Picture it: July 2011, Florida’s premium retirement village (name undisclosed). Reading my bevy of magazines poolside, I came across an article about Urban Decay’s new waterproof mascara, Cannonball. I’m not typically a fan of waterproof as I don’t enjoy the struggle between myself and my lashes to remove said product. Plus, waterproof mascaras always leave my lashes stiff and crunchy. Though, after reading this article in Elle, I wanted to give it a shot. Beauty Editor April Long, agrees to a rigorous (and to me, terrifying) course of activities put together by Urban Decay’s executive creative director, Wendy Zomnir. Here’s April’s recount:

So I hike. I kayak up a jungle river in the rain, surf in the pummeling waves of Hanalei Bay, and get wind-whipped, splashed, and bodily thrashed on a five-hour rafting trip along the magnificently ominous Na Pali coastline. I snorkeled, briefly, until I snort water upon seeing my first fish, and end up having to splutter back to shore. After each activity, I check my mirror: not a smudge.
Like any other self-respecting beauty nerd, this article gave me chills. I’m in. I really wanted to test this product during my stay in Florida. My test would not be as strenuous as April’s. If the mascara lasted while I did my afternoon float in the retirement pool, well, that’s good enough for me. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Unfortunately, the Sephora nearby didn’t receive their shipment when I stopped in. Test fail.

Nevertheless, upon my return to NYC, I picked up this gem. It’s a pretty, pretty good mascara. Priced at $20, it’s pricier than my fave Great Lash. Not only did my lashes look long and soft, they survived a full day of shopping in Bay Ridge in 90+ degrees. No smudge and J has a new fur coat. We all win. But I will warn you, the mascara is really hard to remove. Noxzema did not do the trick. It was more of a laborious process, requiring the help of Ponds Cold Cream and intense rubbing. I definitely sacrificed a few lashes to Urban Decay. But for those more active than I, it’s worth it.