Drugstore/Affordable Mascara Review!

Hello everyone! I thought I would do a review of my current mascara collection which really only includes drugstore mascara, which is a plus, because it's all affordable! Near the end of November I went on a huge mascara binge at the drugstore, and the lady was really taken aback. But I really wanted to broaden my mascara collection! I hope to start including higher end mascara's soon! I have two favourites which I grab everyday, both for slightly different reasons. What I look for in a mascara is it's eyelash curling potential, lengthening potential, and the ability to separate my lashes. I don't often look for volume because I feel as though whenever I have a volumizing mascara it makes my lashes look really clumpy, and adding two or three coats of a lengthening mascara usually does the trick for me! So, on to the good part! A review of my current mascara collection! This is gonna be a long one, so grab a cup of your favourite tea, sit down, and relax!

I thought I would include the jars I store my mascaras in, because if you're like me, you like finding cheap and cute ways to store your makeup. The first one is candle holder that I got at the Christmas sale in Chapters. The second is a cute jar with a handle I took from my boyfriend's grandmother's basement. I am going to be getting some ribbons, and possibly other crafty things to make them look even more cute!

I will be talking about the mascaras in three categories, which you can see above. The first category is "essentials". The next category, which I will actually be talking about last is "favourites". The last category is my "least favourites", which is probably my most 'controversial' (for lack of a better word) category, since there are at least two mascaras in that category that I see most beauty bloggers/vloggers loving, and I found they weren't as great as the hype would make them seem!
The first category I'll be talking about is my Essentials.

The first of my Essential mascaras is the Covergirl LashBlastLength. This is my go to mascara for everyday doesn't-look-like-I'm-wearing-mascara-but-I-actually-am days. If I'm having a lazy day at home, but still want to look a little bit better than a plain Jane, I'll dab on some of my Rimmel London Wake Me Up concealer onto my spots and under my eyes, then put on some of my Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder, some of my Annabelle blush, and a bit of this on my upper and lower lashes. It gives a very natural eyelash look, and adds a bit of length, without adding volume. This just makes me look a bit healthier while looking effortless and like I'm wearing nothing!

You can find it at Walmart for $8.47 here.

The next of my Essential mascaras is this guy right here. It's the Covergirl LashBlast 24HR mascara. Pardon my language, but this is known in my collection as my "whore" mascara. Basically, this mascara gives you big volume, big length, and overall amazing night-out lashes. And when they say 24HR they mean 24HR. This stuff stays put through anything, including waterproof mascara makeup remover. I generally don't wear it if I know I will need to look super classy the next day, because it'll always leave a little black residue left behind. It kind of gives your lashes a plastic type feel, as if your lashes had suddenly become false lashes, and they definitely look like that! It's an essential because of it's staying power, and because it's perfect for a not-so-classy night out!

You can find it at Walmart for $9.97 here.

Next, moving onto my least favourite mascaras.

I received this mascara, the Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous mascara, as a free sample for one of the Shoppers DrugMart beauty events, and was interested in trying it because of the name. Every girl loves a pair of stilettos, they elongate the legs and add a huge amount of sex appeal, so who wouldn't want that packaged as a mascara?! But I was unfortunately let down. Unfortunately it leaves my lashes a bit too clumpy for my liking, and isn't really the best formula in my opinion. The brush itself, with it's swirling comb looks neat, but doesn't seem to work at separating my lashes which is a big thing that I look for when I look for mascara.

If you're interested, you can purchase it at Amazon for $6.40 here.

This is the L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Power 24H mascara. The wand itself looks like it would work well for me, and although it's not the least favourite of mine, and it does add quite a bit of volume, it isn't my favourite either. It doesn't do a good job of curling my lashes, and is a bit clumpy, and perhaps too heavy for my lashes, and I'd rather not have to go through the extra step of combing through my lashes after applying mascara. It is a keeper though, mainly because it is another one of those 24HR wear mascaras that would be great for a night out, but doesn't last nearly as long as it's Covergirl twin that I mentioned above.

If it interests you, it is currently $9.96 at Walmart here.

Next is the L'Oreal Paris Lash Out Butterfly mascara. I was super excited to try this because of the wand. It looks like it would give the perfect shape to your eyelashes, but I was unfortunately disappointed. Perhaps I am applying it wrong, but it doesn't do much more for my eyelashes than any regular mascara does, and while it gives length, and it's not too clumpy, I feel as though I can find another mascara that does the same trick but for cheaper. If I'm going to be purchasing the more expensive mascaras, I want them to work magic over the cheaper ones!

If you're interested, get it at Walmart for $7.97 here.

This is the most controversial, I feel, of my least favourite mascaras. This is being talked about all over the blogosphere, and if you haven't heard about it yet, it is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express mascara. I actually bought this before all of the hype I was hearing, and had tried it long before everyone started praising it. I am personally not a huge fan. While it isn't the worst mascara, I find the bristles on the comb way too short to do my lashes any good, and the overall look just seems disappointing. On the other hand, I have seen Miss Glamorazzi apply it like in her most recent youtube video, and it looks wonderful on her. So I suppose it's possibly a hit or a miss when it comes to this mascara, and unfortunately it's a miss for me!

Purchase it at Walmart for $6.96 here if you want to give it a go.

Now onto my favourite mascaras! I've saved my two favourites for last! This is the most exciting of the bunch and I'm excited to share them with you!

I'm going to be completely honest and say I'm extremely guilty for 'choosing a book by it's cover' and this mascara fits perfectly into that category. I didn't even care what the brush looked like when I picked this up, because the packaging is what caught my eye, and who wouldn't want to carry around a pretty mascara in their handbag?! Luckily, the formula and wand of the Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious Volume & Length mascara is just as brilliant as the packaging! I normally stay away from volumizing mascaras, but this particular one is an in between... while it does add volume, it isn't too much volume that it becomes clumpy and it adds length as well! One coat, and you're good to go. Definitely pick this up if you have the chance, because not only will it add a little bit of 'pretty' in your life, but it'll make your lashes look wonderful!

It can be purchased at Walmart for $4.97 here.

Next is the Rimmel London Extra WOW Lash building mascara. It's designed so you can build up your lashes to your liking, be that super volumizing and thick, or just a natural one coat of mascara. This was a staple in my makeup bag for awhile, and used to be my absolute favourite. It works exactly as it says - you can build it up however you like. What I particularly like about it, is I find that with some mascaras, the more coats you add, the clumpier, less curled, your lashes get, and you get little 'whispies' at the end of your lashes, that make your lashes look a little odd. But with this mascara, I can add three coats, have super bangin' lashes, and the application still looks neat a tidy. I've definitely been super pleased with Rimmel London recently, what with their super low prices and good quality products, and this is no exception.

You can purchase it at Walmart for $4.48 here.

This is another Rimmel London product that I'm in love with, and it's the Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Retro Glam mascara. The only thing I can think about when I think of what this mascara does for the eyes is Twiggy. It really does give your lashes that retro, classic look, and I love the brush. It perfectly fans out your lashes, gives volume and length, and is a staple of mine. I'll insert a picture of Twiggy below in case you are unsure of who she is!

You can get it here at Walmart for $5.00.

Now onto my top two Holy Grail mascaras!!!

First is the Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Volum' Express. It includes a wand for application to both your upper and lower lashes. Your upper lashes end up looking super long, not at all clumpy, and absolutely perfect. I usually add about two coats, and the look is perfect for me. The lower lash wand is brilliant, and even if I use other mascaras, I often grab this for my lower lashes. The small wand allows for a light application of the product, and prevents you from accidentally rubbing the wand along the area under your eye, and having to redo your concealer! Honestly, I can't praise this mascara enough, the formula is genious, and the different brushes for the lower and upper lashes makes doing your mascara a whole lot easier. Definitely grab this or the original brush if you happen to pass by it in the drug store!

You can purchase it at Walmart for $8.96 here.

Last but not least is the Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express mascara. The wand again kind of reminds me of Twiggy, and makes your lashes super long, separated and has a good balance of volume where they aren't too thick, aren't clumpy, but you can definitely see definition! I hadn't really tried this one, once I had tried the Rocket Volum' Express, because I assumed they would be similar, but I'm so glad I tried it! I especially love the way it perfectly fans out your lashes, and I love wearing it on just the top lashes with some liquid liner for popping eyes! Definitely another one you should pick up if you happen to walk by it!

This one you can purchase for $5.94 at Walmart here.

And that's all! Phew! That was a long one. I hope you enjoyed it!

What are your opinions? Any you think you might try? Any recommendations on what I should try next?

xoxox

[Note: I have been having SO MANY problems with Blogger, and turns out there was a simple solution the whole time. Blogger DOES NOT work on Internet Explorer.... *sigh*]