Review: MUA Lash Boom mascara

Not content with smashing price conventions and collaborating with boy bands, Superdrug's bargainous MUA brand has taken up the challenge of producing a great mascara for a tiny price. Lash Boom (which follows last year's Lip Boom) is a chunky purple volume-boosting mascara that costs just £3.

The brush has plastic bristles - usually a plus, but can occasionally be scratchy if they're too stiff. These aren't, they're soft and flexible. It's chunky, but not heading into toilet-brush territory. There's still scope for precise application. The end of the wand bulges outwards to give the impression of a spiked medieval weapon (and to deliver extra blackening power to the outer lashes).

On the upside, the formula is creamy, smooth and coats the lashes evenly. It's a little too lightweight to really cling to the lashes, but it performs well above its price-point. The pictures show 2 coats of Lash Boom (left eye) compared with 2 coats of YSL Babydoll. Babydoll gives more colour and definition, but for something less than a fifth of the price (Babydoll RRP is £24.50), Lash Boom performs superbly.

Negatives... the valve at the neck of the bottle could be more effective. It tends to leave blobs of mascara sitting on the ends of the bristles - you definitely need to swirl the brush in the neck to get rid of this. The tube feels a little cheap and plasticky, but for the price, this is entirely expected and fair enough.

I would definitely nip into Superdrug to pick up a tube of this if I were caught out without mascara. It beats the pants off other budget mascaras I've tried in the last 6 months.

It's out now at Superdrug, costing £3 for 7ml. (Mind the crowds of One Direction fans as you approach the shelf.)

Disclosure - PR sample

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