Maybelline Volum' Express The Magnum Waterproof Mascara Review

This is another mascara that made it on my "good products" list. I have always liked mascaras that are made specifically for asian lashes... They are formulated well for our needs & this one definitely works for me!

The last Maybelline mascara that i have tried is the Volum Express Cat Eyes mascara, which did a great job. I knew right there & then that that would not be the last Maybelline mascara that i will be trying. So when the The Magnum mascara was released i bought one but didn't get the chance to try it up until now. I had this sitting on my drawer for so long that i almost forgot all about it. Good thing i rearranged my things!

Going back, when i tried this, it didn't wow-ed me at first coat but i changed my mind after the 2nd. I'll tell you why later. Let's dissect the packaging first.

It's in a huge yellow tube much like the original black Volum Express.

I'm sure for beauty mavens, this huge yellow packaging closely resembled the The Colossal mascara that Maybelline released in the US. When i made a comment about why they change the name, Maybelline Philippines courteously answered my query.

"Hi thiamere :) first of all, thanks for the very honest review and it's great to hear that you really like the product. 

On your concern on the difference in names and packaging, we sometimes have to change either the formula or the pack for... different reasons. 

We change the formula when the one in the US does not suit asian needs (ex. Magnum vs Colossal - Colossal gives volume to unruly lashes vs magnum gives volume to downward pointing lashes).

We change the pack naman when the formula is the same, but the pack is so expensive that we would be forced to price it here at a very high amount. In these cases, we would rather put the product at an affordable price because we want every Filipina to use a good quality product with a reasonable pack. 

We know of course that there are also many makeup lovers who really collect the amazing packaging so we are trying to bring in both types of products. 

Our products are different from the US not just in the name but in the formula as well. :) Our local formulas are developed by our laboratories specifically for Asian skin tones and climate. It's much hotter and more humid here than in the US, so if we use their formulas, our products won't be long-wearing and won't fit our local needs. :)"

So there ya go, ladies.
That's what Maybelline has to say about the never-ending comparison between the Magnum & Colossal packaging.

Now that we got that out, let's go the basics. First is the wand.

It's slightly curved, but not like the original volum express hypercurl mascara wand. It's just a bit curved which makes it easier to manage it somehow when working with big brushes unlike those gigantic brushes that makes mascara application a bit clumsy. Unlike traditional mascara wands, the bristles are somehow stiffer that makes combing the product into each lashes very easy to do. I love how it can really coat each lashes because of the resiliency of the bristles! It is good in separating each lashes!

I have tried a lot of mascaras but the bristle wands are all soft which makes combing the lashes time-consuming because you need to swipe it over & over which just tends to put too much product therefore clumping the lashes together.

This kind of wand bought back my faith in bristle wands. I have always loved comb wands & this is the first bristle wand that i found perfect! Great job, Maybelline!

Now, a little note why i don't like the traditional bristle wand is that the tip always has that excess product, which makes it a bit hard to use especially if you are working on your outer lashes. I mean we mostly use the tip when we apply mascara on our outer lashes,right? But traditional wands would have that big gunk of mascara.... Although it just takes few seconds to wipe the product away from the tip but im sure you know what i mean,right?

As for the texture...
It's watery, which is what i prefer. I hate waxy mascaras. This has the perfect consistency which enables to coat each lashes without clumping it. It dries fast too! So far so good!

Let's see how it performs...

This is my curled-but-barely-there lashes...

One coat of this baby will give you very natural-looking feathery lashes.

Two coats of this will give that full-looking lashes in just a few swipes!

Again, with the texture being watery, it coats the lashes very easily. You don't need to swipe it for a gazillion times just to see the effect. This can be done in mere seconds!

La-la-LOVE!

It retains the curl & doesn't feel heavy at all. You know the feeling when the mascara feels somehow heavy that you want to close your eyes for a couple of seconds because it feels like something is sitting on your lashes? Well, this one isn't like that!

It barely feel like you have any mascara at all! It doesn't have that spiky-lashes feeling that some waterproof mascara gives.
*cough* CG Lash Blast waterproof *cough*
@_@

As to this being waterproof, it is really waterproof.

Lightly rubbed it back & forth but it didn't budge. I'm not sure if this can withstand long crying session though unlike the Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Neo, but i think this is decent enough to brave the rain!
^_~

Since this is a waterproof mascara, it's not that easy to remove compare to non-waterproof (of course!). So you would need to have a good oil-based remover to completely get rid of it. But this is not THAT HARD to remove either. I'll tell you something that is REALLY HARD TO REMOVE on my next mascara post! But this one can be taken off with just a simple remover. No sweat! Just let the remover sit on your lashes to give enough time to dissolve the mascara.

As for the price, i'll leave it to you. I know that for some students out there, paying Php 429 a pop might be expensive, but let me tell you that this is really worth every single cents! Anyway, I notice that Maybelline has that regular "sale" period, so you might want to take advantage of it.

With all the exclamation points that you have seen in this post, i hope it justified why i said that this mascara made it to my "products to buy again & again & again" list. So, it's time to do a summary...

PROS:

• locally available
• wand is good, it can separate each lashes, much like comb wands!
• waterproof
• doesn't weigh the lashes down
• barely-there feel
• dries fast
• no clumping, smudging, flaking
• gives volume to the lashes
• long-wearing

CONS:

• doesn't lengthen the lashes

Will I buy it again?
I said that this mascara made it to my "products to buy again & again & again" so i will definitely be buying it again!
Uhh...now i'm confused which should i get again the next time... the Cat Eyes Mascara or this one?
hmmm....

Anyway, it's not really that hard to decide on since both are great mascaras!

When i just browsed the net, i found that there is also another The Magnum mascara, which is the Super Film one. I'm curious what's the difference between the waterproof version & the super film version...hmmm...

I saw the poster & read some mini reviews & i think it's a great mascara! I'm not sure but i think it's not available here in the Phlippines,ne?

So, what's your favorite mascara?

Hope y'all will have a good day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^