‘It’s Lashlighting’: The Controversy Behind The £12.99 Mascara Going Viral On TikTok

It's not every day that a mascara finds itself at the centre of a TikTok controversy, but L’Oréal Paris' latest offering sure brought the drama and we're not just talking about its lash lifting abilities. Our feeds have been awash with debates about the brand's newTelescopic Lift Mascara, £12.99, after beauty guru and TikTok influencer Mikayla Nogueira posted a review of the product and hailed its 'false lash'-like effects.

In the video, Mikayla says, 'this literally just changed my life, this looks like false lashes. I'm speechless and I'm not sure anyone's gonna ever be able to compete with this mascara.' And the results are undeniably impressive – read: serious length, lift and volume. The video received over 44 million views and many of those viewers were quick to question the 'after' shot.

Many began calling out Mikayla for boosting the final clip with a set of undercover false lashes. And so the term 'lashlighting' was born. This pro-approved new buy has already won favour with beauty editors and TikTokers alike, and though it's unclear whether the accusations of lashlighting have any real basis, one thing's for certain - this mascara is going viral anyway. The video prompted swarms of TikTokers to put the new launch to the test themselves and the results speak for themselves. In her review, TikToker Aysha Harun points out, 'I have to say this kind of does look like falsies... it looks good, it looks bomb'.

And @sophdoeslife says 'it doesn't actually need false lashes, I mean, unless that's the look you're going for. It's a pretty nice mascara'.

If you've kept up to speed with the brand's lash offerings over the past few years, you'll know all about the iconic Telescopic range. It's been around for over 15 years and has long promised (and delivered) on both length and volume. The original Telescopic Mascara, £10.99, has managed to stand the test of time and years after its first launch is enjoying still enjoying cult status, especially on TikTok - it has received a whopping 643.8 million views on so far and counting.

The latest iteration in the Telescopic range was bound to cause a stir given the brand's reputation for creating well-loved mascaras. The L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Lift Mascara, £12.99, features a double hook brush which allows for plenty of grab and Iift (up to +5mm more in fact), and the ceramide-infused formula helps to condition and strengthen lashes too.

Main image: TikTok @aysha_harun, @mikaylanogueira and @iamkelianne

Shop: L’Oréal Paris New Viral Mascara