2000 Calorie is one of the first mascaras I've ever heard about before I even got into makeup, but by the time I was buying my first mascaras, it's was the dawn of the plastic brushes, so I got their Masterpiece instead, even though this mascara has been highly praised. After followed the era of False Lash Effect, which isn't over yet, so when it comes to Max Factor, I've always stuck more to their mascaras with plastic wands. The only mascara with a regular brush I tried was their 2000 Calorie Curl, which proved to be one of the worst mascaras I've ever tried and it completely put me off the Calorie range - how could I have been so misguided? 2000 Calorie is one of the best drugstore mascaras I've found for my type of lashes. It's not amazing in terms giving a ton of volume like Essence's are, but it's a wonderful all-rounder that never looks overdone.

Wand: It's got a classic brush that is densely packed with bristles. It's similar to Beyu's Beauty Queen which is my favourite and it works about the same too. It combs the lashes nicely and creates a nice fanned out effect. It never has too much product on the wand, so I don't have to scrape off the excess like it happened at the Curl version. 

5 minutes after application. As you can see on the right, it does give me a bit of lift, which is more than most regular mascaras, but can't be compared to waterproof formulas.

 Gently curled again so you can see the effect.

Formula: works well for me. Unlike the curl version which was a wet mess that just dropped my lashes, this is a much lighter formula. It doesn't hold a curl like a waterproof mascara, but it also doesn't weight my lashes completely down. I feel that the longer I have it, the better it's getting in that respect. Since the formula is not thick, first coat doesn't create an amazing amount of volume like Essence Lash Princess for example, but it is comparable to Beyu's mascara and their own False Lash Voluptious. Applying more coats is never a problem and you end up with a very nice amount of volume. The lashes don't start sticking together and don't get clumpy, plus this mascara manages to make my usually crisscross lashes (on one eye) looking a lot more nicely fanned out. I can't do that with most Essence mascaras since their formulas tend to be thicker.

Staying power: Mascaras last well on me and I see nothing new at this one. It doesn't smudge, but my eyelid aren't oily. I get the usual all day with it and it's not difficult to remove, which I always appreciate.

Price and availability: it costs 9.99 € and is sold in most drugstores.

I can see why this is still sold after so many years, it's a nice gold classic. Though not outstanding in terms of volume, it's great all-in-one mascara that gives volume, definition and length. This one just might have convinced me enough to get a second tube, especially if it'll be on offer.

Have a great day!

*PR product