I’ve been running Emmie’s Beauty Life for six years now. And in that time, I have reviewed 77 mascaras from dozens of brands. It’s a search I’ll never tire of and I’ve since been given the nickname ‘The Mascara Queen’ over on Instagram. As a result, one of the most popular requests that I get is to do a Save, Spend, Splurge, Skip on my top mascara picks. So, that’s what we are doing today! All of the mascaras featured are ones that I have reviewed here. And for the sake of fairness, all of these are ones that I’ve either reviewed recently, or have continued to repurchase since the initial review. Let’s get into it!
*Em’s Note* All pricing featured is current as of September 2024.
SAVE (Budget up to $20.00)
Believe it or not, the Save category was the one I had the easiest time with. As I immediately knew which two mascaras I wanted to feature here. Firstly, the ELF LASH ‘N ROLL MASCARA – $18.00 (review here). A Best Of Beauty Award Winner last year. It gave the most gorgeous, long, wispy lashes. And the formula didn’t budge on me.
The other mascara I wanted to shout out here was the ESSENCE SENSITIVE BUT WOW MASCARA – $8.00* (review here). To this day, this is still the only Essence Mascara that I’ve ever liked. The volume is subtle, but wearable. And it gives excellent lift.
SPEND ($20.00 – $40.00)
Now this was the hardest category to fill by far. As most of my all time favourite mascaras fall into this price point. Having said that, I always buy them on sale whenever possible. So, let’s begin with the obvious. The MAYBELLINE FALSIES LASH LIFT – $25.99 (review here). Four years since I did the initial review, this is still my all time favourite mascara. It’s Maybelline’s best formulation. And the lift and curl it gives to my lashes is unmatched.
Another drugstore pick is the RIMMEL THRILL SEEKER MASCARA – $24.95 (review here). Despite it being a thicker formula, it feels weightless on the lashes. And the volume? Chef’s kiss. Finally for this category, I have to shout out the TOWER 28 MAKE WAVES MASCARA – $33.00 (review here). This is my favourite ‘high end’ mascara. And also my favourite tubing mascara. I get some serious length and definition with this one.
SPLURGE (Budget over $40.00)
I’ll start this category off by starting the obvious. You do not need to spend a ton of money on a good quality mascara. There are so many amazing affordable options out there. HOWEVER! If you are in the mood to treat yourself to something fancy, I have two picks that might be up your alley. Firstly, the BENEFIT FANFEST MASCARA – $49.00 (review here). In the same vein as Essence, this is the only Benefit mascara that I’ve ever liked. The formula is what does it for me. So light and non irritating for my eyes. And the lift I get lasts all day.
My other pick is the LANCOME MONSIEUR BIG MASCARA – $65.00 (review here). Now, this one does cop a little recency bias (it was literally the last mascara I reviewed). But the volume and definition I got from this mascara made the price tag *almost* worth it.
SKIP (No Budget)
I tell a lie. This is the category that I had the hardest time narrowing down. Because the list of shitty mascara’s that I’ve tried over the last six years is long and varied. Two honourable mentions I wanted to shout out were the COLOURPOP BFF MASCARA and the KOSAS BIG CLEAN MASCARA. Both were utterly dreadful. But both were ones that I first tried over five years ago (should I revisit them? Let me know!). The three I picked for this category were more recent reviews.
Firstly, the L’OREAL TELESCOPIC LIFT MASCARA – $32.99 (review here). Boy, was this mascara a moment in time? And it was so not worth the hype. So smudgy and the wand was a pain in the ass to use. -The MILK MAKEUP RISE MASCARA – $49.00 (review here) was another miss for me. It flaked and transferred all over my eyes. And my lashes were flatter than a crepe after a few hours of wear. Finally, the MAC MACSTACK MASCARA – $57.00 (review here). Bad wand and bad wear. A mess all round.
And that is a wrap on Mascara Talk! This post could easily be double the length because there are so many incredible mascara’s out there. Let me know what your must have mascara’s are down in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo