Monday, 20 January 2014

Max Factor Excess Volume Mascara


Max Factor make some thoroughly decent mascaras at high street prices - and Excess Volume is their latest.  It claims to give plenty of volume (obvs) with a jet black lacquered effect - like most people, I take this to mean a super black, almost wet look finish with a bit of shine to it.  The tube is incredibly fat - you can see it here next to a new eyeliner, Excess Intensity, which is relatively standard pencil-sized, and the mascara is the size of a bundle of five of them.


Excess Volume is a double ended mascara - this end houses the first step, labelled "Extreme Volume", which gives you long, voluminous lashes to act as a base for the glossy lacquer top coat.  The brush is the plastic-y, bendy-bristled kind I'm very fond of - a bit of root wiggling and this kind of brush is almost guaranteed to give you plenty of coverage with great definition without a clump in sight.  The downside to these plastic-y brushes is that I poke myself in the eye by trying to go too close to the root of the lashes at least once a week.


The "Dark Lacquer" end is a more traditional Christmas tree shaped mascara brush with dense fibres.  It doesn't really add a lot by way of volume, but it does intensify the blackness of the lashes a fair bit.


And voila - two coats of the Extreme Volume side, and one coat of the Dark Lacquer side.  My lashes are long, thick, and very, very black, but as for the lacquered effect.... I'm not sure.  I don't really look at my lashes closely enough to detect a glossy finish, and actually, neither does anyone else.  Although the lacquer part of this mascara might be a bit of a gimmick, it's definitely effective - if I've got a bit more time and coordination in the morning to layer on three coats whilst grappling with a big, slightly hard to grip tube, I reach for this mascara for thick, fluttery lashes.

It's also worth mentioning that the Excess Intensity liner that goes with this mascara is very, very good - it's in twist-up packaging, has a firm, deeply pigmented texture, and lasts brilliantly.  Which is pretty damn good for a mere £4.99.

Max Factor Excess Volume Mascara is out now, and currently costs £9.99 at Boots - but it'll be going up to £12.99 in February, so move fast!

Disclosure: PR samples

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

2 comments:

  1. Hmmm...interesting! This seems like a great product to try out. Love how it made your lashes so pretty. I will def gonna check on this...

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails