The 22 Best Drugstore Mascaras for Length, Lift, and Volume
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While it’s tempting to splurge on a fancy mascara, any makeup artist will tell you that a drugstore version will get the job done. Case in point: these 22 Cut-tested, expert-picked options that lengthen, lift, and thicken lashes, cost just a few dollars, and work for lashes of all types.
So, you’re looking for the best drugstore mascara?
➼ FAQs
➼ Our top picks
➼ More tried-and-true options
➼ Our experts
Our Top Picks
The Best Overall Drugstore Mascara
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
At one point this year, this Sky High Mascara from Maybelline was on everybody’s TikTok FYP. Its popularity has not dwindled since, and reviewers love how well it holds and lengthens without becoming clumpy.
The Most-Loved Mascara on Amazon (That Is Also Great for Asian Lashes)
essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara
It’s $5 and does it all — lengthen, separate, and volumize! The Reddit.com before-after pictures particularly inspire awe and immediate purchases. Reviewers claim that it’s particularly great for Asian lashes, which can sometimes be straight, sparse, and stubborn. It also has over 327,000 five-star Amazon reviews.
The Best Lengthening Mascara
L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Original Lengthening Mascara
Another #tiktokmademebuyit mascara. The mascara lengthens and separates lashes with its teeny brush, which helps you really separate at the root of your lashes.
The Beyoncé-Approved Mascara
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise
Sir John, Beyoncé’s longtime makeup artist, swears by this mascara. The singer allegedly wore this during her Coachella set in the desert, with nary a drip. But regular people love how this works on them too. Reviewers talk about how it performed miracles in 90-degree heat and frequently call it a dupe to Too Faced’s Better Than Sex.
The One That Separates the Lashes
Essence Lash Without Limits Extreme Lengthening & Volume Mascara
Formulating a really good makeup product that costs only $5 is no small feat, but Essence makes it look easy. The brand’s Lash Without Limits mascara is one of my new favorites because it has a flexible elastomer wand and short bristles that ensure a precise, mess-free application. And unlike most volumizing mascaras that tend to be wet and clumpy, this one also fans out the lashes really well.
More Tried-and-True Options
The Softest Drugstore Mascara
Maybelline New York Full n’ Soft Washable Mascara
If you’re already blessed with pretty good lashes, but just want a little bit more of everything, you’ll like this one. This is another favorite Amazon-reviewed mascara that people praise for ticking all of the “good mascara” checkboxes — length, volume, and definition, while still feeling soft and non-crunchy.
The One for Sensitive Eyes
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara
Smudgeproof mascaras that stay put throughout the day are often impossible to remove at the end of the night, causing redness and irritation for people with sensitive eyes. This one, however, offers the best of both worlds: It’s smudgeproof and waterproof yet easy to take off. The formula features texturizing waxes that help define and separate each lash for clump-free volume and length.
The Best Drugstore Mascara for Fluttery Lashes
ColorPop Level Up Lengthening Mascara
The wand on this ColourPop mascara features a precision tip and tapered brush for maximum length and separation. The buildable formula helps lift the lashes for a fluttery look, plus it’s vegan and cruelty-free.
The Best Drugstore Tubing Mascara
Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara
Another great option from Essence, Bye Bye Panda Eyes is a tubing mascara that wraps each individual lash in water-resistant, lightweight tubes that won’t smudge, flake, or fade throughout the day. When it comes time to remove your makeup, simply apply warm water and a bit of pressure to your eyes and the “tubes” will slide right off.
The Most Nourishing Drugstore Mascara
Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Blowout Mascara
Formulated with essential fatty acids and pro vitamins like keratin, monoi butter, murumuru butter, and cupuaçu butter, this $10 mascara will soften and condition your lashes while you wear it. The round-bristle brush coats each lash from root to tip to create both volume and length.
The Best Washable Mascara
Maybelline Makeup Lash Sensational Mascara
People praise this mascara for its true “fanned” out effect, but also because it is incredibly easy to remove, with just one swipe of some makeup remover (which is not the case with all mascara). Reviewers also call it a great dupe for Lancôme Hypnose mascara.
The Best Brown Mascara
Covergirl Lash Blast Cleantopia Mascara
Brown mascara is ideal for minimal-makeup days and accentuating light eyes; we love this vegan option from Covergirl that’s infused with clean and sensitive-skin-friendly ingredients like aloe-leaf extract, ceramides, and maracuja oil. The hourglass-shaped wand will provide volume and length from root to tip without ever irritating the eyes.
The Best Smudgeproof One
Maybelline New York Snapscara Washable Mascara
If every mascara you’ve ever tried has smudged — drugstore or luxury alike — then this is for you. It’s a wax-free formula that won’t break down over time to give you raccoon eyes and removes easily with water. Plus, it delivers smooth, elongated lashes that hold curl and lift.
The Most Natural-Looking Mascara
Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara
If you prefer a more natural look or have sensitive lashes, this is the mascara for you. This mascara nourishes your lashes with every swoop thanks to its ingredients like vitamin E and olive oil.
The Best Dramatic Drugstore Mascara
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Worth The Hype Mascara
If you admire an intense, Kardashian-like lash look, try this one. It’s praised for making your lashes look much darker, longer, and fuller, but still separated and curled. Reviewer Jessica Prince Erlich says, “I applied several coats that went on smoothly with zero clumps. I liked the tapered brush, and the formula didn’t get all glopped and cakey on it. The results are definitely dramatic — something I’d pair with a smoky eye for a night out.”
The Classic Waterproof Mascara
L’ORÉAL Voluminous Volume Building Waterproof Mascara
If you want an all-around great, waterproof mascara, try this one that even resists actress tears. This is the mascara worn on the tear-jerker show This Is Us. Zoe Hay, the show’s makeup department head, tells us, “This is my go-to mascara on the show for all my leading ladies, because we know at some point throughout the day we will inevitably be shooting an emotional scene. I really like the texture of the product and the way it moves across the lashes, separates them, and coats them without making them clumpy.”
The Best-Smelling Mascara
MAYBELLINE Total Temptation Mascara
Prince Erlich loved this mascara, which also has a subtle coconut smell from the coconut oil in the formula. “I have zero complaints about Maybelline’s Total Temptation mascara. My lashes were darker and volumized with an overall plush fullness that allowed me to skip wearing any other eye makeup. Basically, this was enough to give me an eye-opening, rested appearance sans liner or shadow. The formula contains coconut oil, which is perhaps why I was able to go back in for touch-ups later in the day when I wanted to build onto my look. It never got clumpy, flaky, or smudgy. An all-around winner.”
The Sweatproof Drugstore Mascara
MAYBELLINE Volum’ Express The Colossal Mascara
This mascara is loved by sweaty spin-class instructor Emma Lovewell of Peloton. She says, “As a fitness professional and former professional dancer, I’ve been using this mascara for years, and love it! I’ve tried all the fancy brands, and I keep coming back to this one. It’s definitely very waterproof, as I use it when I teach class, and it never runs.”
The Japanese Drugstore Mascara That’s Very, Very Black
Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara
Technically, this mascara is a Japanese drugstore staple, but you can buy it on Amazon too. Japanese beauty products, particularly mascaras, are lauded for their high quality and value. This particular mascara is praised for being incredibly pigmented, dark, smudgeproof, non-clumpy, lengthening, and so durable that it’s actually impossible to take off without eye-makeup remover. Makeup artists and regular people alike love it.
The One That’s Good For Your Lashes
Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara
Rimmel knew what it was doing when it made and named this mascara. Besides the accelerated results, the formula has procapil, which with continued use creates longer and lusher lashes over time. For Sarmiento, this mascara is super-clean and defining, and he “loves that it has good separation and a hint of volume that leaves lashes looking super-polished.”
The Mascara That Comes in Different Shades of Black
Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara
One of the newer releases from Maybelline is the lengthening and volumizing Surreal Extensions mascara. It’s clump, smudge, flake, and smear resistant, which are all reasons why Jaikaran loves it. “I often gift clients the mascara I use on them and it gives me such a peace of mind that they won’t have smudges after I’ve left,” she says. “Also, there aren’t many brands doing variations of black. This one carries very black, blackest black, and brownish black.”
The Drugstore Mascara That Holds A Curl
Essence Lash Princess Curl & Volume Mascara
You spend forever lifting your lashes with curlers so use a mascara that actually keeps them in place. This newer version of the cult favorite is just as good as the original but will add some curl and volume to your lashes without clumping, flaking, or smudging.
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