I was 60 and tired of promises. So I tested my mascara myself. Here are the photos, hour by hour.

I was 60 and fed up with promises. So I tested my mascara myself. Here are the photos, hour by hour.

By Catherine D., 60, Saint-Étienne — For SantéAuFéminin.fr

My name is Catherine. I am 60 years old. I live in Saint-Étienne. I was an administrative assistant for 38 years in a textile SME. Today I am in pre-retirement — just a few more months.

 

I'm not passionate about makeup. I've never been one to test 15 brands. I've been wearing mascara since I was 20, almost every morning, and I buy it at the local supermarket — Bourjois, L'Oréal, sometimes Maybelline on sale.

 

But for a few years now, my mascaras have been disappointing me.

 

By 4 PM, I have black under my eyes. My eyelashes pull when I remove makeup. I look at myself in family photos and I find myself looking tired instead of looking good.

 

My daughter told me about a brand that claimed to have solved these problems. A French brand called Serolys, which says it has designed a mascara specifically for women over 55.

 

I am skeptical by nature. My daughter knows her job (she works in cosmetics in Paris), but I don't buy things based on trust alone. I wanted to see for myself.

 

So I did a test.

The test I set up

The idea was simple. I wanted to compare my usual mascara — L'Oréal Telescopic (bought in a supermarket, around €14) — with this Serolys mascara (ordered online from their website, €29 instead of €49).

 

I set the rules before starting:

 

● Two consecutive days (last Tuesday and Wednesday). Same planned activities: shopping in the morning, lunch at home, afternoon reading, quiet evening at home.

 

● Identical application: one coat, brush applied at the root, two passes.

 

● Same photo times: 8 AM (just after application), noon, 4 PM, 8 PM.

 

● No photo editing, no filters. Just photos taken with my phone, placed on the bathroom window sill for daylight.

 

● No re-application during the day. I wanted to see how it held up under normal conditions.

 

● Makeup removal observed: I wanted to see how many eyelashes fell onto the makeup remover pad.

This is a test done at home by a woman who is not a professional. It is not a scientific test.

 

It's just a visual check, done by someone who wanted to stop taking brands at their word.

 

Here's what I saw.

Tuesday — Day 1: L'Oréal Telescopic

8 AM — Right after application

 

All good. Lashes defined, no clumps, open eyes. That's what you expect from a mascara at 8 AM.

 

Noon

 

First sign of clumps on the inner lashes. Nothing catastrophic, but they're there. When I blink hard, I feel a slight weight on my eyelid.

 

4 PM

 

In the photo, you can clearly see black starting to smudge under the right eye. The skin of the lower eyelid has a diffuse line. The fine lines of the crow's feet are starting to be outlined in black — not a thick line, but a greyish tint that wasn't there at 8 AM.

 

I haven't done anything unusual. I haven't cried, haven't rubbed my eyes. It's just the mascara migrating.

 

8 PM

 

This is the time I dreaded. In the photo, both eyes have dark black smudges under the crease of the dark circles. The fine line under the right eye is pronounced, darker than the surrounding skin. And the clumps from noon have worsened — in some places, I feel like my lashes are stuck together in pairs.

 

I find myself looking tired. More tired than I am. This is exactly what I've been seeing in family photos for the past 5 years, which I attributed to my age.

 

Evening makeup removal

 

I use a biphasic makeup remover (Mixa Sensitive Eyes). I soak a cotton pad, press it on my eyelid for 10 seconds, then slide it downwards.

 

I counted 3 lashes on the first cotton pad, right side. 2 on the left. Plus 2 lashes on the second cotton pad.

 

Total: 7 lashes lost during evening makeup removal. I noted it in a notebook next to the mirror.

Wednesday — Day 2: Serolys Pro-Age (Cocoa Brown shade)

8 AM — Just after application

 

First observation: the brush is different. Thinner, more tapered. The bristles are shorter. When I brush my lashes, I feel it grips them one by one, whereas the L'Oréal brush would just glide over the top.

 

Lashes defined, separated, no clumps. And the shade — Cocoa Brown instead of the intense black of my usual L'Oréal — gives the look something softer. Not less defined. Just less harsh.

 

Noon

In the photo, no clumps. The lashes remained exactly as they were at 8 AM. No migration to the lower lid. No drooping.

 

4 PM

 

Still clean. In the photo, I can compare it side-by-side with Tuesday's 4 PM picture, and there's no comparison. No smudging under the eye. The fine lines around my crow's feet are still visible (I'm 60, they don't magically disappear) but they are respected, not outlined in black.

 

8 PM

 

Final photo. No smudging, no black under the eye. The lashes may have lost a bit of curl (I must admit that around 8 PM, the hold is slightly less perfect than at noon), but nothing has migrated.

 

I look in the mirror before removing my makeup. For the first time in 5 years, at 8 PM, I don't look more tired than I am.

 

Evening Makeup Removal

 

I'm going to see if the "lukewarm water without rubbing" promise holds true.

 

I soaked a cotton pad in lukewarm tap water. I pressed it onto my eyelid, slid it downwards. Only once.

 

I counted 0 lashes on the cotton pad, right side. 1 lash on the left.

 

Total: 1 lash lost. That's 6 fewer lashes than with my usual makeup removal from the day before.

Le tableau synthèse : heure par heure

Heure Mardi (L'Oréal Telescopic) Mercredi (Serolys Pro-Âge)
8h (post-application) ❌ Cils définis, regard ouvert ✅ Cils définis, regard adouci (Brun-Cacao)
Midi ❌ Premiers paquets visibles ✅ Encore propre, pas de paquets
16h ❌ Migration sous l'œil droit, ridules dessinées en gris ✅ Tenue stable, ridules respectées
20h ❌ Charbonnage sous l'œil, paupière marquée, paquets accentués ✅ Léger affaissement, mais propre. Pas de migration
Démaquillage ❌ Démaquillant biphasé + frottement, 7 cils tombés ✅ Eau tiède sans frotter, 1 seul cil tombé

What it did to me

I'm going to be honest with you.

 

I wasn't expecting such a clear difference.

 

I thought I'd see a slight improvement. "Okay, it's a '60-year-old's mascara,' so maybe it'll be a little better than my L'Oréal." I was prepared to tell my daughter, "thanks for the recommendation, but €29 is still expensive for a marginal improvement."

 

The photos made me change my mind.

 

At 4 PM and 8 PM, the difference is striking. It's not subjective. It's right there in the image. My crow's feet fine lines are no longer outlined in black. My eye no longer has smudges underneath. My lashes are no longer clumpy.

 

And when removing makeup: 6 fewer lashes pulled out in a single evening. Over 60 days of use, that's 360 lashes. Over a year, more than 2,000. I understand why my lashes have been thinning for the past 5 years.

Why it works, in two sentences

I'm not a chemist, but here's what I understood from reading the product description:

 

● The Serolys formula is water-based, pH neutral, free of aggressive solvents, and not waterproof. It does not contain waxes that dissolve in the fatty layer of tears (menopausal eyes water as compensation, and waterproof pigments migrate as a result). Therefore, it does not migrate into fine lines.

 

● The brush is designed with shorter, closer bristles, calibrated for the fine and sparse eyelashes of women over 55 (30-40 lashes per eye instead of 100+ for a younger woman). So no clumping.

 

● Make-up removal with lukewarm water without rubbing is a direct consequence of the water-based formula: no need for bi-phase make-up remover, no rubbing, so no pulled-out eyelashes.

 

It's the combination of all three that explains the result in the photos. They call it 60+ Calibration.

Three weeks later

I continued to use Serolys. I threw out my L'Oréal Telescopic, and I haven't bought another drugstore mascara since.

 

At the end of the 3rd week, while having coffee with my husband one Saturday morning, he looked at me — me, his wife for 38 years whom he sees every day and no longer really notices — and he said, surprised:

"You look good this morning, Catherine. Did you do something?"

 

I said no. "Just a new mascara."

 

He shrugged as he reached for the coffee pot. "Well, it suits you."

 

My husband hadn't commented on my appearance since... I don't even remember when exactly.

 

Maybe it was 7 lashes that weren't falling out every night anymore. Maybe it was 5 years of accumulated fatigue in photos that was fading away. Maybe that was all it was, after all.

The guarantee that reverses the risk

365 days to try. Empty or full bottle. Unconditionally.

 

I'm skeptical by nature, as I told you. And it was this guarantee that convinced me to order, even before trying it.

 

You buy. You use the mascara completely (60 days of regular use on average). If within 12 months you are not satisfied — for any reason — you return the empty tube, and you get a refund.

 

No L'Oréal, no Lancôme, no Maybelline offers that in France. None.

 

You can literally do the same test as me, using up your entire tube over 2 months. If you're not convinced at the end, you get a refund. You risk nothing.

Discover Serolys Pro-Age Mascara — €29 instead of €49

In summary, what's new with this mascara

Before I give you the link, here's a brief overview of everything that concretely changes with the Serolys Pro-Âge mascara — verified in my 16-hour test:

 

✅ A pH-neutral, water-based formula that doesn't migrate into fine lines — demonstrated in the 16-hour test: no black under the eye at 8 PM, whereas my L'Oréal Telescopic smudged by 4 PM.

 

✅ Removal with warm water without rubbing — demonstrated in the test: only 1 lash fell out with Serolys removal, compared to 7 lashes that fell out with my L'Oréal removal the previous day.

 

✅ An "Anatomy 60+" brush with shorter, more precise bristles, which grips fine and sparse lashes without clumping — demonstrated in the test: no clumps at noon or 4 PM, whereas my L'Oréal had clumps by noon.

 

✅ 4 calibrated shades for mature skin (Cocoa Brown, Velvet Black, Plum, Anthracite) — to soften the contrast, not to force it with an aggressive black.

 

✅ Visual effect from the first application and visibly strengthened lash appearance over 2 to 4 weeks of regular use (peptides + biotin).

 

✅ 365-day empty bottle guarantee — unique in the French mascara market. You test it risk-free, exactly as I did. If it doesn't work out, you get a refund.

Discover Serolys Pro-Age Mascara — €29 instead of €49

How to order

Serolys Pro-Âge mascara is currently available for €29 instead of €49 on their official website. Free shipping for orders over €30 (so, in practice, for two tubes or one tube + another product from their range).

 

At €29 for a tube that lasts about 60 days, that's less than 50 cents per day. I calculated it: compared to my L'Oréal Telescopic at €14 for 60 days (23 cents/day), I pay 27 cents more per day. For the 6 eyelashes I no longer pull out every night, and the black smudges I no longer have under my eyes at 8 PM, it's well worth the difference.

 

👉 [See Serolys Pro-Âge mascara — €29 instead of €49, 365-day empty bottle guarantee]

 

What I would honestly add:

 

It's a DTC (direct-to-consumer) brand, not sold in pharmacies. You won't find it in supermarkets. That's also why the price is maintained — no intermediaries.

 

Delivery time is 2 to 4 days in mainland France.

 

They honor their guarantee. I contacted their customer service to verify — response in 24 hours, clear conditions, simple process.

Discover Serolys Pro-Age mascara — €29 instead of €49

One last word

I am 60 years old. I am a skeptic by nature.

 

I'm not writing this article to advertise. I'm writing it because for 5 years, I thought it was age that made me look tired in photos.

 

It wasn't age. It was my mascara.

 

I checked it myself, with photos to prove it. 16 hours. 4 photos per day. 2 mascaras. No touch-ups.

 

You can do exactly the same test. You buy Serolys, you compare it with your usual mascara over 2 days, you take photos. If the difference isn't there for you as it was for me, you return the empty tube (or not) within 365 days, and you get a refund.

 

That's what the guarantee means: you can't lose.

 

— Catherine D., 60, Saint-Étienne

Discover Serolys Pro-Age mascara — €29 instead of €49

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did you receive the product for free to do this test?

 

A: No. I ordered the mascara for €29 on the official website, just like any other customer. This article is sponsored by Serolys (legal mention below), but the test was done independently, with my own L'Oréal purchased from a supermarket, and the photos are unretouched.

 

Q: Can I do the same test?

 

A: Yes, and I recommend it. Buy Serolys (€29, 365-day empty bottle guarantee). On two consecutive days with the same schedule, compare your usual mascara and Serolys. Take photos at 8 am, noon, 4 pm, 8 pm. Count the eyelashes when removing makeup. You will have your own answer.

 

Q: Which shade should I choose if I'm as skeptical as you are?

 

A: Brun-Cacao for brunettes, Noir-Velours for fair skin/light eyes, Prune for gray/silver eyes, Anthracite for dark brunettes. The Serolys advisor responds quickly by email if you're unsure. For the test, choose the shade closest to your usual mascara to compare under equivalent conditions.

 

Q: How long before I see results?

 

A: The anti-smudge and anti-clump effect is immediate from the first application — that's what my test shows over the first 16 hours. The fortifying effect of the active ingredients (peptides + biotin) is gradually seen over 2 to 4 weeks — visibly strengthened eyelashes.

 

Q: I have very sensitive eyes. Can I use it?

 

A: The water-based, pH-neutral formula is ophthalmologically tested. Suitable for sensitive eyes, contact lens wearers, and women with a history of blepharitis or dry eyes.

 

Q: What if the test doesn't work for me?

 

A: 365-day empty bottle guarantee. You send the empty tube back to the brand, and you get a refund. No questions asked.

Discover Serolys Pro-Age Mascara — €29 instead of €49

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