I recieved lots of MAC goodies last year for my birthday, with the 'X' mascara being one of them. This is my first MAC mascara and admittedly I did have extremely high expectations as this brand is one of my favourites due to the quality of their products. Luckily, I do not feel let down by this and it is yet another exceptionally good product which I can not pick fault with.

MAC claim that this mascara thickens and lengthens the lashes as well as making them appear glossier, which is a pretty basic claim for a mascara; there are no promises that your lashes will look like falsies. One of the ingredients in the formula is vegetable protein, which I found a little bizarre but apparently this helps to strengthen the lashes. The mascara is available in two shades - black or dark brown. I recieved the black, which is a very intense shade - it is flawlessly pigmented and the colour transfers onto my lashes well. I have dark lashes, but this makes them even more defined.

The mascara tube is well designed - it is pretty average as it's black, but it looks sleek and expensive due to the silver MAC branding as well as the silver band near the lid. The lid is slightly rounded which makes it look a little more unique and the tube comes in a cardboard box which I decided to keep as I find that it makes the mascara feel that bit more special, lol. The tube contains 6.5 grams of product and it is quite a compact and lightweight tube, so it can fit easily inside my handbag/make-up bag.

The mascara's application brush like all mascaras is attatched securely to the wand, which is attatched to the lid. The brush is a good size - much more bulkier than the mascaras that I usually use and it is covered in lots of soft, flexible bristles which are spaced apart nicely meaning that the lashes are seperated, obviously making it appear like I've got loads and loads of long, fluttery eyelashes! The brush although large is not so bulky that it is hard to use, and it applies the thick, glossy black formula onto my eyelashes evenly.

I've had no problems with this clumping and it is easily buildable. After one coat my lashes appear noticeably longer and I find that one to two coats is ideal for when I'm not bothering too much with my appearence. The more coats you apply, the thicker the lashes appear and on the occasions when I've really overdone it, it didn't weigh my lashes down or flake once it had dried. This is also great on false lashes to make them look that bit more natural.

The mascara lasts for ages and I've never had a problem with it smudging or running off. It's pretty quick and easy to remove with make-up remover and doesn't require much effort to be completely removed. I use this mainly when I'm going somewhere special due to it being a MAC product and although I've had it for nearly a year and have worn it quite a lot, the tube still feels pretty full. This retails at around £18.00 which is brilliant value for money considering the longevity and quality. Overall, recommended!