Maybelline Volum' Express "The One by One" Mascara

Wow, what a long drawn out title for a mascara, huh? I wish Maybelline would come out with a different name for each new mascara rather than confusing us (or is it just me?) with adding a subtitle to an old product name. There seem to be a never-ending variety of mascaras to choose from, and a number of them have Volum' Express in the title. So, which one to go for?

To be honest the only mascaras I've bought from Maybelline in the past have been the original Great Lash, and the hideous Define-A-Lash, probably a contender for the most pathetic mascara I've ever used and absolutely not to be recommended. I was at the checkout in Superdrug last month when this new One by One mascara was "sold" to me by the checkout lad. Yes, a bloke in Superdrug sold me a mascara by telling me that 1) It was on special offer, 2) It had a washable brush & 3) It had vitamin C in it to condition the lashes! It was too cute, he was really trying, so I made him happy and I bought it. I didn't really like the look of the applicator though, it looked to big and bulky and I usually prefer a longer finer applicator, such as that of my Rimmel "Sexy Curves" (love that name).

It took me a good week or so before I ripped it out of it's packaging. The applicator comes separately from the tube which is bizarre, and the tube itself is closed by a little cap. The first time I used it I was determined to wash the brush and keep the cap on the tube so it stayed "hygienic".... but what a faff that turned out to be. I washed the applicator after use and as all the little invisible eye bugs washed down the drain so did half the product. And the state of the sink afterwards??? No, no... I quickly decided the whole washable wand thing is a total waste of time, especially if your mascara is yours alone and you won't be sharing (never advisable in any rate).

But...washable wand disaster aside..... what lashes! I was so happy with the results! Long, thickened, separated lashes, fanning out beautifully to create a lovely big doe-eyed effect, and with just one coat. It was SO much easier to use this than I thought, and I hardly smudged my eyelids at all, despite the fact that the applicator is quite big. It's a really well designed silicone/plastic brush and the "bristles" are arranged so as to separate and coat each lash equally. It really works. At least, it really works for me. It has not become my mascara of choice, leaving my poor Rimmel one languishing at the bottom of my make-up case.

If you find that volumising mascaras tend to make your lashes clump together then this could be the mascara for you. Even after two coats my lashes were perfectly separated. Lash comb, get thee hence... thy services are no longer required!

Score: 9/10
(1 point deducted for faffy, excessive packaging and amount of mascara lost while trying to wash the wand!)