6.15.2008

Colors make people happy!

Words of wisdom inscribed on a pen that I once bought from an Asian grocery mart. Yes, it's a typical example of the hyper-enthusiastic phrases that you'll find on many stationery items from Japan, China, or Korea, but it's very true!

I'm a sucker for brightly colored packaging. The brighter, the better. That's why I was instantly attracted to the latest mascara display in my drugstore's makeup aisle. Bright yellow and intense purple, with lots of exclamation marks. Of course, I bought one.

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express appears to be the latest addition to the Maybelline mascara portfolio. Unfortunately, I can not find any information about this mascara anywhere on the internet. It's conspicuously absent from the Maybelline site, and there's only a handful of reviews on MakeupAlley. It would suffice to say that this stuff must be pretty new. I couldn't even find a stock photo of it online, so you'll be subjected my own photography skills as a supplement to this post.

The mascara comes in a neon yellow tube with metallic purple accents. The shape is reminiscent of Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara, but a tad smaller (I checked!). The wand, however, does not have rubber bristles as Lash Blast does; instead, it's a standard issue nylon fiber brush -- a very big one! I got the version in Glam Black - how this differs from the other option I saw (Classic Black), I do not know. [See previous post on ridiculous mascara colors here.]

My first impressions - this mascara stinks. Literally. It has an off smell to it that I can't quite place, and haven't smelled in a mascara before. And considering that I have a whopper of a cold, that's pretty significant. But not enough to prevent me from using it, I suppose.

It applies really cleanly, separating each lash and lengthening nicely. Each lash is visibly thicker; however, this is not a mascara that "creates" lashes where you didn't previously have any. So if your lashes are sparse to begin with, I doubt that this is the mascara for you.


The package also boasts "with Collagen" - I'm not sure how much collagen is going to do when applied to your lashes, but I guess it's a key differentiator. Up to 9x more volume! they say. Not so much.

That said, I really like it. I've been flitting from mascara to mascara lately, not really satisfied with any one. Maybelline The Colossal brings together the individual elements of my favorite mascaras into one package. I love that it has a nylon brush, and that the formula isn't too wet or too dry. It didn't clump while I applied it, and I didn't have to use a lash comb afterwards. I'm not getting the "fake eyelashes" fringe that I long for, so I'll have to keep looking for a mascara that does that - but so far, I can see this as a strong contender for my everyday look.

I plan on using this consistently or the next week or so, and I will report back on its durability and wear time. Stay tuned!  

$7.09 @ Rite Aid (not available online just yet)

My updated thoughts here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

do you know if they have this with a curved brush yet?

Sania said...

cheerupemokid338 - as far as I can tell, there are only 2 versions of this out right now. Black and Glam Black, non-waterproof. They're both the same, except for the color.

It'll be interesting to see if they expand out as much as the Full & Soft line of mascaras.

 
template by suckmylolly.com