Bourjois Mascara Review: The Drugstore Lash Upgrade Everyone’s Whispering About

There’s a specific kind of heartbreak that only happens in front of a mirror: lashes stuck together in crunchy spikes, flakes dusting your under-eyes like bad snow, and that heavy, gritty feeling every time you blink. You wanted soft, fanned-out drama. You got a clumpy, smudgy mess that starts betraying you before lunch.

If you wear mascara regularly, you know the pattern. You buy a new tube, hope this one will finally give you clean length, believable volume, and all?day wear – and instead you’re wiping off smears in the office bathroom or scrubbing at stubborn residue at midnight.

That’s the frustration Bourjois Mascara is trying to end: giving you lashes that look intentionally bold, not accidentally chaotic.

The Solution: Bourjois Mascara Steps In

Bourjois Mascara – a family of mascaras from French brand Bourjois, owned by Coty Inc. (ISIN: US2220702037) – positions itself as the sweet spot between effortless everyday wear and editorial-level lashes. Hero lines like Volume Glamour, Twist Up The Volume, and more recent variants aim to solve three daily pain points:

• Clumps that make lashes stick together
• Smudging and flaking that ruin your base makeup
• Flat, downward lashes that won’t hold a curl

Bourjois doesn’t try to be a “lash extension in a tube” gimmick; instead, it leans into its Paris drugstore heritage: chic, practical, flattering on real faces, and priced for everyday use. On Reddit and beauty forums, users consistently describe Bourjois mascaras as “underrated,” “very solid for the price,” and in some cases, “better than many high-end ones.”

Why this specific model?

Because Bourjois isn’t a single mascara but a range, you’ll usually see certain names come up again and again in reviews and discussions:

• Volume Glamour Mascara – Known for plush, classic volume with a traditional bristle brush. Frequently mentioned by users who want thicker-looking lashes without spider legs.
• Twist Up The Volume Mascara – Features a twistable brush that changes shape to prioritize length or volume. People with straight or fine lashes praise its ability to define without looking heavy.
• Push Up Volume Glamour / Effect 3D – Marketed for a more dramatic, lifted effect, leaning into night-out, party lashes.

Across the range, a few themes emerge from user feedback and the official Bourjois product pages at bourjois.com:

• Brush engineering actually matters. Bourjois pays attention to brush shape – tapered fibers for outer-corner lift, twistable wands for custom results, and dense bristles for volume. In the real world, this translates to lashes that look fuller without needing 5–6 coats.
• Soft-feel formulas. Many reviewers highlight that Bourjois mascaras don’t leave lashes feeling crunchy or stiff, making them more comfortable for all-day wear.
• Easy removal. A repeated Reddit sentiment: “comes off without a fight.” That means less tugging at the eye area and fewer broken lashes.

Importantly, ingredient and formula claims vary by specific mascara (and sometimes by region). The brand’s official pages provide detailed information per product, and those are the only safe source to check exact components if you have sensitivities or preferences. If you’re ingredient-conscious, always cross-check your chosen Bourjois Mascara variant directly on the manufacturer’s site.

At a Glance: The Facts

Because Bourjois Mascara is a range rather than a single SKU, the details change slightly depending on which tube you pick up. Here’s a general snapshot of what you can expect based on the most talked?about models (like Volume Glamour and Twist Up The Volume), translated into real-life benefits:

Feature	User Benefit
Multiple models (Volume Glamour, Twist Up The Volume, etc.)	Choose a mascara tailored to your main lash goal: volume, length, or definition.
Specialized brush designs (classic dense bristles, twistable wands, tapered shapes)	Better separation and lift with fewer coats, reducing clumps and "spider" lashes.
Soft-feel, buildable formulas (based on user feedback)	Comfortable lashes that don't feel stiff, so you can layer for impact without crunchiness.
Regular and more dramatic variants	Wearable for both office days and nights out, without needing a completely different brand.
Accessible price point (drugstore positioning)	High-impact lashes without prestige-mascara pricing, making it realistic as an everyday staple.
Widely available in Europe; select international and online stockists	Easy to repurchase if you fall in love, and often on sale at mass retailers.
Backed by Coty Inc.	Leverages the R&D and distribution of a major beauty house while keeping a playful, French-drugstore identity.

What Users Are Saying

A scan of Reddit threads and beauty forums (searching for “Reddit Bourjois mascara review”) reveals a consistent pattern of praise mixed with a few fair critiques.

The positives you see most often:

• Great volume for the price. Many users compare Bourjois Mascaras favorably to big-name luxury formulas, especially in the Volume Glamour family.
• Noticeable length and definition. Especially with Twist Up The Volume, people with naturally shorter or sparser lashes report clearly longer, more separated lashes.
• Low flaking for many users. A recurring comment is that it holds up through a full workday with minimal fallout.
• Comfortable wear. Users mention that lashes don't feel hard or brittle, making it good for sensitive eyes that hate heavy formulas.

The common complaints:

• Availability can be patchy outside Europe. Some US-based users say they have to hunt online or through specific retailers to find their favorite Bourjois Mascara.
• Not every formula suits every eye shape or lash type. A few people report smudging on very oily eyelids or in humid climates, especially with non-waterproof versions.
• Learning curve with twistable wands. Some find the Twist Up The Volume brush clever; others feel it’s fiddly until you get used to it.

Overall sentiment skews clearly positive, especially among those who have tried multiple tubes or repurchased. In forum speak, Bourjois Mascaras often get categorized as “reliable workhorse” products – not just a one-off novelty.

Alternatives vs. Bourjois Mascara

The mascara aisle is brutally competitive. Here’s where Bourjois generally sits relative to other big players:

• Versus Maybelline / L'Oréal: Those giants dominate US drugstores. Maybelline pushes dramatic length and L'Oréal runs the spectrum from natural to theatrical. Bourjois feels a bit more “French chic” – less in-your-face marketing, more balanced, fluttery look. If you’ve found these US staples too clumpy or harsh, Bourjois is worth a test drive.
• Versus high-end brands (Benefit, Lancôme, Too Faced): Many Redditors compare Bourjois favorably to prestige picks, especially when it comes to everyday volume and separation. You might not get the most extreme false-lash effect, but you’ll likely get 80–90% of the look at a fraction of the cost.
• Versus tubing mascaras and ultra-longwear options: If your top priority is iron-clad smudge resistance in very humid conditions or through workouts, a specialized tubing or sport mascara may still beat Bourjois. Bourjois is more aimed at “long workday, normal life” durability than hardcore performance sport.

Where Bourjois Mascara quietly wins is in the comfort + aesthetics + price triangle. It doesn’t scream for attention with gimmicky claims; it just delivers that softly dramatic, everyday-pretty lash look that many people actually want to wear.

How to Choose the Right Bourjois Mascara for You

If you’re staring at several colorful tubes and feeling overwhelmed, here’s a simple way to narrow it down:

• You want more volume and drama: Start with a Volume Glamour variant. It’s the line most often praised for fuller, thicker-looking lashes.
• You have shorter or fine lashes and hate clumps: Try Twist Up The Volume, and experiment with the brush positions to prioritize length first, then add volume.
• You’re after date-night impact: Look at the more intense or “push up” versions in the Volume Glamour family, meant for lift and boldness.

Whichever you choose, keep application in mind. Bourjois formulas are generally buildable; one coat gives softness, two to three amps up the drama without veering into caricature – as long as you let each coat set slightly and comb through if you’re prone to clumping.

Final Verdict

Bourjois Mascara sits in that rare sweet spot: it feels quietly confident instead of overhyped, and it delivers a flattering, wearable lash look that suits the way most people actually live – commuting, working, going out, and crashing on the couch.

If you’re tired of:

• Mascaras that promise the moon and give you flakes
• Crunchy, stiff lashes that feel like they might snap
• Overpaying for a high-end logo on the tube

then Bourjois Mascara is worth putting on your shortlist. The formulas (as reflected in community reviews) are reliable, the brushes are thoughtfully designed, and the pricing stays in that guilt-free, drugstore-friendly zone. The main caveat is availability: depending on where you live, you may need to order online or stock up when you find the one you love.

Bottom line: If your lash goal is more “effortless French girl” and less “stage show falsies,” Bourjois Mascara delivers exactly that – soft, voluminous, well-defined lashes that make your eyes look awake and polished, every single day.

To explore the full lineup and check exact product details, head to the official Bourjois website at bourjois.com, and for corporate information on the parent company, Coty Inc., visit coty.com.