If I’ve learnt anything from 18 months of oscillating lockdowns it’s that I’m a pro at whittling away hours scrolling through 15-second videos on TikTok. When I tell you that I waste hours, I mean it. Time just disappears when I’m chuckling away to myself.

For anyone who doesn’t use TikTok, I’m fully aware that it sounds like a bad habit. But when I think about all the product discoveries, the skincare hacks and the hair tips that I’ve learnt, it’s actually anything but – and really, it just makes me realise how powerful the world of social media can be.

There’s everything from easy smoky eye hacks to deep dives into the benefits of lip oils (one of TikTok’s core obsessions) and indulgent shower routines that include multiple products, various layering techniques and a lot of free time. 

My latest obsession and TikTok discovery? Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High mascara, £9.99, which thanks to its viral status, had its original launch date brought forward a few months. In fact, it’s been so popular that it’s constantly in and out of stock across all retailers, which is seriously impressive when it hasn’t been advertised yet.

But is it really as good as the internet is making me believe? I got my hands on a rare sample so I could give it a run for its money – and honestly? I fully believe the hype. 

I don’t need to add loads of length so I often choose volumising products instead. I also don’t always like how separated lengthening mascaras can make my lashes look, and the videos I’d seen of Maybelline’s Sky High in action show it to be a seriously lengthening formula, so I did have my doubts at first. I applied the first layer and wasn’t immediately impressed – I naively assumed the impressive length would happen instantly – but I soon learnt that it was a case of having to build layers.

Now, layering mascara isn’t always my favourite thing to have to do. Mostly because they’re more likely to clump but, actually, Sky High didn’t make my lashes stick together. The flexible, conical wand easily glided through from root to tip, somehow extending my lashes and making them appear longer than they naturally are. I swear it’s like witchcraft, but actually, it’s because the formula is infused with fibres. 

I added another layer and still no clumping; instead, just seriously lengthened lashes that would genuinely give even the best false lashes a run for their money. Still cynical, I wanted to see how it would last throughout the day.

It doesn’t have any waterproof claims so I assumed it would at least flake or smudge, but it didn’t – not even when I made a curry in a hot, steamy kitchen. It wasn’t hard to wash off at the end of the day either. I just massaged a cleansing balm onto my lashes and used a flannel as I always do and it came off much more easily than I had imagined it would. I am genuinely impressed, and at under a tenner, I think it’s one that everyone should try. Just make sure you get your hands on it before it sells out again.  

Images: Maybelline / Lucy Partington