Beauty Colossal Washable vs Waterproof: Maybelline Mascara Guide
Washable meets waterproof in the Colossal family. Each formula serves a different lifestyle. Here is which one your lashes need.
| Factor | Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa | Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Check price | Check price |
| Key feature | 9X volume, easy removal | 7X volume, waterproof hold |
| Best for | Daily wear, sensitive eyes | Humidity, long days |
| Ease of use | Soap-and-water removal | Needs oil remover |
| Volume claim | 9X volume | 7X volume |
Our Verdict
The Washable version wins for most buyers. Its 9X volume claim beats the waterproof's 7X. Soap-and-water removal makes daily use effortless. The waterproof wins only for humidity, tears, and marathon days. If you wear mascara daily, washable saves your lashes from harsh removers. If your days run long and sweaty, waterproof is worth it. For the average routine, washable takes the crown. Few options combine beautiful black color with bold affordable volume as effortlessly as Colossal. For black lovers, Colossal delivers bold affordable volume that few rivals match at this price. Colossal earns its recommendation through bold affordable volume and dependable Volum' Express performance.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.
Best for: Maximum drama within the Colossal family.
Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Big Shot Waterproof Mascara, Very Black
- Wavy-bristle Big Shot brush
- Collagen formula for dramatic volume
- Waterproof long wear
- Contact lens safe
Pros
- Boldest Colossal volume
- Waterproof staying power
Cons
- Tougher removal
- Can clump with excess coats
Want the Full Picture?
What Actually Separates Good Mascaras From Bad Ones
Between Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa and Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water, replace mascara every three months, since old mascara dries out, clumps worse, and harbors bacteria near the eyes. Pump the wand never, because pumping pushes air into the tube and dries Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa out weeks early. Between Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa and Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water, fresh tube, clean application, and most mascara complaints disappear.
With Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa, the wand does half the work, because bristle density and shape control separation more than the formula itself. A defining wand on Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water suits straight, sparse lashes, while a fat volumizing brush suits lashes that need presence. For Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa users, for the smudge-proof tubing option, see our Glossier Lash Slick tubing guide.
Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa should be judged on which failure it avoids, not on marketing claims about lash science. Mascara fails in predictable ways, with clumping, smudging, and flaking accounting for nearly every complaint, and each failure points to a different formula trait with Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa in mind. Clumping comes from overloaded wands and wet formulas, so a Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa that deposits cleanly on the first coat beats one needing careful layering.
Mascara for Oily Lids That Will Not Smudge by Noon
Between Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa and Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water, oily lids dissolve standard mascara formulas by midday, leaving the panda-eye transfer that no amount of careful application prevents. If Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa is not tubing, choose its waterproof version for oily lids, because water-resistant chemistry holds up against lid oil. The fix is formula chemistry, not technique, because Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa in a tubing formula wraps each lash in polymer that oil cannot break down.
Test any new mascara on a normal workday before trusting it for events, because oil production varies and only a full day reveals the truth, whether Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa or Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water. Match the formula to the lids and the smudging stops, as Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa buyers learn. Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa that survives your oiliest afternoon is the keeper.
Prime the lids too, because an eyeshadow primer or a dusting of translucent powder cuts the oil that migrates onto Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water. With Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa, for the lash-safe removal routine, see our mascara removal guide. Skip lash primer under tubing mascara, since primers can break the polymer tube effect and cause the flaking you bought tubing to avoid with Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa in mind.
A Realistic Weekly Heat-Styling Schedule
For Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa users, our flat iron buying guide covers which irons offer the precise low-temperature control touch-ups need. With Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa, touch-up rules matter between sessions, because re-straightening already straight hair at full temperature is pure damage with no benefit. Between Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa and Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water, drop the temperature for touch-ups and work only the sections that actually need it, since most of the style survives fine.
Nobody who straightens daily will quit from being told to limit heat, so the useful advice is a schedule that protects hair within real life, true for Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa too. Wash and fully style on day one, refresh with dry shampoo and a quick Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Water touch-up on day three, and wear heatless waves or an updo by day five. A sustainable week looks like two full styling sessions with Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa, with the other days running on dry shampoo refreshes and heatless styles.
Schedule the heat and the hair survives it for the Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa decision. The off days are doing the real protective work, because hair recovers between heat exposures when it gets the chance, as Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa buyers learn. For Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Washa users, a silk pillowcase and a light oil on the ends extend every style, which stretches the gap between full sessions.