Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara is packaged in a chunky 7.2ml rose gold tube with raised writing down the side, and has a (silicone?) 'flex tower brush'.
Now the 'flex tower brush' is a slim, flexible, tapered mascara wand that I find really easy to use. It's slim enough to get right down to the roots of the lashes, and the tip is tapered enough to reach right into the inner corner of the eye, without accidentally sticking the wand into my eye.
The mascara formula is infused with bamboo extract and fibers for long, full and lightweight lashes, that don't flake or smudge. The consistency of the mascara is great. It's not too wet, and it coats each individual lash from root to tip. The wand helps to keep lashes nice and separate, and it dries quickly, too. No clumping, no flaking, no smudging (even after I accidentally rubbed my eye during the day) and no panda eyes! And this is with the washable variant, not the waterproof one.
Maybelline Sky High Mascara is available in Very Black and Blackest Black. The colour I got is Blackest Black (#800), and it really does add length and volume to my lashes (see pic on Photo Wall). It promises up to 24 hours wear, but I only had it on for 12 hours max, and didn't experience any adverse reactions or smudging.
I went for a long, sweaty walk, and the mascara still looked perfect when I got home. The mascara also held up on a very emotional, bad news day the left me feeling weepy on-and-off, all day. The kind of day that would definitely have left me with panda eyes, but there was no mascara out of place and only the tiniest bit of mascara on the tissue by the end of the day. I’m really impressed.
The last test was getting it off. I do have the washable variant, but I always use an oil cleanser to get rid of my make-up before cleansing with a foam cleanser, because I like to remove my make-up gently without any harsh rubbing. On the first night of testing out Maybelline's Sky High mascara, I skipped the oil cleanser. I didn’t have any other make-up on, only the mascara, so I went straight for the foaming cleanser, and surprisingly, it's really easy to remove. It came off cleanly with foaming cleanser. No mascara residue left around my eyes (or on the towel), and I didn't have to rub vigorously, either. Usually when I wash mascara off with foaming cleanser only, I step out of the shower to discover that I have to use make-up remover to get rid of the rather large panda eyes that I'm left with. Not with this one, it washes away cleanly.
Overall, I'm really impressed. This is one of the best washable mascaras that I've used in a long time. The wand is lovely to use, it's not too bulky, chunky or spiky. The formula is great, it coats every lash and definitely gives length. At under $30 a tube, I'd definitely buy another tube.
First impressions of this product in its packaging it was clear what the product was meant to do and had a picture of the wand which I always like to see as it gives you an idea of what it might be capable of on your lashes. The colour is gorgeous and very on trend in a rose gold tone also.
The product itself is super cool with the sky high writing along the side of the barrel and has a nice click to seal the product tight so you know it isn't going to dry out quickly. The wand spooly is verrrry soft and moves alot, i wasn't sure how this would go and I'm not a huge fan but it's not terrible either. I do prefer a stiffer spooler that moves less but this isn't a deal breaker.
On first application the spooly separates the lashes well and the colour deposit was good but was better once I had added a second coat. The product built up quite well with coat 2 but be sparing if going for 3 as I found the lashes started to be less separated at this point... But... NO clumping which is amazing!
It wore well throughout the day, had zero smudging and my lashes stayed lifted so I'm pretty sold on this product! It removed easily with micellar water and cotton pad which is my go to eye makeup removal before cleansing my face.
On further uses it gets better each time as I get used to the wobbly spooly and the formula. There is no offensive scent or anything major to mark this product down from 5 stars. If you want a long wear lash lifting mascara you can't go past this one!
Tips: Apply 2 coats for a more volumous look