Secrets of a Swing Dancer- Mascara Review #1

For my first official Secrets of a Swing Dancer review, I picked up the One by One Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in Very Black from Maybelline. It's available in most drugstores and stores like Target and Walmart. It's $7.99 on the Ulta website.

The packaging promises "Big volume, lash by lash" and "Clump-free, big volume."
The brush, which the packaging refers to as "the lash catcher", looks like this:

Recently, I've been more fond of plastic-y brushes like this, rather than the bristle-y ones. The package says, "Exclusive lash catcher brush catches, coats and de-clumps every single lash for our most refined volume from root to tip."

Now for my lashes.

Natural lashes, no mascara.

With mascara.

Initial thoughts:
I wasn't blown away by the volume at first, but once I stepped back and looked at my lashes from a greater distance (rather than a few inches from my makeup mirror), I liked it more. It also does a nice job of lengthening. My lashes are naturally curly, so I can't comment on how well it holds the curl from a lash curler. Although I like the way this mascara looks, it did make my lashes a bit stiffer than I would have liked. You have to work quickly with this mascara- if you let it dry between coats it will clump. The packaging does say, "For best results, hold brush against lashes and sweep from root to tip. Repeat until desired look is achieved. Do not let dry between coats." The first time I applied the mascara, I didn't work fast enough and I saw a lot of clumpage. The second time, I furiously applied it until I liked how it looked. It was probably about 3-4 coats. I usually only use 1-2 coats of mascara, so I felt like I was applying a ton in order to get the look I wanted.

Testing:
I really tested the limits of this mascara. It was about 95 degrees that day and I danced for nearly 4 hours, only sitting out a few songs. I was swea-tay. Salt crusted in the creases of my eyelids sweaty. Gross, but true (and to give you an idea of how intense the testing was).

Results:
This mascara can hold its own in the world of charleston, swingouts and swivels.
I didn't see any flaking, smudging, or other indications of wear. By the time I got home, it looked the same as when I first applied it. Even when I rinsed my face off with water, the mascara didn't budge. Sweatproof, waterproof, danceproof. That's what I like to see in a mascara for lindy hopping.
This mascara did not disappoint, but it didn't make me want to start a new religion or anything. Probably because of the stiffness of my lashes with it. Otherwise, a very good mascara.

This product gets my Lindy Stamp of Approval!