white top. denim. necklace. circle ring.
When it comes to beauty products I’m a big word-of-mouth kinda girl. I usually don’t try a new makeup or beauty product unless a friend or someone I trust recommends it first, which is why I thought it would be fun to share with you guys some of my beauty favorites, starting today with MASCARA! My goal with this post is to help you find the very best mascara out there for you! Let me know if this is something you guys would be interested in seeing more of.
Okay, so let’s talk mascara. I am a big believer in the mascara guys. I swear I don’t feel like I’ve finished getting ready for the day until I put on mascara, and if I’m in a pinch for time, I throw on a little cc cream, some mascara and lipgloss and I am good to go. I really think that aside from brows, mascara makes the biggest impact (and let’s face it, is the biggest help in making you look more awake). I also notice that my allergies don’t bother my eyes as much when I’m wearing it (no idea why) but I just call it a win, win.
Today I’m going to share my top three favorites with you, and why I love them. And I’ve got a fun bonus, I polled you guys over on facebook and instagram and I’m going to share all of YOUR favorites at the end of the post!
#3: Marc Jacobs: Velvet Noir. My friend Kadee turned me on to this amazing mascara a couple years ago and it was the makeup obsession of my life for a good 6 months. I would seriously whisper sweet nothings every morning as I applied it. Talk about volume. I don’t have the thickest/longest lashes naturally but this stuff worked wonders for me. Wonders I tell you! It’s on the pricier side at $26 a tube but it lasts for quite a while and the results are legit. Like too legit to quit.
#2: Too Faced: Better Than Sex Mascara. I seriously hate the name of this mascara so much, but I LOVE the result. (and let’s be real, it’s really good stuff, but it’s not better than sex ;-) It comes in at just a few bucks less than the Marc Jacobs mascara, and here’s why I love it just a teensy bit more. The brush is amazing. It makes the application so smooth and I swear that my lashes have never looked thicker and longer than on this stuff. The tube also lasts forever, almost 2 months for me.
#1: L’Oreal: Voluminous Lash Paradise. Okay, guys. This is my #1 right now, and here’s why. I swear this is literally the same stuff as the Too Faced BTS mascara. Even the brush is the same. The results are the same and it is less than half the price. LESS. THAN. HALF. I’m usually skeptical about dupes, but this one is a total winner. It’s seriously the BEST drugstore mascara I have ever tried. The only downside is that the tube is a little smaller so it doesn’t last quite as long, and it has a tendency to dry out faster (but I have a trick for that that I’ll share below). Either this or the BTS mascara is a great choice, or the Marc Jacobs as well.
I will also add, that I have terrible seasonal allergies and some mascaras can really irritate my eyes/ burn and make them water non-stop, but none of these are a problem for me. They’re all great, don’t smudge easy, and never irritate my eyes.
Okay, so here’s a little mascara hack for you that I picked up a couple months ago from one of my makeup savvy friends. If your mascara is drying out too fast, just put a few drops of saline solution into the tube and mix it around with the mascara spooly. Voila! It buys you at least another couple weeks of use. I’ve done it myself and it works like a charm.
And now, your favorites!
Observations I made with this poll: people are passionate about their mascaras! (I kind of love that.) And most people are willing to pay over $20 for a tube of great mascara, the average being $20-25, and the high end over $30. I only included mascaras that had at least 3 people who recommended it. (Cause there were so many.) Here are the faves listed in order of popularity.
1.It cosmetics superhero– by far had the most people say this was their favorite. I tried the other IT Cosmetics mascara and hated it with a capital H, but maybe I’ll have to give this one a try because so many people love it.
2. Too Faced BTS. I was glad to see I’m not alone in loving this one!
3. Loreal Lash Paradise: or this one! it tied with the Too Faced BTS!
4. Younique Epic Mascara: I’d never even heard of this brand but a ton of you guys love this mascara!
5. Benefit They’re real: I’ve actually heard a lot of good things about this mascara but I’ve never tried it. A bunch of you love this one.
6. YSL The Shock.
9: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes.
I must be the only person that doesn’t like the lash paradise!! I find it to be a thick, clumpy mess. I really like Buxom mascara. I have really thin lashes and I’m always trying new mascaras. I tend to buy the Buxom over and over. BUT, I am always looking for the next best thing.
that’s so funny! I think everyone just has different chemistry and some makeup works better for others. That’s why I wanted to include so many different favorites into this post, to help everyone find their best!
I like Benefit Roller Lash, and then Clinique High Definition. Also like Stila Huge, but it’s almost too wet. Great volume and length thought!
I love,these kind of posts!
oh I hate it when mascara is too wet! It’s like it doesn’t grab and I also feel like it makes such a mess! lol
A couple of drops of micellar water is also a good way to revive a tube of mascara that has gotten clumpy :)
oh great tip!
Sarah! I’m right there with you. I totally agree! The lash paradise is so clumpy! I will say it’s pretty fabulous for the first week or two and then it’s necer the same. I don’t know why but it gets to be a clumpy mess too soon and I have to throw it out. I’ve tried a few tubes. :(
how funny! I have noticed it dries out a little faster (I use the saline trick now and it fixes it fine) than the more expensive ones but I haven’t had the problem with clumpiness. I wonder if it has to do with the climate? What kind of climate do you live in? (This is mostly just my curiosity, haha) I definitely never had a dry out or clumpiness problem with the better than sex one, maybe that’s a better option?
Ty so much for this post. So helpful. I have puny lashes and I’m always looking for mascara that will lengthen my lashes. Do u really get your lashes to look as long and thick as they do with only mascara??
Hi! I have been looking for the lash primer you swear by and was hoping you could post or share again? Thank you!