Review: Rimmel Volume Flash The Max Waterproof Mascara

Sorry, I didn't quite have time to post this yesterday. The first of my summer reviews begins with the new waterproof version of Rimmel Volume Flash The Max mascara. I have a couple of things to say first before reviewing this. I can't compare this mascara to my normal waterproof one because I don't currently use w/proof mascara. It's not that I've never used it, I just usually opt for the original option. Secondly, have you seen the TV ad for this? I know mascara adverts (in print and on TV) in general shouldn't be trusted as most (actually all) are filmed with "lash inserts". However even with a giant strip of falsies on my lashes, I felt I couldn't achieve the look they say you could. I don't think anyone could. Buying this mascara will not give you lashes anywhere close to what they look like on Lily Cole, so in my opinion the advert is a dud and shouldn't even be aired! Rant over, now onto my findings.
Rimmel claim this is their biggest ever brush which will aid in the application of 'inflating' your lashes with up to 14 times more volume. Personally I hate big brushes, for someone with small eyes and small lashes, they are a nightmare because you can't get close enough to your eye without causing some harm and/or ending up with mascara all over the surrounding area. Nor do I think the size of the brush is reflective of how big your lashes will be after application.
Good for me then that this brush isn't so big afterall. I don't think it looks nearly as bushy as it does on their website and when compared here to 123 Looks mascara (also from Rimmel), it isn't much larger. Don't expect this to be anywhere near Diorshow or BeneFit Bad Gal proportions.
The brush doesn't seem to hold much product, it's not a particularly 'wet' mascara and I felt I needed to re-insert it into the tube even for the application of one eye. Apparently though the concept is that the brush uses 'perfect fit' technology to apply the exact amount of mascara to lashes without overloading or clumping. I felt it didn't give enough though. Other than that it's fairly easy to apply and I didn't find it clumped much or needed a comb through afterwards.
The results however are just...nothing really. It didn't 'wow' me in any way, my lashes looked darker and slightly more defined than pre-mascara, but not by much. I didn't notice any difference in length. I also felt there was a slight sheen to the liquid in certain lights and my lashes didn't always look very black. Remember my review of 123 Looks? The highest level was only supposed to be 10x more volume (whereas this is 14x) and if you were to compare the two, you would see a significant difference. Volume Flash in my opinion is more comparable to Level 1 of 123 Looks, which only had 3x more volume and I have to add that I much preferred the latter because it gave me much longer length which this one doesn't.
As for it's waterproof ability, I didn't always have the best conditions to try this out in. There were a couple of really humid days and right enough there was no smudging or flaking. However one day I noticed smudging, but I couldn't be sure if it was from this mascara or my eyeliner. I did find this more difficult to remove than ordinary mascara-for reference I was using Clinique Take The Day Off makeup remover.
Overall, this is just an ok mascara. It doesn't volumize much or lengthen at all, the brush is fine and it's waterproof ability as far as I know, works. However, I wouldn't buy it again. Also the name is ridiculous 'Rimmel Volume Flash The Max Waterproof Mascara' doesn't exactly have a nice ring to it and I even got bored labelling all my images with it! Avoid and stick with 123 Looks is my advice!