Cover Girl's new LashBlast Mascara promises "a blast of lush, volumized lashes! LashBlast's patented volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max-out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big lash look."

So does LashBlast live up to its claims? We tried the non-waterproof formula in Black, purchased at Target for $7, and here's what we found...

Packaging: 1 out of 5
While the bright, mod orange hue is different and fun, the tube is waaaay too big, clunky and unwieldy. The shape tries to be futuristic but ends up looking cheap.

Performance: 3 out of 5
On the plus side, LashBlast delivers a nice, rich black formula that glides on smooth and adds some volume, but not much. Certainly not as much as they claim (although we gave up on that fantasy long ago).

Lashes stay surprisingly flexible even after 2 coats. So far, we haven't experienced any flaking, smudging or discomfort even after sleeping with this stuff on (yeah, we know that's a big no-no but it was for the sake of science...or something!)

On the negative side, the rubber-bristled wand is too large to effectively reach those inner lashes, or get close to the base of the lashes. Not good. There was also no remarkable lengthening of the lashes.

Scent: Has an unpleasant chemical odor, however, this is not uncommon among mascaras so this attribute alone isn't a deal breaker.

The verdict: Because there was nothing extraordinary about LashBlast's performance, and the ugly packaging is such a turn-off, we're going to have to take a pass on this product. Besides, at $7 a tube, it ain't cheap enough.