Colossal I think not! (Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara)

Member Name: Lunar_see

Product:	Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara
Date:	14/01/09 (344 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It is waterproof and has staying power

Disadvantages: Doesnt give what it promises

For me, one of the first things I notice about people is their eyes. You can tell a lot about someone from their eyes and as a girl I like to use dramatic eye make-up to exaggerate the eye area and play around with lots of different coloured eye shadows and creams. This also includes a lot of mascara, I am forever on a quest to find that perfect mascara which gives you the fluttery extended eyelash look and as yet my quest hasn't been fulfilled.

When I saw an advert for Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara I have to admit I was buying it before the advert had even ended. It sounded like the very item that I had been looking for to create the dramatic look I was so hopeful of and the following morning I went to my local Boots store, which luckily for me is a few doors away from the office I work in and purchased it. Thankfully the mascara was on offer at Boots for £4.84 when it would usually retail at £6.84 so I am thankful I managed to pick up quite a bargain.

I am quite a fan of Maybelline as a make-up range, it is quite reasonably priced amongst other brands on the high street and it is very kind to my skin. It doesn't make my skin feel dry and clogged up when I apply foundation or any of the eye shadow which I am particularly fond of, instead my skin is still able to breathe. This mascara however is a first for me, I haven't yet tried a Maybelline mascara so I wasn't really sure what to expect, I would usually use Bad Gal Lash from Benefit or something from Max factor which has also promised to give me voluptuous eyelashes. However, this particular mascara promised to give me up to 7x more gorgeous volume and because it has a mega brush, it promised to conquer clumps which to me meant that I could apply one or two coats to my eyelashes and I wouldn't find small clumps of mascara clinging to my eyelashes.

When it comes to applying mascara there are a few simple tricks that I have picked up from a make-up artist friend of mine which I found very useful. However before applying anything, ensure you have removed any trace of previous applications and that you have done the eye make-up you are intending to have prior to applying your mascara. Then remove the mascara wand from the tube, never pump the wand in and out of the tube though because this allows more air in and dries out your mascara quicker than it would usually happen. With the wand in your hand, place it at the base of your eyelashes, so your eyes have to be wide open and then Wiggle the wand left to right like and it is this action which helps give the illusion of longer lashes. After you have done this a couple of time repeat the action moving through the eyelashes weaving in and out of them because it helps to give an equal coverage and then close the eye and apply mascara to the top of the lashes, something a lot of people forget about and I do this because it gives my eyes a better wide awake look and really opens up the eye. When it comes to the bottom set of lashes, I use either a baby wipe or some tissue paper and place it under my eyelashes to apply the mascara, only because I don't have a very steady hand at times and end up with streaks under my eyes, this action helps to prevent this and works really well.

With this Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara it is only available in black currently and it is packaged in fat looking rotund tube which has Colossal Volum written in purple letters across the front of the tube. To extract the wand is a simple process of twisting the lid and the wand itself is a bright yellow colour also and it is easily coated with the black mascara cream. The wand itself is very similar to other mascara wands that I have used; it didn't feel particularly thicker or longer in that respect and when it came to applying the mascara to my lashes it was quite straightforward and easy, however I did notice there was slight clumping towards the end of my eyelashes, so before I went any further I cleaned the brush and re-applied the mascara which helped the problem a little bit but didn't actually solve it, so I was a little disappointed. As for giving me x7 volume, well it definitely didn't do that either, after applying 2 coats to my eyelashes they looked no different to how they would look using my normal mascara and I was really disappointed.

When it came to removing the mascara from my eyelashes I found it very easy to do and it was removed very quickly using my Urban Decay eye make-up remover and there was no visible signs that I had actually wore any mascara and it is also waterproof. The only good thing I could find about this actual mascara is that it does last all day with no need to re-apply it, I certainly felt no need to re-apply it to my eyelashes and even when I went out straight from work in an evening it still looked just as it did when I applied it in the morning, so for that I was thankful.

When it comes to recommending this product, quite simply I wouldn't because it didn't do what it promised to do and my eyes didn't look any different nor did I get the x7 effect, I believe there are better more effective mascaras available on the high street such as Bad Lash gal from BeneFit and Max factor also have one or two better mascaras which I would happily promote and may write a review about. I have since written to Maybelline to express my dissatisfaction at their products as I felt really annoyed especially given that their marketing campaign was so good and I actually asked for a reimbursement and enclosed by product to them. Whether or not I will get a reply I don't know but I have never felt so aggrieved about a product that I felt compelled to write and tell them what I thought.

Watch this space.

Summary: Another mascara which isnt worth its money