9 best drugstore mascaras for longer lashes on a budget

CoverGirl’s lash blast supercloud mascara seriously impressed me. It felt lighter than air on my lashes yet made them look long and defined, delivering a your-lashes-but-much-much-better effect. Although the brush is twisted, it’s pretty flexible and helps the shorter bristles to pick up every hair.

I didn’t have any issues with smearing or clumping when applying (which is very rare when you use a mascara for the first time), and I could add up to three layers without my lashes feeling like stalagmites. Like Pacifica’s, this formula contains vegan collagen, which may be the secret to doe-like fluttery lashes.

For those who don’t know, collagen can encourage lash growth for extra thickness and length. Together with this formula’s vitamin B5 and amino acids, you can look to see longer and stronger lashes with repeat use – all for less than $15.

Maybelline’s lash sensational sky high mascara is the drugstore mascara I will always reach for by default. I’ve gone through tubes of the brown shade (I like softer definition most of the time, even though my lashes are black), and the blackest black shade packs a deeper punch without looking too intense. For those with green eyes, the burgundy shade will make your eyes pop, while the plum is a must for blue pupils.

It lasts all day, doesn’t transfer onto my lids during or post-application, and layers well on the topside of my lashes without clumping up. Removal was very easy and actually the quickest of the group — I used a cleansing foam and black Face Halo microfiber makeup cleansing pad.

I’d recommend Pacifica’s vegan collagen fluffy lash mascara for no-make-up make-up days or when you feel your lashes need some TLC, but you don’t want to take a break from mascara just yet. The definition felt almost too subtle to notice (fans of Glossier’s mascara will love this one), but it felt nourishing and plumping thanks to the vegan collagen and plant fibres, and it was really easy to remove.

I liked the feeling of having something cleaner on my lashes — the formula is free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, and talc. The glass tube, instead of plastic, made it feel more elevated than the others I tested.

My lashes are already quite long, but I always want them longer. If they touch my eyebrows when my eyes are wide open, it's automatic entry into the Hall of Fame. I’d somehow never tried L'Oreal Paris’s telescopic original mascara, one of the most classic mascaras of all time, until testing for this review. It’s been worn by the likes of Eva Longoria and Kendall Jenner – and I definitely can’t be without it now.

I did find the wand is a little long (I’d never apply this in a moving car), which made the application take a little longer. But it is excellent at grabbing every hair and extending it to unprecedented heights. The L'Oreal Paris telescopic original mascara delivers length like no other.

I really love a straight, thin, flexible comb applicator — and for this reason (and its outstanding price) I gave E.l.f.’s lash XTNDR mascara five stars.

Out of every mascara I tested, this one had the best synergy between formula and wand. It seemed to spread effortlessly across every lash in one swipe without clumping or bobbling on the lash tips.

The jojoba oil in the formula seemed to really come through, as my lashes felt soft and flexible, and removal was easy.

I remember first trying the Maybelline lash sensational when it launched several years ago and being excited about the spoon-style wand. You do have to wipe some of the formula off the wand to get fanned-out, fluffy lashes, but it does deliver once you’ve done this.

There was slight clumping that the wand didn’t quite comb through. Aside from that, it’s a solid choice and is most suited to a wide range of lash needs, and it washed off easily. Plus, with glycerin to hydrate, it aims to prevent the feeling of dry eyes as the day goes on.

This was my first time trying Essence’s viral $4.99 lash princess false lash effect mascara (a beautiful sight in this economy), and I instantly understood the hype. I barely had to swipe on one layer, and my lashes instantly looked like I had a set of lash extensions — the photos don’t do it justice at all. It is extremely black and the deepest shade out of all the ones I tested.

It made my lashes clump together in quite a cool spidery way, and I instantly noticed how much more dramatic they looked every time I looked in the mirror. It held up well during the day, but my lashes did start to feel a tad heavy towards the end. It seemed to really clump and anchor down on each lash, making it more difficult to remove than other formulas.

I found Revlon’s colorstay full time mascara to be the most buildable, closely followed by Pacifica’s vegan collagen fluffy lash mascara ($12.41, Amazon.com) and CoverGirl’s lash blast supercloud ($12.99, Cvs.com).

I could definitely tell the fomrula contained fibres, which helped build volume over two to three layers, but it did make the finish a tad too matte for my preference. The formula added a lot of volume to my lower lashes rather than drenching them to clump together, with tons of separation.

L’Oreal’s lash paradise pretty much does it all: lengthens, volumizes, feels like it would hold a curl, and adds lots of definition at the base for an illusion of eyeliner.

But above everything, it lasts extremely well — even surviving a flash rain shower despite not being waterproof. I built up to three layers without it clumping, and all those layers washed away easily, almost 16 hours later.