Review: Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express Mascara

If you've been through the makeup section of a drugstore lately you've probably noticed the new Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express mascara. It's claim to fame: eight times the volume thanks in large part to its brush, which is supposed to separate your lashes better than any other and eliminate clumps.

Does it live up to its claim? Check out my video to see what I have to say (or if you just prefer the highlights, scroll down to see my synopsis).

Cost: $5.99 at most drugstores (a definite plus that you don't have to pay more for the latest new product, the price is comparable to other Maybelline and Cover Girl mascaras)

Availability: It's a drugstore brand so it's easy to find at many locations. Thumbs up on accessibility.

The brush:

• A fat, blunt, rubber mascara brush that is strikingly similar to Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume
• The main difference: the bristles. The brush has longer bristles and more of them. If it was larger and made of iron it would look like a medieval weapon. 
• Warning: Be careful when getting down to the base of your lashes with this one. The bristles are long and bit sharp. It hurts like a mother if you hit your eye. I know, I did it. Don't try it at home. 

The formula: 

• Starts off a bit wet for my taste, which in my opinion made it difficult to build up the mascara
• After a few days it dries down a bit to a better consistency and is much easier to build up. 
• It's heavy duty! I did not buy the waterproof version and it's difficult to wash off, even with makeup removers that normally melt off any traces of makeup and mascara. 
• Once it dries, it makes your lashes super stiff. I liken it to super hold hair spray. Its like armor around your lashes (maybe that's why it's hard to wash off)
• I find the blackest black formula to measure up in darkness

Performance: 

• The brush really does an excellent job separating my lashes giving me volume because all of my lashes are showing. What I don't think it does as well is make my lashes look thicker. So I have a lot of them, but they don't look as thick. I'd compare it to someone who has a lot of hair but it's still falls flat or has a lot of hair but it's fine hair so it doesn't look as full. 
• It lengthens just ok, nothing spectacular (but it's really supposed to be a volumizing mascara so I guess I can't fault it as much for that)
• It doesn't clump or smudge (it better not, considering this mascara feels like it's welded to your lashes)

Overall, this mascara is just so-so. The things I like the most are that it's affordable and accessible and that it really separates my lashes, but those things don't really have much to do with the mascara's formula or performance. If it thickened my lashes better and were easier to wash off, I would like it a lot more. But as it stands, it's not better than Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume. I'm not saying I would never buy this again, but it's certainly not my first choice. The store would have to be out of Lash Blast and Voluminous before I'd reach for it.

If you've tried Maybelline's The Rocket mascara, did you have a similar experience as I did with it?