I first discovered the Yves Saint Laurent 'Shocking' Mascara when looking at before and after photos on someone's blog who had reviewed the product. I was so impressed by the photos that I had to try it myself.

I bought this at the YSL concession in Selfridges for £22, in shade Deep Black, this is for 6.4ml. It come in the standard gold YSL packaging, which is used on all their products. I think this gives a real luxurious feel to the products, who doesn't want to see some sparkle when they open their make up bags?!

When using the mascara, it has quite a long wand compared to some of the mascaras on the market at the moment. The brush is quite a thuck brush which remains the same size, apart from where it slightly tapers at the end to use on the smaller lashes. I put one coat on and was already delighted to see the results. The mascara has a nice creamy texture, however the first few times I used it I did have a few mistakes so keep some cotton buds handy! The colour was a very intense black which I liked. It really lengthened my lashes and made them stand out. I used 3 coats and my eyelashes looked longer than with any other mascaras I used. I sometimes wear false lashes but don't feel I need to when I use this. It lasted all day until bedtime, and was easily removed with my usual baby wipes. A little tip I use to make my lashes look longer, it to run the mascara along just the ends of my eyelashes as this seems to add a bit to them.

The only downside to this is I seem to get through it really quickly, and end up buying a new one every few months. I'm not sure if this is because I use it a lot, or because it has dried out quicker than some other mascaras.

I do love this product, but because of the price I don't use it every day. It is a very luxurious formula so I like to wear it for nights out and special days.