Say hello to my current go-to mascara! It is the Maybelline the Magnum Volum' Express Ultracomb Waterproof Mascara. Boy that is a mouthful. There is a similar version of this, but not with the Ultracomb. Instead, that has a more 'normal' looking brush. I picked this up at Watsons on sale at about SGD$12 but I believe the normal retail price is just under SGD$20.
I really like that the tube is this bright yellow, really helps with the ease of finding it in my stash! It tries to convince you it delivers volume (or in this case volum') by being a fat tube. The main reason I chose this was because the wand of this mascara is pretty reminiscent to the Majolica Majorca Lash King brush, and Majolica Majorca is a brand I definitely trust with mascaras. If only they weren't so hard to remove. Anyway, unlike the MM Lash King, this is a single sided wand, meaning application is only done with the spiky part of the wand. The other side is essentially useless. What a 1 dimensional wand, you might be thinking, but it's surprisingly good and works well to separate and coat lashes!
The only thing I do not like about the wand is that there are no bristles/spikes at the tip, making it quite hard to reach the outer lashes. It's not too bad for upper lashes, but getting the outer lower lashes is a real pain and not quite achievable with this wand. Going at the bottom lashes with a vertical wand is not possible either.
Some background on my lashes - I'm quite lucky to have decently long lashes by asian standards, but I don't have very thick lashes. They are also quite gently curled naturally. Hence I normally go for volumising mascaras, though lengthening never hurts. I'm seldom fussed over whether the mascara holds curl.
When I first used this mascara, I thought meh. It had quite a nice semi-wet consistency and gave me rather nice length and definition, but simisai (translation: what rubbish) volume!? I felt rather cheated, because the mascara is a VOLUM' mascara! So I added on a second layer as I would normally (ie. I let the first layer dry, then add a 2nd) and I was horrified because not only did it clump my lashes, it made them horrendously stick straight!
I'm not one to give up on products. Lesson learnt - no layering on dry masacara. The picture on the left is with a single coat, the one on the right is with 3 wet coats. You be the judge.
From L-R, Curled lashes, no mascara; single coat; 3 coats of mascara.
The mascara is really versatile. You could probably get away with people thinking you're not wearing mascara with a single coat of mascara, yet get an almost false lash effect with multiple coats. This mascara also really lives up to its waterproof formula, I could only get it off with an oil-based/bi-phase make-up remover. Gel removers and cleansing waters don't get the dirty deed done. That means, no smudging through the day!
Also, the length that is built tends to kind of droop after about the 5 hour mark and I'm not a fan of obvious fiber bits. The bright side is that these fibers don't flake off I guess? They kinda just like to hang. (heehee)
I also don't know if this happens to anyone else, but the blackness of the mascara disappears when it's been worn for too long! My lashes just look kinda dry and old.. it's really quite odd. Of course, these are really only visible if more than one layer is put on.
Summary:
Pros:
- Interesting wand that's easy to use and apply
- Versatile mascara: both natural and false lash looks can be achieved
- Good lengthening effects
- Decent volume can be achieved without clumping
- Waterproof formula that can be removed with oil-based/biphase remover
- No smudging
- No flaking
Cons:
- Can't really hold a curl
- Fiber tips tend to droop after a while
- Formula loses darkness after a while, lashes look old and dry
- Hard to reach outer lashes and bottom lashes with this wand
Conclusion: I would purchase this mascara for its natural look rather than its volumizing effects. This is also more a school day type mascara, not full working day. Most of the cons can be mitigated by wearing only a single coat, and since the natural look is one I favour, this mascara gets a B+ from me.
Have you used this mascara before? What are your thoughts? Happy Monday everyone! I really enjoyed writing this review but now it's time for me to get back to the serious dissertation writing. Toodles!
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