I have reviewed a lot of tubing mascaras in my time running this blog. Especially over the last 3-4 years as tubing mascaras have become the hottest thing in the eye makeup world. And while I have discovered a few favourites in that time, I have to admit that they all end up looking the same. Lots of length, lift, and separation. The one area they all tend to lack in is volume. Until now!
Earlier in April, Mecca Max released their fourth mascara, the Max Vol. Tubing Mascara. A mascara that promises maximum volume with no smudging or flaking. I have to admit, I was immediately intrigued and I placed my order the day it launched. I’ve spent the last few weeks playing with it and I have so many thought. So, let’s get into the review!
MECCA MAX MAX VOL. TUBING MASCARA – $28.00 – mecca.com.au
We shall start with the packaging. The Max Vol. Mascara is housed in a sleek, lightweight, tube style packaging. The handle is a chrome gold and the bottle is a bold orange, a similar shade to the Eye Max Mega Volume Mascara that they came out with in 2022. In fact, the packaging is basically if you took the Eye Max and the Whip Lash and merged them together. There is also chrome gold detail on the bottle. It fits in with the rest of the mascara’s in Mecca Max’s line. The Max Vol. Mascara is vegan, cruelty free, and contains 12ml of product.
Now, I’m a sucker for a Mecca Max mascara at the best of times. But the thing that immediately drew me in with the Max Vol. Mascara was the wand. The wand uses synthetic hair bristles wrapped around a wire. The bristles are evenly sized and spaced. And it doesn’t come to a point. A wand like this is a dime a dozen in the volumising mascara world. But I’ve never seen this style for a tubing mascara before. And it’s excellent at coating every lash with product.
The formula also stands out somewhat. It’s very thick, very black, and very matte. It dries down quickly and once it’s on, it’s not moving easily. Under normal circumstances, this formula should worry me. As it is the precise kind that I would expect to transfer. There aren’t any standout ingredients here. It’s mostly a wax and polymer based formula. Other than that, like I said, very black, very thick.
Applying this mascara took a little trial and error. Because it’s a thicker formula, the wand picks up probably more than I needed. So it can made your lashes look clumpy that first time. I do find that scraping off the excess does help make a more even and pronounced application. Another thing that helped me with application was wriggling the wand at the base of the lash and then holding the wand at the tip of my lashes. This helped with separation and length.
But the main game here is volume. And oh boy, does the Max Vol. Mascara deliver on that front. It’s definitely a thicker, grungier style of volume that I’ve seen for a mascara recently. They really make a statement. I was also surprised to see how much lift I got. With a formula this thick, I wasn’t sure how well it would lift my lashes. But you can clearly see them peeking at the top.
Now, let’s talk wear test. And I have to say, I am in awe of this mascara. So much so that I’m genuinely curious to know how the Mecca Max team did it. I mean, they made a thick, voluminous mascara formula that doesn’t smudge, doesn’t transfer, doesn’t flake, and stays in place pretty much all day. It should be an impossible ask. But they did it. I genuinely have no words, I’m that stunned. And I’m a yapper, so shutting me up is a lot!
Well, what more needs to be said? If you’re a volume mascara girly, you need to try the Max Vol. Mascara. It’s already a contender for mascara of the year. And I’ll be shocked if I find one that I enjoy more than this one. Have you tried the Mecca Max Max Vol. Mascara? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo