All About Mascara: My Favourites...and The Not So Great Ones

I have been on the hunt for a good mascara lately.  Mascara is something that I rarely spend a lot of money on simply because I replace it so often (usually at the first sign of any flakiness or dryness).  I have tried everything from Maybelline Great Lash to Dior Show Mascara, and I find that the drugstore brands work just as well as any high-end luxury brand.  This is just my opinion on what works for me.  I'm going to share with you all a small selection of mascaras that I have found to have worked for me in the past. I judge this based on whether or not I have repurchased the mascara on more than one occassion. Some of these I have only used once, but judging on how well they are working for me now, I am planning on replacing them once its time to do so.  I know your opinions and preferences may vary from mine, but if you're looking for a new mascara you might want to give one of these a try.

Some of my favourites:

Cover Girl Lash Blast 24-Hour:
This mascara is by far the best drugstore mascara I have ever tried. It volumizes, separates, actually holds the curl of my lash, and it does not flake. The ONLY drawback to this mascara is that it is difficult to remove. The label does not indicate that it is a waterproof mascara, but rest assured it definitely is. I don't recommend waterproof for every day use because it does take a toll on your lashes. If you're in the market for a new waterproof mascara, then this one is worth a try.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

Cover Girl Lash Blast 24-Hour Mascara wand

 Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume:
This product was launched a few years ago and has been one of my all-time favourites - until recently.  It promises to build volume, separate, and multiply the look of your lashes and I have to say it does do all those things.  The only drawback for this mascara is that it flakes.  I cannot tell you how many times I've noticed little flecks of mascara on my cheeks and under my eyes when I've worn this mascara.  Flaking aside, I definitely would still wear this mascara because it does do a great job. 

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Mascara wand

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes:
There have been many variations of L'Oreal Voluminous mascara over the years and I always seem to get suckered into trying them out. The latest formula by L'Oreal is the Volminous False Fiber Lash mascara. For an everyday mascara for those of you want full lash look, you can't go wrong with this mascara. It thickens, lengthens, and slightly separates the lashes, but it does not hold the curl very well and towards the end of the day I have experienced a little bit of flaking. All in all, it's a good mascara and it's easy to find at most drugstores. 

Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lash Mascara wand

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max:
This product was a recent find for me when I was looking to replace my tube of Lash Blast 24-Hour mascara.  I did some research prior to purchasing this mascara because I was tired of being disappointed in every mascara I tried. After reading some great reviews online, I decided to give this a try. I have to say I have been very happy with this product. It has a nice big brush, but it's not so big that I can't manoeuvre the wand. I usually apply two coats and the end result is a full, volumized look with very little clumping and flaking. This is a great mascara for an evening look, but you can definitely wear it during the day. It's my favourite mascara at the moment.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Mascara

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Mascara wand

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara:
This is a brand new mascara by MAC Cosmetics. I have tried quite a few MAC mascaras and have been consistently disappointed in the quality of each one that I tried...until now. This mascara is pretty awesome! The brush is quite thin and long and when you apply it to your lashes, it feels like it is almost gripping each lash and lengthening each one. I usually find the consistency of MAC mascaras to be really wet and runny and I end up with more mascara on my eye lids than on my lashes, but this mascara does not seem runny at all. This is perfect for a day look because it's not too heavy but you can still tell you have something on your lashes. This would be a great product to apply over a volumizing mascara (like the Bourjois) to help separate and define the lashes if you need it. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite mascaras as well.

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara wand

Now for the not so great mascaras:

Maybelline Great Lash:
I have never understood the hype about this mascara! I tried it once back in high school and I have never wanted to try it again. I applied three coats of this mascara and it did absolutely nothing for my lashes. I know there are people out there that swear by this product so I'm not going to knock it too much, but I will just say that there are definitely better mascaras out there that you can try.
 

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara:
This mascara started out okay but after a couple of weeks of using it, I had to stop because it really did nothing for my lashes. It did not lengthen, separate, curl, or thicken at all. My lashes looked like one big clump every time I wore this product. The formula reminded me of some MAC mascaras - it was really watery and I ended up getting the product all over my lids. 

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara wand

As you can see I always go for a volumizing, thickening type of mascara. I have tried mascaras solely for lengthening or curling, but I always end up missing the voluminous look. Is it too much to ask for a mascara that lengthens, separates, curls, volumizes, and doesn't flake? :) I know my expectations are a bit high so I'll always be on the lookout for the next best thing to make my lashes look outta this world amazing.  If I find it, I'll be sure to let all of you know, but in the meantime, these mascaras are definitely worth checking out! 

x
Annemarie