Lush Lashes Review: Diorshow Maximizer and Diorshow Extase Mascara

I'm a huge fan of long lashes. Like, I want them to look false whenever possible. There's no such thing as subtle for me when it comes to lashes...I want length, I want volume, I want "oomph"! So I was excited to try the two samples I got from my Dior guru, one for Diorshow Extase and one for Diorshow Maximizer Lash Primer. I've heard a lot about Extase and I was interested to see what the hype was all about. I'd never heard of Maximizer, but when I was told that it was a primer and that it would both maximize the effect of my mascara and condition my lashes, I was in!

First, let's start with Diorshow Extase, the latest in a long line of Diorshow mascaras. Extase is touted as the Second Coming of volumizing mascaras. According to Dior, it's enriched with Metamorphosis Powder and spherical pearl pigments and it's designed to provide unbelievable volume from the first swipe. Extase also has a "couture" brush with two types (and lengths) of fibers to help coat each and every lash. 

Here's a shot of the brush: 

As you can hopefully see, the brush is shaped in a double-helix type design, which is designed to reach every single lash, coating without clumping and delivering extreme volume. 

I found Extase to be an excellent overall mascara that held my curl fairly well, coated my lashes with minimal clumping, and gave good volume and length. I don't know that the volume was exactly extraordinary, but it's a great mascara. When you go with 1-2 coats, you will get a lot of length and darkness while still remaining relatively natural looking. At the 3rd coat, the drama really begins. I didn't experience any significant clumping with this one, and it's very buildable. 

Now on to Maximizer. Marketed as the first "active serum" mascara primer, Maximizer promises not just to condition the lashes and add to their length and volume, but to actually encourage lash growth with a cell-conditioning complex made of hydrolized soy proteins. 

I have been using Maximizer for several weeks now, and though I can't speak to the lash-growing claims, I can say that it provides a nice little boost for mascara. I've used it under several types and brands of mascara, and in each case it added volume and length to my lashes. I also found that mascaras that ordinarily become "crunchy" stayed much more flexible when Maximizer was applied as a primer. In addition, if you've ever used a lash primer you've probably experienced some clumping that leaves you with thick, white eyelashes. I have! It always annoys me, because then I have to be really, really careful when applying my mascara to be sure I coat every last lash so no white shows through. Not the case with Maximizer! It applies very sheerly with no clumping, probably due to the plastic-bristled brush: 

Not usually a fan of plastic brushes, this one impressed me, as it easily combed out any little clump I had and left me with thinly coated, well-defined lashes. 

Here are some shots of my lashes using both Maximizer and Extase: 

As you can see, my lashes look long and lush without being clumpy or stiff. I'm a happy camper! I only used 2 coats for this picture, so they are still relatively natural looking. Again, NO clumps!!

Here's a 3rd coat...this is where the real drama begins!

As you can see, the curl doesn't hold as well with Extase as it does with Diorshow Iconic, but there's a lot more volume than with Iconic. 

Bottom Line: Both Maximizer and Extase are very good products, and I'm quite happy with the way they work together. When layered, lashes are defined, lengthened and volumized with very little effort, and they feel conditioned when the products are removed. Although it isn't as black as Diorshow Blackout and doesn't add to curl the way Iconic does, Extase is still a great all-purpose mascara. I don't normally spend a lot of money on mascaras because they need to be thrown out every 3 months (often before all the product is used), but in this case I may make an exception.