Product:  Lancôme Cils Booster XL Base de Mascara Super-Enhancing Mascara Base.  If you weren’t born with long, full, luscious eyelashes, a lash primer can definitely amp up the volume and make the most of what you have.

Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars – Very Good.

Cost:  $25.50 (.18 fl. oz.) ($141.67 per fluid ounce)  Price Category: Expensive

Sold By:  Lancôme USA; Dillard’s; Nordstrom; Sephora; Ulta; Major Dept. stores everywhere.

Container:  Plastic tube with twist-off tapered wand, outer carton.

Description:  Lancôme Cils Booster XL Base de Mascara Super-Enhancing Mascara Base is a primer that is intended to be worn as a base coat under mascara.  As this is white in color, it cannot be worn by itself without looking very strange.

I would not describe this as a wet formula.  It is more of a medium-dry formula.  It has almost no scent other than a faint polymer smell.

Sensitivity:  Lancôme Cils Booster is fragrance-free and I have never experienced any sensitivity issues personally or from clients/testers.  This is suitable those who wear contacts or have sensitive eyes.

Company Claims:  “Give your lashes an XL boost. With just one sweep, this innovative mascara primer glides on and evenly coats and smoothes your lashes to maximize the results of your favorite Lancôme mascara. The magic behind this mascara base is the conditioning formula—featuring micro-fibers and Vitamin E—to add extra length and thickness to your lashes for added visible performance to your mascara.”

Benefits

• Lengthens and thickens lashes without clumping
• Maximizes the results of your favorite Lancôme mascara
• Protects and conditions lashes
• Smoothes eyelashes by coating them thinly and evenly—emphasizing even the shortest lashes
• Intensifies color of your favorite mascara

Technology

• Micro-Fibers
• D-Panthénol and Vitamin E
• Triangular, thin-shaped brush
• Provides a white base for mascara to cover

Discussion:  Mascara primers serve a few purposes:

• Coat the lashes to increase the diameter making them appear thicker
• Provide ingredients that promote the health of the eyelashes
• Act as a first coat of mascara thereby allowing for use of less mascara

Colors:  Lancôme Cils Booster comes in one color, white.

Morning Review:  Before applying mascara, coat both the upper and lower lashes thoroughly with a light coat of Lancôme Cils Booster.

Lancôme Cils Booster definitely makes lashes look thicker.  I would say the emphasis is more on thickness than length.  The company says the product contains micro fibers.  These are not like the thick fibers that you see in lash-extension type mascaras that can flake off and get into your eyes.  I did not actually see any fibers anywhere in the formula even when I inspected it with a magnifying glass.

Helpful Tips:

If you read reviews for this product you may find the information confusing, as some people say to apply mascara on top of the Lancôme Cils Booster while it is still wet, and others say to wait until the primer is dry.  Here are my thoughts:

• If you apply your mascara on top of Lancôme Cils Booster while it is still wet and you use the wand that comes with your tube of mascara, you have just contaminated your mascara by getting wet primer on the wand. As soon as you put the wand back into the tube of mascara containing wet primer, your mascara will not perform the same and the mascara will produce terrible clumps.
• When you remove the Lancôme Cils Booster wand from the tube, scrape some of the primer back into the tube so the brush won’t be too full of product.
• Apply the Lancôme Cils Booster to one eye at a time as it dries quickly.
• A light coat will work better than a thick coat.
• After applying the primer brush through the lashes with a dry wand to remove clumps before applying mascara.
• By the time you have finished with the second eye, the first eye is dry.
• If you find that your mascara is clumping worse on top of the primer, it is because you are using too much primer.
• If you are having trouble completely covering the white primer and some of it is still showing, first apply a light coat of mascara, then the Lancôme Cils Booster and finally another coat of mascara. By “sandwiching” the primer with mascara you will eliminate the potential for any graying or white showing through.

Evening Review:  Lancôme Cils Booster makes lashes look considerably thicker and makes mascara perform better.  After many hours there is no flaking or smudging of the mascara.  You can use Lancôme Cils Booster under any brand of mascara even though Lancôme would prefer that you use this over a Lancôme mascara.

Overall Review:  Lancôme Cils Booster Base de Mascara Super-Enhancing Mascara Base performs very well and provides excellent results for making the most of thin or sparse eyelashes.

Pros:

• Makes thin lashes look considerably thicker.
• Makes mascara go further as you use less mascara.
• Primer gives mascara something to bind to.

Cons:

• The tip of the wand is too bulky for my taste; I would prefer a narrower, more tapered tip for greater control and ease of use on the lower lashes. (I like the wand that comes with Clinique Lash Building Primer.)
• Price

Suitability:  Lancôme Cils Booster is suitable for the following users:

• All users

RATINGS REPORT:

Morning Rating = 4 Stars;

Evening Rating = 4 Stars;

Average from Other Testers = 4 Stars;

Value Rating = 2 Stars;

Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars = Very Good.

(Please review the About 365 Cosmetic Reviews page for the rating info.)

Ingredients:  AQUA / WATER / EAU, ORYZA SATIVA CERA / RICE BRAN WAX, COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA / CARNAUBA WAX / CIRE DE CARNAUBA, CERA ALBA / BEESWAX / CIRE DABEILLE, STEARIC ACID, CANDELILLA CERA / CANDELILLA WAX / CIRE DE CANDELILLA, TRIETHANOLAMINE, PALMITIC ACID, ACACIA SENEGAL / ACACIA SENEGAL GUM, PANTHENOL, PEG/PPG-17/18 DIMETHICONE, SODIUM POLYMETHACRYLATE, MYRISTIC ACID, RAYON, HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE, POLYCAPROLACTONE, POLYQUATERNIUM-10, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN.

Important:  Please read our full Disclaimer before using this or any product.