Say goodbye to panda eyes! FEMAIL puts high-end and budget waterproof mascara to the swimming test to see which products will last all summer - with surprising results

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What do you think makes for a good mascara? This is the question I asked myself when approaching this mascara test. 

With just a lick of mascara we can transform our look into a much more awake appearance. 

Mascaras can be clumpy, messy, claggy, flaky, too wet, too dry, plastic brush, curved brush, bristle brush. The list is endless. 

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Mascara transforms our look, but when it runs means dreaded panda eye. Model Megan Taylor, a mascara devotee, above put products available on the British high street through their paces

The mascara world is a minefield of choices and our list of requirements for brands to achieve is getting longer with each day. I am sure you would agree that mascara that does not run down our face with the slightest gust of wind is rather imperative to us girlies. 

None of us wants big black dripping panda eyes before we even get off the bus on our way to work. 

Whether you are going for a swim, getting married or heading to the gym, with everything going on in our lives we definitely do not want to have to worry about something as trivial as mascara running down our face. 

With wedding, holiday and hay fever season just around the corner finding the perfect waterproof mascara may well be on your mind. 

With wedding and hay fever season just around the corner finding the perfect waterproof mascara may well be on your mind and none of us want big black dripping panda eyes

Megan Taylor tested ten waterproof mascaras ranging from £1.99 to £45 and worked out if we really need to spend up to £45 for panda free eyes

I have tested ten waterproof mascaras ranging from £1.99 to £45 and worked out if we really need to spend up to £45 for panda-free eyes. 

I have always been a fan of waterproof mascara, with the only downside being that it is sometimes difficult to wash off at the end of the day. 

To test each mascaras waterproof ability I took them in the deep end and went swimming at Virgin Active's High Street Kensington branch. 

I am naturally quite dark under my eyes so the result of the less waterproof mascaras often meant that I looked like a girl who has just walked into a door and got a black eye.

Natural Collection Water Guard £1.99 - 3/5

Natural Collection Water Guard costing £1.99 lengthened and separated Megan's lashes naturally, above

However the product got a three out of five for waterproof ability giving Megan slight panda eyes

Waterproof ability: 3/5 Slight panda eyes. 

Application & Brush Quality: Lengthened and separated my lashes naturally. 

Make Up Remover Test: 5/5 This mascara lays on your lashes very thinly so it didn't feel as if there was much to remove, therefore it came off very easily.

MUA Eye Define £4 - 1/5

MUA Eye Define £4 Waterproof ability earned a 1/5 as black water ran down Megan's face quite a lot

The brush was very wobbly but after a bit of precision of application Megan loved the way her lashes looked

Waterproof ability: 1/5 Black water ran down my face quite a lot. 

Application & Brush Quality: The brush was very wobbly but after a bit of precision of application I loved the way my lashes looked. 

Make Up Remover Test: 5/5 Very easy to remove.

Seventeen Waterproof Mascara £4.69 - 4/5

Seventeen Waterproof Mascara £4.69, above, got a 4/5 and only ran down Megan's face a small amount

Megan said the simple brush was easy to apply and gave her lashes a nice natural look

Waterproof ability: 4/5 Ran down my face a small amount. 

Application & Brush Quality: Simple brush which was easy to apply and gave my lashes a nice natural look. 

Make Up Remover Test: 5/5 Quick and easy to remove.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes £6.99 - 2/5

Rimmel Scandal Eyes £6.99 got a 2/5 as it smudged and ran down Megan's face with very little blinking

The very large brush meant that the application was a bit clumsy and Megan couldn't  get to the corner lashes

However the product got a 5/5 in the make-up remover test as it came off really easily

Waterproof ability: 2/5 It smudged and ran down my face with very little blinking. 

Application & Brush Quality: The very large brush meant that the application was a bit clumsy and I couldn't work my way into the corner lashes cleanly. 

Make Up Remover Test: 5/5 It came off really easily.

Maybelline Lash Sensational £7.99 - 5/5

Maybelline Lash Sensational £7.99 above was a winner and got 5/5 for waterproof ability as it 5/5 It didn't budge

Megan said the curved brush picks up a lot of mascara liquid making your lashes a bit too full of mascara

In the make up remover test the product got 4/5 as it came off well but left some crumbles of black mascara

Waterproof ability: 5/5 It didn't budge. 

Application & Brush Quality: The curved brush picks up a lot of mascara liquid making your lashes a bit too full of mascara. 

Make Up Remover Test: 4/5 It came off well but left some crumbles of black mascara.

Ciate Lash Locked £18 - 4/5

Ciate Lash Locked £18 got 4/5 for its waterproof ability as it smudged a little with water

The brush had a wide end at the top and bottom. This shape meant it was difficult to apply without getting mascara on your eyelid

Waterproof ability: 4/5 It smudged a little with water.

Application & Brush Quality: The brush had a wide end at the top and bottom. This shape meant it was difficult to apply without getting mascara on your eyelid. The brushes bristles were lovely and created lovely long but natural lashes. 

Make Up Remover Test: 3/5 Although this mascara was easy to take off I did end up with a lot black mascara smudged around face.

Too Faced Waterproof Mascara £18 - 4/5

Too Faced Waterproof Mascara, costing £18, stayed put even after a little bit of rubbing at Megan's eyes

Megan said the brush is quite bushy but curves nicely around your lashes

Waterproof ability: 4/5 The mascara stayed put even after a little bit of rubbing at my eyes.

Application & Brush Quality: The brush is quite bushy but curves nicely around your lashes. 

Make Up Remover Test: 4/5 It didn't take too much make up remover to get the mascara off but took a bit of rubbing.

Bobbi Brown No Smudge £20 - 5/5

Bobbi Brown No Smudge £20 got 5/5 for waterproof ability, only a bit of mascara dropped from Megan's eyes

Megan said the mascara had easy application with a basic but lovely brush

Waterproof ability: 5/5 Only the tiniest bit of mascara dropped from my eyes.

Application & Brush Quality: Easy application with a basic but lovely brush. 

Make Up Remover Test: 2/5 I found it very tough to get rid of all the mascara and had a black eye even after two cotton wool pads worth of make up remover. This wouldn't stop me using it again though as the mascara looked gorgeous on. Maybe I should buy a better make up remover.

Lancôme Hypnose Doll Eyes Waterproof £23.50 - 5/5

Lancôme Waterproof £23.50 scored a 5/5 for waterproof ability as it didn't budge at all

Megan said the triangular brush makes for a nice application but the left eye was trickier to use it on

Waterproof ability: 5/5 It didn't budge at all. 

Application & Brush Quality: triangular brush makes for a nice application with my right hand but the left eye was trickier to use the mascara on. 

Make Up Remover Test: 2/5 I used more make up remover on this mascara than I did on most of the other mascaras.

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Eyes Mascara £28 5/5

Dolce and Gabbana Passion Eyes Mascara £28 scored a 5/5 for waterproof ability as there were no black watery droplets but a tiny bit of the mascara crumbled under her eyes

There was a lovely clean application with a delicate curved brush and the bristles were surprisingly short

Waterproof ability: 5/5 No black watery droplets but a tiny bit of the mascara crumbled under my eyes. 

Application & Brush Quality: Lovely clean application with a delicate curved brush. The bristles were surprisingly short. 

Make Up Remover Test: 4/5 It took a bit of rubbing to take the make up off.

Chantecaille Water Resistant £45 4/5

Chantecaille Water Resistant £45 was the most expensive of the bunch. It scored 4/5 and Megan said: 'When I was in the water the mascara didn't budge at all but once I was out (...) I did get a slightly black under eye'

She said there was an easy application with a peculiar shaped brush that worked its way through the lashes

Waterproof ability: 4/5 When I was in the water the mascara didn't budge at all but once I was out and blinked a few times, I did get a slightly black under eye. 

Application & Brush Quality: Easy application with a peculiar shaped brush that worked its way through the lashes wonderfully and created lovely looking lashes. 

Make Up Remover Test: 3/5 It took a bit more make up remover than the others to make it budge. 

It seems that the more expensive the make up does not necessarily mean that it will do the job better

It seems that the more expensive the make up does not necessarily mean that it will do the job better. Unfortunately the mascaras that were better at being waterproof tended to be harder to remove and often resulted in a red raw eye with all the scrubbing. 

All of the mascaras I tested were lovely in their own way but not all were much good at being waterproof. Maybelline, D&G and Lancôme were the winners for me in their ability to be completely waterproof. Maybelline Lash Sensation was definitely the best because it was not a struggle to take off and was also affordable. 

Considering price does not seem to represent quality and we are often told to change our mascara every four to six months I think I may stick to buying high street brands.

Megan Taylor is a model and a blogger. To watch an indepth review of the mascara test, see here.