Maybelline One by One Volume Express Mascara - Brownish Black

In the same way that many beauty lovers know Revlon for their lip products, I think that Maybelline's claim to fame are their mascaras. With so many options to choose from in their permanent range and such a widespread number of reviews, it is hard to miss all the raving that occurs regarding their mascaras. Naturally when Priceline had a sale and Maybelline mascaras were only $10, I made a special trip to go and pick up one that had been catching my eye for a while.

When I think of my ideal mascara, the terms definition and length come to mind. Unlike many, the idea of volume isn't terribly appealing for me - largely due to the fact that every day I am surrounded by teenage girls who have no concept of using makeup to make themselves look attractive and instead pile approximately ten layers of mascara on to their lashes until they look like fattened dead caterpillars poking out from their lashline. Yep, when you are faced with that kind of visual every single day you kind of become a bit turned off with the thought of a volumising mascara!

It was only natural then that I liked the idea of One by One, which did claim to give a bit of volume but also excellent definition too. I did a bit of research and found that it was quite well liked by most people and then made the decision to give it a shot.

First up is the brush. My favourite kind of brushes are plastic ones, which is what One by One has. This is unlike any brush I have come across in that it is really quite chunky, shaped very much like an AFL football, although each of the bristles are quite long. One might expect that this would be a little tricky to use but I found it quite manageable. For use on the lower lashline (which I never do) it is a bit fiddly.

The packaging is pretty appealing, bright and bold with the red tube and green writing. It does have a borderline Christmas vibe (am I the only one who thinks this?) but in the end it is the formulation that I really care about.

I think Maybelline was spot on when they named this 'One by One.' My pet hate is when a mascara makes my lashes stick together in one horrible mess, but this defined and coated every.single.lash. I am so impressed. Not once did I struggle with clumping or feeling the need to excessively comb through my lashes with an old and unused mascara wand because this worked so beautifully the first time. I've taken a photo of it on my lashes (albeit a horrendous one) and you can see the length and definition it gives.

I am quite biased in that I love really dry formula and don't often get along with wet ones. I would describe this as in the middle of both, and surprisingly I find it works just fine and I don't dislike it at all.

When attempting to layer this mascara it gets a bit more challenging. Though I wouldn't describe it as clumpy, my lashes most definitely need to be brushed through a couple of times to fix it up. I personally think that a single coat is more than enough for lovely looking lashes.

Usually I go for waterproof formulas but I didn't this time, and it has worked out quite well because unlike their waterproof cousins, this is so much easier to remove! Unfortunately the only shade left at Priceline was brownish black, and it is noticeable, though only slightly. If I had the choice I definitely would have gone for blackest black.

This lasts an entire day without flaking or smudging. It hasn't caused any irritation or problems whatsoever.

Overall I am so impressed with this and am really glad that I purchased it. If you want more than 'natural' looking lashes, but don't want terribly dramatic ones either, then this is a perfect in-between.

I give this 8 out of 10.

Apologies for the horrible photo, but can you see the length and definition it gives?