Mascara is mascara? Right? Well, not so much. There are good, bad and great mascaras. And while there are some makeup items that you should pretty much always splurge on (foundation, concealer…) Mascara is not one of them! Many of the best mascaras out there are found for under $10 at your local drugstore.
I asked some of my favorite makeup obsessed beauty blogging friends about their favorite mascaras, and their answers were amazing! Here are 13 drugstore mascaras that you should try out if you haven’t already! Note that if the bloggers have posted about the mascara, I’ve linked to their post as well!
1. CoverGirl Super Sizer
Buy it from ULTA, Amazon or Target
“This new mascara has a unique brush that fans out toward the end. It grasps my lashes and coats them producing long luscious lashes. People actually ask me what mascara I’m wearing when I use this one.”
– Stacie from Makeup Obsessed Mom
“CoverGirl The Super Sizer is truly phenomenal. This mascara gives an almost false lash appearance and it’s easy to remove.”
– Sheila from The Painted Ladies
“The innovative wand coupled with the formula effortlessly gives my lashes length and volume. My lashes look natural and beautiful whenever I use CoverGirl Super Sizer Mascara.”
– Helen from Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog
The Super Sizer was also mentioned by Christina from The Makeup Blogger as a favorite!
2. Maybelline Full & Soft Mascara
Buy it from ULTA or Amazon
“Maybelline Full & Soft Thick & Healthy Waterproof Mascara – never have I ever thought in life that I’d ever love a waterproof mascara. This does all the things I love and actually IS waterproof.”
(Check out Brooke’s favorite waterproof makeup including this mascara!)
– Brooke from Blushing Noir
“Maybelline Full & Soft Mascara gives nice definition, length, and ‘clean volume’.”
– Mai from Portrait of Mai
3. L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara
Buy it from ULTA, Amazon or Target
“What works for my misbehaving lashes is the L’Oreal Butterfly mascara. I don’t even need the waterproof one. This lengthens my lashes and keeps my lashes curled throughout the day.”
Kat from Kat Stays Polished
“The brush is awesome at creating lift and separation in the outer lashes.”
– Nidia from Lit From Within
“I love this mascara for clump free lashes with the perfect amount of length and volume for everyday.”
– Christa from Perilously Pale
4. CoverGirl Flamed Out Mascara
Buy it from ULTA, Amazon or Target
“CoverGirl Flamed Out elongates lashes and keeps them looking feather light. Perfect for day!”
– Brooke from Blushing Noir
5. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume
Buy it at Amazon, ULTA or Target
“Incredible volume that looks natural, for a reasonable price! I’ve been reaching for CoverGirl LashBlast Volume for years.”
– Raging Rouge
“For mega-watt lashes, I love CoverGirl LashBlast Volume mascara for adding instant fullness, length, and color intensity.”
– Christina-Lauren from Inspirations & Celebrations
“This mascara does it all, volume, length and good definition.”
– Carleen from Beauty and Fashion Tech
6. Covergirl Exact Eyelights Mascara
Buy it from Walgreens, or Amazon
“This mascara is affordable, and I love the brush because it always applies clean”
1Claudia from I Like to Talk Alot
7. Maybelline Great Lash
Buy it from Amazon, ULTA or Target
“Pink tube, green lid. It’s an oldie but a goodie. It’s absolutely the holy grail of all the mascaras.”
– Angela Peters from Hairspray and Highheels
Great Lash is also a favorite of Nicki from FutureDerm
8. L’Oreal Telescopic
Original at Amazon
Shocking Extensions at Amazon
There are a few different variations of Telescopic mascara, and two of them were mentioned by the bloggers!
“L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extension Mascara (Waterproof)- This is seriously one of the best waterproof mascaras out there. It holds a curl like no other, lengths the lashes and does clump or flake like other waterproof mascara.”
– Jamie from Makeup Life and Love
“L’Oreal Telescopic, this is my favorite for length and definition. It really does give telescopic lashes.”
– Carleen from Beauty and Fashion Tech
Heather from CrazyBeautifulMakeup.com and Tiki from Grow It Girl mentioned the original formula as well.
9. CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom
Buy it from ULTA, Amazon, or Target
“I’m obsessed with CoverGirl mascaras. I always use them in my rotation and go back and forth between Full Lash Bloom (my current fave), Clump Crusher and the Super Sizer.”
– Teri from Beautiful Makeup Search
“I discovered Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara as a great dupe for the acclaimed Benefit Roller Lash. You get the same lifting, separating, and lengthening at a fraction of the cost. The wand is so much better, too. The comb bristles are strategically placed to catch every lash and avoid clumping.”
– Miranda from Slashed Beauty
“Cover Girl Full Lash Bloom in Waterproof holds a curl like no other! Plus, good length but not tons of volume. A great everyday mascara.”
– Bailey from I Know All The Words
10. L’Oreal Voluminous
Original at Amazon, Target or ULTA
Curved Brush at Amazon or ULTA
Carbon Black at Amazon or ULTA
Like Telescopic, L’Oreal has put out a few versions of Voluminous Mascara. They all received love from my beauty blogging friends!
“L’Oreal Voluminous Curved Brush Mascara is serious must have in my beauty arsenal. It has serious staying power and is a perfect dupe for Armani Eyes to Kill. No wonder it is a makeup artist staple.”
– Jamie from Makeup Life and Love
“L’Oreal Voluminous gives amazing volume and thickness, and it’s a great dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara!”
– Julie from Collective Beauty
“L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black gives me intense volume and a deep black color to add drama.”
– Mai from Portrait of Mai
Heather from CrazyBeautifulMakeup.com loves the original formula, and Nikki from Confessions of a Makeup Addict is a big fan of the Carbon Black formulation as well!
11. Maybelline The Colossal Volum’Express
Buy it at Amazon, ULTA or Target
“Adds volume and length, without flaking or smudging!”
– Julie from Collective Beauty
“The Colossal has big, clump-free volume! The only mascara I’ve bought backups of, so far.”
– Nidia from Lit From Within
12. Eddie Funkhouser Quattro Variable Lash Mascara
Buy it Amazon
“Eddie Funkhouser Quatro Mascara has something for everyone. Depending on how you twist the brush you can go from everyday lashes to extreme volume in a minute without adding extra coats. On top of that it holds curl and never flakes or fades.”
– Marcia from Beauty Info Zone
“Eddie Funkhouser Quattro Variable Mascara is a tubing mascara that makes your lashes look enormous! This has a very uniquely designed wand that allows you to customize your results. It’s award winning for a reason!”
– Sheila Arkee from Painted Ladies
13. CoverGirl Clump Crusher
Buy it at Amazon, ULTA, or Target
“CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara, the brush was a game-changer! No matter how many coats you apply, it doesn’t clump.”
– Nancy from Beauty411
Read more about mascara, mascara primers and lashes in my Mascara and Lashes Guide
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!