2000 entirely guilt-free calories of sheer glamour if you ask me. I can't believe the bad press my favourite mascara has received from you lot! Criminal, in my humble opinion, but I shall take great pains to explain why Max Factor's £7 of gorgeousness on a stick gets my vote (and regular purchase).
To put you in the picture, I am naturally dark-haired with fair skin that the sun invariably brings out in a mass of freckled mayhem when it so chooses. But with naturally thickish (but not particularly long) brunette lashes, my peep-holes can certainly cope with lashings of this self-titled 'dramatic' look. Maybe my avoidance of my fellow ciaoers tales of woe with regards unsightly clumping, flaking and gothically frightnening panda-drama has something to do with my preparation techniques, gleaned from years of throwing my money into the consumption of girlie magazines with tips on primping and preening (an addiction I've managed to control in recent times).
So I get a little loose powder on a huge brush and go over the eye area which kind of preps the skin around the eye and the lashes. I find that if I don't do this, the natural oils in my skin cause the mascara to deteriorate more quickly and flake a little later in the day. Then, if needed, any other eye make-up goes on, but when you want to apply mascara, I load a smaller brush with more loose translucent powder and kinda dab it onto my lashes with my eye closed - you only really need to get the tips - no need to get the roots and this would probably ruin your eye make-up anyway. Now visably brimming with powder, I curl my eyelashes for around 10 secs then immediately apply my 2000 calorie magic-worker (black-brown is less severe than black for everday...) Then do the next eye, curling and mascara-ing! Before I apply the mascara, it's usually necessary to remove excess from the very tip of the wand by wiping it off back into the tube at the opening. If I don't do this, there is just too much mascara for my lashes and I get the clumping complained about by the others (although this can be redeemed by immediately separating with an eyelash comb in an upward motion).
Anyway, this probably seems ridiculously complicated to some people (or boringly normal to others) but I would go through this procedure with any mascara to get the best results. By dusting the lashes with loose powder (I actually use Collection 2000 transluscent as it is damn cheap - under £2, smells lush, you get masses of it and it lasts all day), the lashes become thicker and longer, probably because the powder combines with the mascara and sticks to the lashes, absorbing the mascara and giving it something extra to adhere to.
Apart from the amazing defining and thickening/lengthening power of this mascara, another complete bonus is that it is removed easily with make-up remover (I use Synergie Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, approx £4) or soap and water if you're desperate. However, the flip side to this is that it isn't waterproof, so don't get too emotional or go cycling in the rain wearing this.
So if you're prepared to use a little technique in applying this mascara and you want a striking look for your lashes, Max Factor's 2000 Calorie Mascara will not let you down - if you buy one for half the price you'll simply get half the effect. I've tried Maybelline's 'Full n' Soft' & 'Great Lash' mascaras, Agnes B 'Ultracils', Cover Girl 'Long n' Lush', Collection 2000 'Waterproof Mascara', Boots No.17 Big Volume and Max Factor Lash Silks - none touch the 2000 Calorie.
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May 16th, 2001
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