I Tried 9 Budget-Friendly Drugstore Mascaras And Here’s My Review
The beauty industry is arguably the OG of drops.
New collections are announced everyday, ranging from the newest and improved beauty tool technology to claims of ingredients that house the fountain of youth. There seems to be something launching daily for just about everyone.
When it comes to the mascara world, popular classics like Maybelline Great Lash and CoverGirl Lash Blast have managed to hold the titles of holy grail mascaras for years. While it would be a dream to try every new mascara that hits the shelves on the daily, a girl's only got so much lash and so much coin.
So, if you've ever found yourself contemplating between saving your coins for those holiday gifts or re-upping your beauty stash, I've narrowed down and tested out nine budget-friendly mascaras for every girl, every lash, and pretty much every budget. Peep my selects below!
No 7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: Black
Price Tag: $8.99
Lash Purpose: Thickening, Lengthening
Claims: Its innovative 3-in-1 wand gives volume and definition to every lash. The left side of the brush loads lashes, the right side combs lashes, and the top targets hard-to-reach lashes. It's also hypoallergenic.
Final Thoughts: I loved the definition and natural look. It felt nourishing while being applied, was easy to remove with a makeup wipe, and was buildable for added volume.
Revlon Ultimate All-In-One Mascara
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: 501 Blackest Black
Price Tag: $5.99
Lash Purpose: Length, Volume, Lift, Definition, Color
Claims: High impact formula delivers 5 lash-transforming benefits: volume, length, definition, lift, intense color. The Power Mini Brush leaves no lash behind.
Final Thoughts: I noticed the volume and length the most with this mascara. I liked how it was buildable while leaving my lashes with a glossy finish. It gave me glam vibes and was easy to remove with a makeup wipe.
Maybelline x Shayla: The Colossal Big Shot Mascara
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: 228 Baddest Black (also comes in blue & purple)
Price Tag: $6.99
Lash Purpose: Volume
Claims: Delivers fully loaded volume in just one coat. The brush features unique, wavy bristles that cradle lashes, which the collagen formula delivers bold volume.
Final Thoughts: This mascara was one of my favs. First impression, the brush head it totally my style because I'm after mega volume & length. I liked how it had a darker pigment but was still easy to remove with a makeup wipe. I'm definitely interested in trying the blue and purple shades next!
e.l.f 3-in-1 Mascara
Left: Without Mascara; Right: With Mascara
Color: Very Black
Price Tag: $3.00
Lash Purpose: Volume, Lengthening, Definition
Claims: The newest and reformulated mascara by e.l.f. This all-in-one mascara helps lengthen, define, and volumize lashes. The silicone brush has precision bristles to coat lashes for a dramatic look.
Final Thoughts: This mascara is a steal as far as price goes. It separated my lashes nicely and looked natural (more so than dramatic) while still lengthening. The ball end of the brush head made it easy to get to the smaller inner corner hairs. It's also buildable and easy to remove with a makeup wipe.
Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara
Left: Without Mascara; Right: With Mascara
Color: Black
Price Tag: $4.99
Lash Purpose: Volume, Lengthening
Claims: Mascara for an irresistible false lash effect. The conic shape brush provides lashes with dramatic volume and sculpted length. Opthalmologically tested.
Final Thoughts: This mascara was also one of my favs that provided mega volume and lots of pigment. It was buildable, but you have to be careful not to layer too many coats. I found the more I swiped on, the more clumpy it seemed to get. Tip: If you notice slight clumping, take a clean mascara spooly and run it through your lashes as needed for separation.
CoverGirl Total Tease Mascara
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: Very Black
Price Tag: $10.49
Lash Purpose: Separation
Claims: To be used for sexy, teased lashes. Use the lash teasing mascara comb for ease and control to tease even the tiniest corner lashes for a full, voluminous look. Said to be suitable for contact lens wearers.
Final Thoughts: First impression, I thought the brush head looked pretty weird, and this was also the priciest of the mascaras tested. I noticed right away how it separated my lashes and made them look longer at the same time. This mascara is great to use on top and bottom lashes and is easily removable with a makeup wipe.
NYX Doll Eye Mascara
Left: Without Mascara; Right: With Mascara
Color: 02 Black
Price: $9.99
Lash Purpose: Volume
Claims: For irresistibly fluttery lashes, this mascara uses a unique blend of natural oils, Vitamin E, and nylon fibers to extend eyelashes for a bold and beautiful look.
Final Thoughts: I had pretty high hopes for this mascara. I was really expecting the wide-eyed doll effect, but the mascara gave more natural vibes. The brush head was a bit flat in the middle, which caused the bristles to be a bit stuck together (at least in the tube I purchased). All in all, this mascara was ok, but I don't think it rose to the occasion to match its name.
Black Opal Color Splurge Waterproof Mascara
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: Black
Price: $8.95
Lash Purpose: Curl, Volume, Lengthen
Claims: This splash-proof mascara seals each individual lash with a unique fortifying formula. It curls, volumizes, lengthens, and sets lashes into place for day-to-night wear. The curved brush is carefully designed to fit the contour of the eye, coating each lash with intense black pigments to reveal a lush, defined, and clump-free look.
Final Thoughts: Although the packaging is pretty plain and basic, I liked the look of the dark pigment leaving a glossy finish on my lashes. I usually don't use waterproof mascara because of the hassle to take it off, but this one passed the test and was still easily removable with a makeup wipe.
L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise
Left: With Mascara; Right: Without Mascara
Color: Blackest Black
Price: $9.99
Lash Purpose: Volume
Claims: L'Oreals first mascara for voluptuous volume & length. The soft wavy bristle brush holds maximum formula for a dramatic volumizing charge and full fringe effect. The smooth glide formula provides silky volume in one coat. Lashes are feathery soft to the touch.
Final Thoughts: At first glance, the packaging is very similar to Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (one of my all-time high end favs by the way). I thought it was a pretty comparable dupe and I liked the brush head, making it buildable for extra volume.
Gripe: The waterproof formula is entirely too hard to get off. A makeup wipe was not enough. I had to use an oil-based makeup remover afterwards and I still noticed there was leftover residue on my lashes the next morning. If you get teary-eyed or are looking for run-proof mascara, this formula is definitely the one.
THE VERDICT
So there you have it: the 9 best tried-and-true drugstore mascaras you can turn to the next time your lashes need a little somethin' somethin'. As far as my personal favorites, my top 3 were:
1. Maybelline x Shayla The Colossal Big Shot
2. Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect
3. No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara
What about you? Which ones are you feeling the most? If I left some of your favorites off the list, what are your favorite go-to drugstore mascara picks?
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Between the rise of the creator economy and the gig economy, the window of opportunity to leverage your creativity for long-term gain has never been more potent.
For the last four years, I’ve worked as a full-time freelance writer and content creator. A year into this journey, I knew that if I wanted to create a sense of structure around my life outside of a traditional 9-5, I would have to create it.
To my surprise, that came in the form of social media.
Now, you might be wondering how someone might be able to juggle their work in a creatively-dominant career like writing while still having the mental capacity to produce ideas for their own personal brand, and well, that answer didn’t come easily.
In 2021, I hit a wall with writing and content creation.
With the stress and uncertainty that came as a result of the pandemic, to being burned out from having to live off my creativity, I reached a breaking point. For me, writing was always a space to explore my thoughts, process heavy topics, and express concepts that only words could bring reason to. However, when I didn’t have the brainpower to write or create content, I knew it was time to set parameters around my hobby of content creation and my passion for storytelling.
In this case, the biggest challenge was finding the balance between the two by releasing the guilt and shame of taking a break from both in order to reconnect with them.
Through years of trial and error, the fog finally cleared, and I was able to hit my stride in 2023. From garnering over 10K followers on TikTok, building an Instagram community around lifestyle and creative encouragement, along with my wellness collective, Black Girl Playground, and writing for xoNecole as a lifestyle contributor, the creative juices have been flowing steadily.
And it all happened by creating a strategy that allowed space for planning, resting, and creating. Today, I’ll be sharing my top tips to help you find your balance between your side hustle and passions.
On staying inspired and motivated when working on various content creation and freelancing projects:
Early this year, I came to the bright conclusion that I needed to shorten the gap between ideation and execution — and it completely changed how I create.
Oftentimes, when we have an idea come to us, we let it sit for too long, and then before we know it, we’ve either lost the enthusiasm to put it into action, or someone else grabs it. If you want to stay in a flow of creativity, whether side projects or full-time work, it’s important to not get slowed down by self-doubt, procrastination, or perfectionism.
Give yourself permission to act on your ideas as they come to you. Even if they’re a little muddy or not “perfect,” you can always fine-tune them later.
@yagirlaley shrinking the gap between [ideation] + [execution] 🧠💡#fyp #creativeadvice
On the importance of choosing a niche:
If there’s one thing that has helped me balance my work as a writer and content creator, it’s putting each in its own niche (or category). By definition, a niche is a specialized segment of the market or a specific area of expertise.
When you are creating in the same niche that you’re also making a living in, that’s an easy way to get your wires crossed. And at times, this could lead to feeling as if you don’t have any ideas for yourself because you’ve given them to the other area you're juggling.
When balancing two, you want to have enough fresh ideas to give to your personal projects and your full-time work to avoid any overlap. This ensures that your personal creative vision isn’t compromised when working on client projects while still having some for yourself.
On the strategies that have helped to maintain a consistent workflow in both areas:
I can’t stress enough how important it is to create a workflow and structure for yourself as a freelancer — this applies to those with a 9-5 in the day and a 5-9 at night, too.
As someone who admittedly has ADHD tendencies, object permanence can sometimes create a block in time and project management. That’s why I encourage creatives and professionals to create systems that allow you to see the work that’s ahead of you.
Personally, I can’t live without having multiple calendars going at once. My Google calendar keeps track of interviews for articles and events, while my physical calendar helps me keep track of important dates. I also work out of an Excel sheet where I can log in ongoing stories and track their status from drafting to submission. I’ve also heard great things about the Notion app for planning and tracking.
When it comes to creating content, spending time doing bulk content days has been an asset to my creative workflow. When I complete the videos, I save them to my drafts and upload them as needed.
Credit: Amberita
Courtesy of the writer
On the best advice for someone who is considering pursuing both content creation and freelancing simultaneously:
Don’t be ashamed of taking a break and resting — because both are essential to the life of a creative. Last month, I returned to Instagram after taking 6 months off from posting. During that time, I worked on growing my TikTok page, using the platform to practice vulnerability and allowing myself to put the fun back into creating content. Without the time, I can’t say I’d be able to approach Instagram with the same ease and playfulness; but thanks to that time away, it was possible.
Resting, letting our minds wander, or simply doing nothing are all just as productive as creating. No one can produce at all times, we have to allow ourselves the space for new concepts and ideas to flow to us. In addition to that, when we take breaks from social media, it allows us to stop the wheel of comparison and consume more than we create. So if you feel like you’re in a creative rut with all you want to balance, it may be time to take a step back, unapologetically.
Your creativity will thank you for it.
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Featured image by Sir Taylor