Overall I'm pretty impressed with this mascara! The brush is full and fluffy, which is my preference for a mascara brush. It really does lift your lashes up and elongate them. It gave me a bit of volume, but not as much as other mascaras I've tried. If long/lifted lashes are your main goal when purchasing a mascara, this may be a good product to try. For me this is a mascara that I would be more likely to apply for work, not for a night out. Applying more than one layer of this mascara didn't seem to result in any major change.
The mascara formula isn't too wet or dry and it didn't apply clumpy. It didn't flake or smear even when wearing it for over 12 hours. It worked well to separate my lashes as I applied. It is worth noting that the mascara was easy enough to remove with my standard micellar water makeup remover.
The price of this mascara is definitely my favourite feature! I've seen it selling for well under $20. If you're looking for a mascara that doesn't break the bank and can lift/elongate your lashes, this could be what you've been searching for!
For those who know me, Maybelline is my favourite drugstore brand and my fave-of-all-time brand for mascaras. In saying that, I had considerably high expectations for this mascara... which was, sadly, not met.
Firstly, the packaging is reflective - not to the point it can act as an emergency mirror, but think more of circus/distorted mirrors. It's quite cylinder and the size reminds me of Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara. The wand also reminds me a little of BTS, but just a bit smaller.
In terms of its effects, I do believe it does thicken and lengthen my lashes without clumping, but the "falsies lift" and "dramatic volume" are where this falls flat. I was disappointed, even after layering multiple coats, it wasn't giving me the volume it so enthusiastically boasts about. The "lifting" also isn't something to praise as I feel like, throughout the day, my lashes don't hold - they don't necessarily droop, but they definitely aren't as high as when the day first started. Compared to other mascaras, that do actually prove their claims of holding the 'lift' the entire day.
To put another damper on things, at the end of a work day, I found a smidge of darkness under my eyes and flaking, which isn't enough to be noticeable to the naked eye, but is obviously not something you'd want if you're looking to go to a special event with full glam on.
On the plus side, it was super easy to remove especially after double-cleansing and I appreciate the fact it didn't leave me with panda eyes unlike other mascaras where you need to rub your face raw to remove all the remnants.
All in all, would I purchase myself? No. There are absolutely far better mascaras on Maybelline's shelf that easily surpass this in terms of volume and lift. However, I will continue to use this as a backup mascara if I do need a quick boost of volume and length.
Tips: curl your lashes before and after applying - but be careful when curling after application so you don't accidentally rip out your lashes!