Shop Talk

It's a wonder, really, that any mascara is made NOT to be waterproof. Think about it. We hope there's hardly a day goes by when you don't shed tears of laughter. Then there are weepy days, the cold winds of winter, seasonal sniffles, soppy films, chopping onions... the list is endless.

Now we're coming up to hay fever season and then it will be summer. After a winter bundled up behind layers of comfort clothing, revealing yourself in your cossie on a beach comes as a horrible shock. It's the ultimate vulnerability - no concealing clothes, no make up, dripping wet hair. The only barrier between you and the world is a bit of Lycra, your fake tan and the waterproof mascara.

So it's got to be good.

But they don't just have to be waterproof. We also want mascaras that perform like some of the best - long and lustrous, good colour, individual lashes, not a scrubby, sort-of congealed, blob. We also want those that keep your lashes looking natural - not rock-hard spikes capable of serious damage to anyone who gets too close.

The problem with many of them is that they were rather dry, so it was difficult to get nice long lashes. Then if you kept applying it, you ended up with little blobs which are very difficult to remove neatly when it's waterproof, so it meant cleaning and starting all over again.

Life is definitely too short.

We tested ours on windy walks, in the shower, swimming pool and on the day of the Queen Mother's funeral. There was hardly a dry eye in the house. But were they smudged as well?

BEST BUYS

REVLON COLORSTAY (£7.99) * * * * *

This gives a lovely luxurious covering. It looks good, lasts a long time and doesn't go spiky and horrible - a definite favourite. Also, say testers who have used it regularly in the past, it lasts a long time and doesn't dry up.

BOURJOIS £7.25 * * * * *

Nice squishy coverage, keeps lashes separate and is very waterproof

WORTH TRYING

BOOTS BOTANICS £6.50 * * * *

This doesn't claim to be waterproof, just "tear friendly" and water resistant. But it went on well and proved to be remarkably resilient.

C2000 £1.99 * * *

This went a bit spiky but with not bad coverage and as, the cheapest we tested, has to be worth trying.

PRETTY AVERAGE...

L'OREAL LONGITUDE £7.99 * * *

This was a disappointment. It was meant to lengthen and separate, but didn't really. It also claimed to be "smudge-proof all day". Well it didn't do that either

MAX FACTOR AQUA LASH £6.50 * * *

Goes on well but dries to a very hard and spiky finish . Effective but almost immovable.

ALMAY £7.99 * * *

Not a very generous mascara in that it seemed a bit dry and you had to apply a few layers. But it lasted reasonably well and didn't smudge or go spiky.

RIMMEL £4.49 * * *

A bit dry, so tricky to get that long lash look. But once you got it on, it stayed there.

SUPERDRUG KOLOR £3.99 * * *

Bit dry so you don't get luxurious coverage but lasted well enough

NOW here's a bit of good news. Starting next month, Queen Street shopping centre in Darlington will be strictly no smoking. This is wonderful news. Smoking in shopping centres is nearly as bad as smoking indoors - stale smoke circulates making the air smell foul and everything seem dirty and that's without all the fag ends and ash on the floor.

So what about the Cornmill?

Does anyone out there have problems using the new Daz Dyelock? We mention this because, some time ago now, we had a fax from Jen Hetherington of York, who, having bought enough for 200 washes, couldn't then get the powder to dissolve at 40 degrees

"To get the powder to melt, I had to put it in a jug and whisk it with boiling water," she says, which seems a bit drastic. She's a Daz fan, has used it "since the days of red plastic roses" but is very cross right now.

Well, we tried it and had no trouble with the powder, but found that we had problems with the tablet versions of Daz Dyelock, which went into little lumps and left powdery bits on clothes at low temperatures.

Has Jen Hetherington just been unlucky? Or has Daz really lost its dazzle? Let me know.