had in my head since day one, and to create my own, I wanted to reimagine what I needed from the ground up. We nailed it with Future Lash. A clean formula, with plant-based polymers, for ultra-black, fluttery lashes, and unlike anything I’ve tried.”

In the brand’s own trials, it found that 100 per cent of people agreed that their lashes looked lifted upon application of Future Lash, while 93 per cent of people agreed that the formula did not smudge. The best part? VB Beauty has crafted an exclusive water-activated IRT (Instant Release Technology), which means that the mascara is purportedly 100 per cent removable with water. Buh-bye, cotton pads, and eye make-up remover.

Future LashVictoria Beckham Beauty
Future LashVictoria Beckham Beauty

How does Future Lash fare on the Shopping team’s lashes? As a trio of lash-lengthening lovers, we took it for a test drive to see for ourselves what all the hype is about.

Naomi May, Fashion and Beauty Writer

My one saving grace during lockdowns one, two, and now three has been mascara. While my skin has been hosting mounds of maskne and my hair has become as brittle as can be, I’ve taken solace in the fact that at least I can make my eyes look wide and awake (a true miracle for before your umpteenth Zoom of the week.)

As somebody (forgive me) who was bequeathed with pretty long and fluttering eyelashes at birth, I’m a total mascara tart and have never been overly-discerning about my wands or formulas, all I’ve asked of them is that they don’t flake and shed onto my face because, really, that’s just never the look we’re going for. However, having been bowled over by how much I loved VB Beauty’s Lid Lustre pots and its Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturiser (both of which have also aided me in my quest to look more virtually more awake), I had high expectations of Future Lash.

While the wand is thinner than I would usually opt for, after just one wiggle up from the lash line, my lashes looked naturally extended, like themselves but on a really good day. I gave them another wiggle and, again, they assumed a new form that made them look like a veritably sexier version of themselves. While Future Lash didn’t impart volume or lengthening, I really loved the au natural extension and additional flutter it gave my lashes, which didn’t look like they had any mascara on at all. I just looked like me with no make-up, but better?

The best part of my Future Lash foray came at the end of a hard day sitting in my WFH-office (hello, living room) when all it took was a dash of warm water in the shower to remove every last scrap of it. Anything that cuts down on my sometimes endless evening skincare routine is a winner in my eyes.

Ellie Davis, Shopping Editor

To say I love mascara is the understatement of the century.

It’s my desert island product that I could not leave the house without. I’ve tried hundreds, maybe even thousands and when there’s a new launch, I’m first in line to swipe it on my lashes. After the pigmented Smoky Eye palettes, Posh lipsticks, and the Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum crafted with the legendary Augustinus Bader, I had high hopes from the Future Lash mascara but to be honest, I was quite disappointed.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of unscrewing a brand new product but this was quite underwhelming. The wand is extremely thin (but despite this, it’s not flimsy). The brush head itself is curved, which is effective in ensuring that every single last lash receives some mascara loving but not much product actually comes on.

This is not a quick fix. Quite the opposite. It takes a fair amount of time to lather the product on. This is both a positive and a negative as you are in complete control of the quantity applied. I love a lot of volume and a lot of lengthening so it took me a while to get the desired result. It is, however, extremely buildable. There is some clumping but on the whole, it provides a good lengthening effect and a natural-looking volume. It also stays firmly affixed to the lashes throughout the day but comes off easily with a touch of oil-based eye makeup remover.

To conclude, this is a great product for those who opt for a subtle swoop of mascara and it’s very hard to go wrong. But after the latest launches in the mascara field - we’re looking to you Gucci, Hourglass, and Charlotte Tilbury - this product sadly does not live up.

Abha Shah, Shopping Writer

Future Lashes sounds promising, but would they make me look Posh? That was the question as I unsheathed Victoria Beckham's new mascara from its chic monochrome packaging.

The thin brush allows you to catch every lash and give it a good going over - even those tiny ones you’d normally miss in the corners - and there's a subtle lift that's nice for every day, popping-to-the-shops, getting-the-post wear. It's light as a feather and there's no chance of that caked-on spiders leg effect that's only really appropriate for Halloween.

However as someone who hasn't had lash extensions since 2019 and misses them dearly, this mascara doesn't have the high impact volume I normally favour. On this occasion, neither heart nor lashes were left fluttering.

£26 | Victoria Beckham Beauty

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