Rave Review: Maybelline's the Magnum Volum' Express mascara (before & after pics!)

It's been on the market for more than a year now but I'm still in love with this mascara from Maybelline! As a girl with thin whimpy asian lashes I feel the same slight sorrow when eyeliner doesn't show up or when mascara doesn't work for us because of the size of the brush or formulation.

I used to use it regularly before I discovered Kiss Me Heroine mascara although I do go back to this every now and then as it's very quick and easy to use when I'm in a rush.

Maybelline's the Magnum Volum' Express: bold yellow and purple tube which I love!

Many say that this is the same as the western version 'the Colossal' but it's not at all. I've tired the colossal before, I picked it up on holiday in europe and the brush is cylindrical and much softer (to the point where it didn't grab onto the lashes!) The falsies mascara on the other hand is shaped almost exactly as the magnum, just slightly longer or curved (i believe seeing so) and a different colored tube of course!

I've put this review off for so many months now so I'm grateful for this detailed post! And it's the last week of school for me! It's scary knowing that I have so few months left...! But yay!

How it's sold in most of Asia! No waste of cardboard and hard plastic!

 Continue below for dramatic before and after photos!

Long bristles on the sides, really good at brushing the tips of lashes to extend them!

Very short bristles on the wide sides...slight curve that really fits nicely against the underside of lashes...

 Before photos!

Note: My eyes are naturally monolids. However with the use of waterproof mascara, almost all the time they will naturally 'become' double lids. I do NOT use glue/tape/poking so don't ask me about it because I don't know! I also don't own an eyelash curler so what you see is product of my application technique!

Due to their changeable state, sometimes one side is single and the other double when I wake up in the morning...and most of the time I get double lids when I use mascara in general and that's just how it is!

My monolids have lots of creases! See how the little lashes are whimpy but curl just a bit?

This eye tends to become double far more easily...hence the visible mole otherwise 'hidden' beneath! At least my skinny lashes are curly! No need for a curler at all!

After photos!

Contacts were meant to distract from the bloody red scratch on my eye! (see directly below)

See how lush and plush and voluminous they look! And natural too!

Love the volume and definition this mascara gives, if applied properly your lashes don't clump together too much!

The effect when my eyelids stay single! Just as lovely, lengthened and volumized!

So girls with thin lashes and single-lids, it's completely possible to have amazing lashes!

 Packaging and Product!

 The packaging is like any typical tube, although the yellow and purple color is what makes the tube fun and stand out from a lot of mascaras.

The mascara itself is quite a wet formula although during application not too much is transferred onto lashes at one time. I only trust waterproof formulas, I can definitely say that this is a very waterproof formula...holding up through a day at the beach with no smudging until I want it removed.

It comes in both black and brown, I've got both and love them both. It's really the brush I believe that makes this mascara so successful. I've found curved, partially curved and brushes with some type of curve to them the best at applying mascara with minimal smudging and getting around tiny lids.

I use just one heavy coat for voluminous and lengthen lashes! This mascara doesn't give much extra curl but the volume makes up for that in my opinion. One thing I noticed is that no matter how thick the lashes look coated with mascara, they still feel incredibly soft even though the formula hardens the lashes as most waterproof types do.

Be warned that it dries really quickly so for extra volume just wait half a minute or so before applying more for fuller lashes...don't wait too long as once it'd dry, it's staying that way!

The brush is really great, I've experimenting in applying the mascara with the flatter side and then the longer bristles. Play with application until it works for you. I use the curved side against the under of my lashes and then use the longer side to coat the top of my lashes as well as the tips for more length!

Before and after~!

I think you've got to be quite blind if you can't see the dramatic difference! Love the volume and lush looking lashes!    

Pros...

•  great brush (reduced smudging, great for little lashes)
• very waterproof
• comes in black and brown
• easy to use
• comes off easily with oil-based remover
• volume/length/definition (all visible!)
• easily found 

Cons...

• brush might be difficult to use (for those with little experience)
• will only come off with oil-based remover
• will clump easily once if a lot is applied

Paid: $S18.90 ($14.70 USD) < this is regular price for drugstore mascaras, towards the cheaper end

Recommend: Definitely for those with thin lashes, craving more volume and length...you must be willing to play with the brush, try both the wide and skinny side to get the right technique for your lashes!

Repurchase: Absolutely! But only when I finish up (or they expire) my other 5 tubes!

The bottom line: Affordable (by singapore standards) and easily found, this mascara should always be a win if applied properly. I think asian girls or just girls with thin lashes should never give up! Experiment with how you apply your mascara, don't just follow set rules for everyone. I'd completely recommend this as it's fool proof to me, just make sure you've got an oil-based remover and you're good to go!

Feel free to leave comments! Thanks!