I tend to flit between cheap and expensive mascara and never settle on any one brand. I came across the Boots Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara in Black (they also do a brown) when a 3 for £5 event on the collection was running last year, it is usually £1.99, so along with a couple of nail polishes I thought I would give this a go.

The mascara comes in a very plain white 8ml tube with the Natural Collection flower design on the front and product description, Boots address and the fact that it is dermatologically tested on the back of the tube, so nothing special, but for the price I would not expect much. The lid is easy to twist off and reveals a tapered applicator brush that is fairly thick, I think it resembles a fake christmas tree. The mascara smells of, to me, what the mascara for my teenage years smelled of, which is very make uppy, sort of processed, not overly pleasant but not off putting. Once on the eyes I cannot detect the scent any longer.

The masacara is quite thin in consistency, although stays on the brush well, there is no fancy brush excess wiper at the top of the tube, and I find myself wiping the excess off on the top, which causes the top to clogg up and I then have to wipe it off every now and again to prevent the lid from sticking.

The mascara is easy to apply and does add length to my lashes, however, it takes an age to dry and whilst I am applying it to my bottom lashes it comes off on my eye lids and whilst applying to my top lashes I end up with little dots of mascara just below my eyes. I find that is easily removed with a damp cotton bud, but this adds extra time to my morning and removes other bits of my make-up.

Once the mascara has dried I am left with longer lashes, that have a good dark colour. However, I find the inconsistency of the product in terms of excess, sometimes leaves my lashes looking spidery and heavy. On the plus side it washes off well with a gel based face wash and has never caused me any irritation.

Overall I have mixed views on this product as it does generally make my lashes look longer and has a good dark colour, it also stays put for most of the day and does not flake off or run. However, it is runny and causes me problems on application. Overall I will award this mascara 3 Dooyoo Stars, if you can put up wth the messy application and are on a very tight budget this maybe the mascara for you.