I am so excited to be sharing this post with you guys! Back in the fall I asked for feedback on my instagram on some ideas I had for upcoming blog posts and by far the one that people most wanted to see was a review of the best & worst drug store mascaras.
I immediately picked up 9 of the most popular drug store mascaras and started trying them out. It took me a couple of months to complete this review because I didn’t want to open all 9 mascaras at once! What I did to decide on the best and worst drug store mascaras was give each a rating 1 – 5 based on the formula, the application, the longevity of the mascara, etc.
For each of the 9 contenders for the ‘best and worst drug store mascaras’ I took before and after photos of my eyelashes so you can actually get a sense of what each mascara actually looks like. Let’s get to it!
This was my least favorite in my ‘best and worst drug store mascaras review’. The formula is too thick and clumpy & the applicator doesn’t help minimize the clumping. As you can see in the picture my lashes are quite clumped together.
I also found this one to flake a lot by the end of the day.
The Burts Bees formula does feel soft & nourishing, but considering it’s natural & touted as being nourishing, the texture doesn’t feel as good as some of the others. I also was not a fan of the results – this one made my lashes the least long of any of the 9 mascaras .
That said, it apparently has nourishing benefits with consistent use so this may be a good one for everyday where you don’t need super long lashes anyway to help your lashes be healthier & wow” more when you do wear other mascaras.
Not the best for length, but I really liked the formula- not flakey or clumpy at all. Good everyday mascara, and it removes easily with just a little makeup remover. I also really liked the applicator on this one – it allows your mascara to go on free of clumps and you don’t feel like a lot of the product itself is being wasted.
I love the wand on the Annabelle edge mascara – it’s probably my favorite of them all. It really goes on evenly and keeps your lashes from being clumpy. The mascara is nice and lengthening, but it doesn’t give as much volume as I like.
I loved the formula of this. It feels so nourishing as you’re applying it; and it’s not drying at all. It also lasted a full 12 hour day without becoming drying at all, which is rare. I love the length this one gives.
Again, I love the wand on this mascara. The ability to angle the brush makes it easier to get little lashes in the inner corners without clumping or getting makeup on your face. It does clump a bit when doing a second layer but I guess that’s to be expected.
The formula of the L’Oreal Unlimited is one of my favorites because it isn’t drying and lasts all day. I love that you get length & volume!
This mascara was soooo lengthening – and even manages to get the small corner eyelashes with a solid coat of mascara. I didn’t find this one too clumping but I did find it a bit flakey throughout the day. I’ve been wearing this one a lot over the past month despite that because I really think this has an excellent balance of volume and length.
This one is my go to mascara. It’s obviously the most unique of all of this best and worst drug store mascaras review since it has a white primer as part. The primer lengthens my lashes so so much.
As far as the formula of the actual black mascara, it’s not drying and not flakey, but you will either love or hate it. It is a ‘tube’ formula meaning that instead of removing like a typical mascara you soak your eyelashes a bit while you’re washing your face and then gently pull at your eyelashes and this mascara comes off in tubes.
This one was the real dark horse in my opinion. I had no expectations for it, and it was amazing! I think this one made my lashes the longest of any of the mascaras, and it wasn’t clumpy at all. I would have liked more fullness in addition to the length, but still the length + the non-drying/non-flaking formula definitely makes this one a 5/5. And it’s one of the cheapest, coming in at under $10!
Done and done! I hope you liked my review of the best and worst drug store mascaras. If you have any questions just let me know in the comments and I will do my best to answer! 🙂
What a killer review! You do such a good job of explaining the pros and cons of each! My favorite is Monsieur big, just because I love that clumpy look! L’oreal lash paradise is also a favorite of mine. You have such long and pretty natural lashes, that I love the look of them all on you!
–Roxanne
https://glassofglam.com
Aw thank you so much Roxanne!!
Such an amazing post and your lashes look great
Aw thank you Avani!!
This such an amazing post! It shows there are really are some amazing drugstore mascaras and that you don’t need to go high end.
Exactly!! <3
in what world is a 25 dollar mascara a “drug store” mascara on par with loreal or rimmel? i would definitely consider the lancome a high end choice. i was really interested in this review, but was immediately turned off by that to be honest. as an aside, i use a lash comb and i think that helps get the most out of a mascara. i appreciated you doing the side by sides, as well.
b
Thanks for sharing your opinion, and I can see why it could be frustrating in that it is expensive; but as far as “in what world” is this a drug store mascara – all of these are from our local drug store chain here in BC called “London Drugs”. So I picked some of the biggest ones from there for this review.
Great post! One of my favorites is The Lash Paradise from LOreal which is a dope from the “Better Than Sex” mascara. It’s really good. My absolute worse one was a Wet’nWild mascara that I bought for an “emergency”. It was terrible! I had mascara all over the place.
Xo
Candace
http://www.thebeautybeau.com
Thank you!! And ooo i had no idea it was a dupe for that, so interesting! And haha oh no that sounds terrible!!
This is such a great post and so helpful! Definitely going to check out the ones for lengthening!
Kileen
cute & little
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
I love this lash review! So helpful and great! I was hoping to see L’Oreal’s Voluminous mascara. It is my favorite that I keep coming back too. Your lashes are so long and gorgeous!
Ooo thanks for sharing – I’ll have to check it out. Im such a fan of the LOreal unlimited; I think in general they do a really good job as a brand of creating quality mascaras at an affordable price.
Totally going to snag the clairins one!
Hope you love it!!
I love the before and afters of each mascara. It really helps see how well they work. 🙂
Xx, Nailil
thirtyminusone.com
Thanks!! I really wanted to come up with a post that actually helped women see the differences in the mascaras, not just read about them!
Primer makes all the difference to me! Can make a $7 mascara look like a designer one! Amazing review!!
Thank you so much! (and I totally agree about primer- thats why I love the LOreal double extend!)
This is SO awesome! Love the breakdown – going to check some of your recs out!
Thank you so much Laura! Glad you liked it!
Are those your natural lashes?
They are, yep!
They’re naturally pretty long, but very very sparse- so I go for mascara that really helps thicken them up to look fuller.