So here I am again, still searching for the perfect mascara. I'm like Jason and the Argonauts, except that it's make up I'm after rather than a golden fleece, I'm not a boy, I'm not Greek and, um, I seem to have somehow misplaced my Argonauts. Perhaps not the best analogy I ever used. You know what I mean, though.

I seem to go through an astonishing amount of mascaras. Partly it's because I'm a contact lenses wearer so any eye make up that irritates my eyes or flakes off tends to get ditched pretty quickly. There's also a fair amount of believing the hype from the adverts (even those that have the weeny little footnote explaining that Penelope Cruz has been wearing false lashes the whole time and then Photoshopped to within an inch of her life)

Anyway, the last time I reviewed a mascara quite a few lovely Dooyooers suggested that Max Factor's one was pretty impressive, so I thought I'd give it a try. The results are in...


~*~Packaging~*~

The tube is actually quite classy looking; you wouldn't be ashamed to have this out on your dressing table. It's quite a wide tube and tapered in a cigar shape. The finish is matt black and mine has a blue band just underneath the lid to denote its waterproofiness (that is, of course, the technical term). The lid closes tightly, so there's no fear of it coming loose in your bag and grit getting in. Pleasingly, it doesn't come packaged in shrink wrap plastic or loads of cardboard, so that's a thumbs up from the environment.


~*~Colour~*~

I really liked the colour of mine; the black is a nice, glossy, intense colour and it lasts all day. It darkens and coats the lashes without making them look overly loaded with product.


~*~Brush~*~

I found the brush quite strange; it's very broad with the bristles being quite short in comparison to the circumference. Most mascara brushes are made of a thin, strong wire with bristles; this one is much more of a barrel with bristles radiating from it. This takes up a lot of the product but, unfortunately, didn't seem to distribute a good covering to my lashes; there was certainly no improvement in volume or length, anyway.


~*~Waterproofiness~*~

This is one of the plus factors - I found it really didn't shift even after a dousing in the rain (and there are many of those when you live in Northern Ireland). After a hot shower there was a small smudge under both sets of lower lashes, but nothing that could be described as 'panda eyes'. In the interests of extreme product testing, I even threw my thorough cleansing system to the winds and slept in my make-up just to check the results on your behalf, lovely Dooyooers (I'm totally lying - I'm a lazy girl and so I sleep in my make-up on a worryingly regular basis). There was very little imprinted on the pillow or under my eyelashes.


~*~Longevity~*~

Although this product doesn't have a huge effect on my eyelashes, what it does supply lasts all day. Once applied, it won't shift until it's removed. I wear contact lenses and it hasn't irritated my eyes or become flaky after a few hours' wear.


~*~Ease of removal~*~

As a waterproof mascara, it's a bit trickier to remove than average. It laughs in the face of baby wipes and so I use a Lancôme cleansing milk and even this struggles to remove it effectively. I often find myself scrubbing at my eyelashes and still find that there's some residue afterwards. I haven't got one at present, but I'd hazard a guess that an oil-based eye makeup remover might fare a lot better.


~*~Length and volume~*~

Somewhat oxymoronically, the packaging describes this as a 'natural look' mascara that gives a 'false lash effect'. On a personal level, I found the mascara definitely didn't give my lashes the dramatic look I associate with false eyelashes and nor did it increase my lash length or volume substantially; my lashes just looked darker. However, so many people have raved about it that I suspect I might just have weirdy, stubborn eyelashes that refuse to behave normally. It might be worth getting a tester or using a friend's before you buy, though, just in case you join me in the ranks of those with rebellious lashes.


~*~Price~*~

I picked mine up for just under a tenner in Tesco. I felt it a bit expensive as I've had cheaper mascaras that have done a better job, but others may feel that's pretty good value.


Overall, it's not the right mascara for me but I suspect it will be for lots of other people.