Maybelline One by One Mascara

Ok, look. I am a self confessed mascara junkie. If I was only allowed to use one makeup product for the rest of my life, it would be mascara. I just think (especially for a bespectacled girl like myself,) mascara can do wonders to open up your eyes and make you look more awake - if you choose the right one for yourself, that is.

I was really excited to try this mascara out because Maybelline mascaras have a reputation for being amazing and the plastic bristles looked like exactly the sort of thing that have worked for my lashes in the past. The first few times I had a go at the mascara, however, I was really disappointed - I got barely any length from it, and absolutely zilch volume. In fact, if I took about one step away from the mirror, you could barely tell I was even wearing any mascara at all!

BUT if there's one thing I am when it comes to makeup, it's persistent. So I kept at it, and have now developed a separate technique for making this mascara work. First of all, you really have to spend some time curling your lashes properly, because this mascara does not help in that department at all. Everyone has different curling techniques, but the one I find works best for this mascara is to press your curler once at the base of your lashes, and then wiggle it out a little, press down again, and continue to do this in small increments until you reach the end of your lashes, adjusting the angle of the curler at each increment to resemble a natural curl. Secondly, you must wiggle with this mascara. A lot. For most of the mascaras I've tried in the past, you can sometimes get away with just vertical swipes at your lashes. Nuh-uh, not for this one - you really have to give it a good wiggle at the base of your lashes, and continue doing this until about midway, before pulling it upwards to coat your ends. You also need to apply different angles depending on which part of your lashline you're working on - for your outer corner, hold your mascara wand at about a 45 degree angle, for the middle of your lashline, you can hold it virtually horizontally, and for the inner corner, either hold it at a 90 degree angle, or at a 45 degree angle but in the opposite direction to your outer corner (if that makes sense...)

Staying power is pretty good, I don't generally get problems with smudging. And it comes off easily in the shower (which is what I'd expect from a non waterproof mascara.)

The Lowdown: A pretty excellent lengthening mascara (although it isn't volumising at all) if you're patient enough to work with it a little. Very natural looking, great staying power and removes easily with eye makeup remover/just in the shower.

Maybelline One by One Mascara retails for between $12ish and $19.25 AUD depending on where you buy it and is available at Priceline, Woolworths, Coles, Target, Kmart, BigW and selected pharmacies.