I Tried 5 Different Mascara Brands & Here’s the Verdict

Whether you’re a glamorous makeup enthusiast, or you’re totally confused when it comes to contouring and highlighting, one beauty product that has been in all of our makeup bags at some point is mascara. Mascara is the one item of makeup that can transform your face and give you a polished look with very little effort.

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Like many others, the first beauty product I ever owned was a tube of clear mascara from Covergirl. Over the years, my standards in mascara have gone up significantly as it is the one makeup item I never leave the house without applying. A good mascara has many qualities to be judged on; length, volume, durability, application, and flakiness are just a few. I put five mascaras, from drugstore brands to high-end brands, to the test, and here’s what I thought.

1. L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Volume Building: $7

I found this mascara to be interesting as it almost felt like two different mascaras at various points of the day. When you first apply it, it adds amazing volume and length to your lashes while giving it a dark black coating. Although it did flake onto my lash line while applying it, fixing that mishap was easy with a liquid liner. After applying two coats, I finished putting on the rest of my makeup when I noticed that it looked like I barely had any mascara on. I curled my lashes again and applied another couple coats before finally reaching my desired look.

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The name of the game is in its branding—“Volume Building.” You can build this mascara up to be however dramatic, or natural you want it to be. Touchups are a must throughout the day, but since this mascara doesn’t leave your lashes crunchy or flakey, touching up is very easy and doesn’t clump your lashes.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

2. Younique 3D Fiber Lashes: $16

This mascara has been all over Pinterest and Instagram with before and after picture showing an amazing lash transformation, so I thought I would see if the hype is real. This mascara comes with two separate tubes, a gel and a fiber. The gel is your traditional mascara, while the fiber is a tube of tiny, individual hair-like fibers. You apply this mascara by first putting on the gel evenly to your lashes, quickly putting on the fibers, and finishing it off with a coat of the gel to secure it.

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My main issue with this mascara is how fast you have to work with it, and how tedious the whole process is. After applying the gel, you have to immediately put on the fibers so the fibers can stick to the gel before it dries. The fibers do fall onto your face until you master this product, but the results are incomparable. Just one coat of Younique gives you dramatic lashes, so if you’re going after a more natural look, this wouldn’t be a product for you. You can alternate between the gel and fiber as many times as you want to build up your look to be as intense as you please.

Overall rating: 8/10

3. Covergirl Lash Exact Waterproof: $7

Going into using this product, I expected to be pleasantly surprised with a good tube of mascara because of Covergirl’s rebranding. Unfortunately, I struggled to find any positives with Lash Exact. One coat of this mascara is not nearly enough, as it didn’t even look like I had makeup on. The initial minimal length and volume does not last all day, however, the mascara itself does as it I found it to weigh my lashes down even in the evening.

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The brush of Lash Exact was very small, which I found helpful when reaching outer and inner lashes. Although this mascara didn’t clump my lashes, it made them stick together giving them a spidery effect rather than separating them. Lash Exact is extremely waterproof, almost so much so that it was difficult to remove with a makeup wipe. This mascara would be a perfect top coat to another one to ensure long lasting lashes.

Overall rating: 5.5/10

4. Too Faced Better Than Sex: $23

This mascara is the MVP. Everything about it from the packaging, to the brush, to the formula is such high quality. At just $23.00, you would think you are using a Tom Ford mascara, which retails at double the price.

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This mascara doesn’t clump in the slightest and separates your lashes giving them a feather-like look. Too Faced Better Than Sex lasts all day long—I even caught myself accidently rubbing my eye and it didn’t smudge! This mascara manages to give the most amazing length and volume while still looking natural. The formula of this mascara isn’t very watery, which helps with precision when applying. The formula also allows you to build it and apply coats throughout the day without looking clumpy. The only downside is that the product is not waterproof, which could be an issue when working out or walking to class in the rain.

Overall rating: 9.5/10 = THE WINNER

5. Wet n’ Wild Mega Protein: $2

I’ll admit, given the price of this mascara I was not expecting amazing results. I applied two coats, and by midday it looked like I had nothing on my eyes. This mascara gives a very subtle effect, which would be perfect for those who want a barely there, natural look. The pigmentation of the formula was decent, not too harsh or sparse. You can’t build this mascara up, as when I tried to do so, my lashes just stuck together looking very spidery. Although Mega Protein doesn’t flake or clump, it is very easy to smudge it and end up with raccoon eyes.

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All the negatives aside, I think this mascara would be perfect for bottom lashes. The brush is very small, which helps with control when applying. Another positive is the ingredients used. Mega Protein is enriched with soy and wheat proteins and infused with Acai Oil and D-Panthenol to help protect and strengthen your eyelashes.

Overall rating: 4.5/10