Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation Waterproof Mascara

I picked this product up from my local Superdrug before going on holiday, as I was looking for a cheap waterproof mascara to take with me. This cost £4.99 and came in the colour 1 Black.

The texture is very thick and quite dry as you'd expect from a waterproof mascara really. The wand is a classic shape, but it really is gigantic! This makes for quite tricky application in the inner corners of the eye as well as on the bottom lashes - it's not impossible, but does require a steady hand.

I found that it coats my lashes nicely, but for a big impact you need to apply a couple of coats. This is not a major problem, as I found that it layers without any major clumping, even if you wait for it to dry in between applications. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Without mascara

After applying XXL Volume Sensation

It took me three coats to get this result, but I'm quite pleased with it! Excuse the freckle-ness, but the sunshine has really brought them out with a bang.

I was fortunate enough to be able to test this in a variety of scenarios to see how waterproof this mascara really is.

• General wear: I got about 8 hours' wear out of this and then it started crumbling around the bottom lash line - that's an acceptable amount for me, though I would have appreciated a longer wearing formula.
• Tears: My mascara didn't budge one bit. Perfect result.
• Sweat: This didn't seem to have an immediate effect on the mascara, but it did reduce its longevity and crumbles appeared a bit earlier than usual.
• Light rain / splashes: Again, it didn't move and stayed on my lashes like glue.
• Heavy rain / swimming: This was a disaster. The product slid off my lashes and decided to settle on my cheeks where I couldn't get rid of it even with heavy rubbing!

Removal at the end of the day was fairly easy - my Cleanse and Polish got rid of every last trace whereas face wipes got rid of about 90% without having to rub.

For the price tag this is an excellent product, which gives a lovely finish to eye lashes, though it's not particularly long-lasting - both on the eyes as well as in the tube, as it's starting to dry out now after about two and a half weeks. Just don't take it swimming with you!