The Best Smudge Proof Drugstore Mascara? L’Oreal Voluminous Panorama Mascara

Spoiler alert: you’re about to discover your new favorite drugstore mascara. I’ll go as far as to say that the L’Oreal Voluminous Panorama Mascara might be the best drugstore mascara I’ve tried in a while. If you love dramatic volume and length but hate smudgy, flakey formulas that are hard to remove… this one’s for you.

The L’Oreal Voluminous Panorama Mascara is about $16 (a bit cheaper on Amazon) and, in my opinion, it’s their best Voluminous product to date. It has the perfect balance of volume and length for me, and the performance beats every other mascara from the brand in recent years. 

First of all, I love the tapered wand. In a world full of hourglass wands being the popular shape, I’m always a pointed mascara girl for the simple fact that my inner corner lashes are extremely short. With a shape like this, I can easily grab them and coat them in product without bumping into my nose. It also kept my lashes well separated for a fanned out effect.

The only thing that would make it better is if it had bristles on the tip of the brush. Either way, I’m able to grab my lashes end to end and I don’t end up with mascara all over my lid.

The formula is on the wetter side, and I find that it works best applied in about two-ish coats. Anything more than that, you may weigh your lashes down and lose curl or lift. However, once it sets, it locks your lashes in place! 

When I tried it on for the first time, I definitely pushed it to its limit and layered it up for maximum effect. I lost a bit of curl doing this, but my lashes didn’t drop any lower throughout the day, which was impressive considering they are naturally pretty straight. I also find it to maintain lift a lot better than the L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara. 

Watch the video below for an in-action before and after on curled lashes.

What really impressed me about this mascara, though, was how smudge-proof it is without being waterproof. In fact, this is labeled as a Washable mascara, meaning that it’s designed to remove easily at the end of the day. 

I fell asleep in this mascara the first day I was testing it, because I had a migraine and needed a nap. I also had my arm over my eyes for the pressure and to block light. When I woke up, the mascara was shockingly in great shape. I only got three minuscule flakes that were literally the smallest mascara flakes I’ve ever seen. No smearing, no raccoon eyes. I was shocked! 

When worn during waking hours, it delivers on its claim of being completely flake-proof.

You can see in the video above that I also tested this mascara against rubbing and was pleasantly surprised to find that… it really didn’t do anything. I am totally that person who forgets she’s wearing makeup and rubs her eyes when tired or stressed. But rubbing at my eyes while wearing this mascara didn’t affect the look. Not only did it not smudge, but it also didn’t really cause my lashes to clump together, and they still didn’t fall flat. 

Also Read: 5 Best Drugstore Mascaras for Short Lashes in 2023

Noticeable volume and length? Check. Locked in lash look through tough conditions? Check. No flaking, smearing or clumping? Check (when awake lol). And yes, when using my go-to cleansing balm, this mascara is incredibly easy to remove without tugging at your eyes. It checks all the boxes and is the one I’m reaching for the most when I want a more dramatic lash look. 

In short, the L’Oreal Voluminous Panorama Mascara is absolutely the first contender for the best drugstore mascaras of 2024!