Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara

We all have guilty pleasures, and this bright yellow, big brushed, weirdly spelt (volum'?) mascara is mine.

Having launched onto the market way back in 2008, The Colossal still continues to brag at being able to give lashes up to 7 times more volume thanks to its easy to load collagen enriched formula. Whilst I guess emphasis should be put on the words "up to", in general I think this mascara does a great job at bringing both a burst of instant length and thickness to the table. After all, here's what my lashes look like after just one quick coat:

Before:

After:

Whilst at times the large brush can be right royal pain to use, overall I've made my way though about 4 tubes of this formula. Leaving my eyes perfectly framed for anything up to 12 hours, I rarely - if ever - encounter any clumping or flaking thanks to the beautiful lightness of the texture. Granted it's not the most exciting or enjoyable product to use, but it does its job and it does it well. I just wish it looked a little bit prettier in my make up bag.

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara is available from selected stores worldwide and boots.com for £7.19

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara

As the cosmetic market becomes positively saturated with fake lashes and their mascara based rivals, it seems the bigger brands are pulling out all the stops in order to provide even more money making must haves. The latest spin off comes from Maybelline, a company who promise an intense, matte black effect in just a single sweep of their spoon shaped brush...

I'll admit, I'm yet to try the original Falsies formula - which I guess makes this review somewhat redundant. Whilst Black Drama offers to provide the same false lash effect, the twist comes with the added bonus of carbon black fibres; an ingredient intended to deliver more depth and intensity, creating the ultimate dramatic night time look.

Before:

After:

Although I have no major complaints regarding the brush or formula, I just can't seem to click with this mascara. Whilst it adds a great amount of length, my lashes tended to clump due to the rather wet texture of the blend. It holds up phenomenally well throughout the day and doesn't leave the hairs too brittle, but as far as an intense false lash effect goes? I don't think it's 100% there.

Whilst I enjoy wearing this throughout the day at work, I definitely wouldn't trade in my beloved YSL when it comes to creating those elusive evening eyes.

Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara is available from selected chemists worldwide and boots.com for £8.19

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous

Is it just us, or right now do Maybelline seem to have a brand new mascara launching every other week?

Available Stateside since earlier this year, Lash Stiletto Voluptuous is fresh to British shores and currently retailing exclusively at Superdrug. Following on from where it's big sister left off, this formula - complete with curved wand - promises to give dramatic length, seductive finish and bombshell volume all within a single swipe.

All talk, no trousers? Let's have a look...

Before:

After:

Plus:

Its. Amazing.

Whilst the brush may take a few moments to get used to, the results are certainly worth the extra effort. Our lashes didn't clump, cling or smudge and the wand moved graciously through any 'stickiness' caused by the wet formula. Our only hassle was that on application to our left eye - using our right hand - the brush almost worked backwards and swept our lashes towards our nose. This was solved with just a quick comb using our little finger. On the second day of wear a repeat event was simply avoided by repositioning our fingers on the brush. Easy!

In our opinion, Voluptuous is far superior to the original Lash Stiletto formula. It holds up well throughout the day ,offers superb length and volume, and is easy as pie to remove at night. It can get a bit smudgy with sweat, but no more so than the majority of non-waterproof blends. At only £5.99 a pop - this is well worth checking out.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous is available at drug stores internationally and Superdrug UK for a limited offer price of £5.99

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*