Filling your makeup bag with the latest beauty heroes is never kind on the bank balance.
Looking for kind-to-skin formulations for our foundation, pigmented shades for eyeshadow and long-wearing lipsticks come at an elevated cost – but there is one staple whic won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Mascara is one of the elite product types where luxury labels and higher price points don’t necessarily equal a more hard-wearing product. In fact, the opposite is often the case.
The selection of drugstore mascaras rivals even the most buzzed beauty brands on the market where the likes of Maybelline, Revlon and Max Factor hold their own against expensive counterparts.
The term ‘drugstore’ is borrowed from our friends across the Atlantic and generally means the kind of brands that you’ll find in a pharmacy. They’re cheaper without sacrificing on quality. Budget buys without the budget feel.
The low price point allows us to get creative with our mascara cocktailing aka layering different products to achieve a personalised combination of lengthening and voluminising – all without breaking the bank.
Maximise the XXL false lash effect of the Maybelline Lash Sensation Sky High Mascara and then create density with the L’Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara. Always keep a clean spoolie on hand to prevent clumping and best application comes to clean lashes.
Shop the best bargain drugstore mascaras below
Essence - I love extreme Crazy Volume - Mascara for extreme volume
We wouldn’t blame you is Essence if totally unfamiliar to you, the brand is a hidden gem in the budget beauty world and is found in few retailers with Wilko and Amazon as the main stockists. Despite its relative anonymity, the mascara offering is one of the best on the market.
The I Love Extreme, in particular, transforms lashes in one fell swoop, adding dramatic volume to every single individual lash. It will also see you through for a long period of time (and even more so if you add eye drops to give you an extra few weeks of use).
Buy now £4.19, Amazon
Max Factor Masterpiece MAX Volumising Mascara
It may be unusual to have a particular product, let alone a mascara, be the official one used at an event like fashion week but this beloved makeup bag essential takes over backstage at Milan. The volumising effects are instant and once applied, the formula stays firmly in place with no smudging. Best of all, there’s no irritation to those with sensitivities. It doesn’t clump either and comes in the classic jet black as well as a brown and a 90s-favourite blue hue.
Buy now £8.39, Boots
L’Oréal Paris Paradise Castor Oil Enriched Mascara for Sensitive Eyes - Intense Black
Enriched with castor oil, this formula does far more than just coat your lashes with pigment. The components also work to nourish the lashes in tandem with cornflower water and rose oil that have a soothing effect. This also encourages the Intense Black hue to glide on without tugging to prevent irritation from occuring. Applied on clean lashes, it has lengthening and volumising properties, but if you’re looking to layer onto existing product, you’ll need to follow with a clean brush to remove any clumps.
Buy now £9.74, lookfantastic
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
This drugstore favourite from Maybelline has reached cult status by those in the know and it’s kind on the bank balance too. XXL lashes are just a few swipes away where the jet black formula creates a false lash effect, coating each hair from root to tip.
Lash extensions without the faff, fuss or financial hit, this is the kind of mascara that people will stop and ask you what you are using. Word to the wise, it applies best on clean lashes to prevent clumping and isn’t the most buildable on this list but once on, it has all-day lasting power and also easily washes off at night.
Buy now £11.49, Boots
Revlon So Fierce Mascara
If the over 5,000 five star reviews weren’t enough to encourage you to try out this mascara, then the purse-friendly price tag certainly should. The formula is impressively lengthening, rivalling that of far more expensive luxury brands where it swipes on without clumping, flaking or any mess. It’s buildable too but you get best results while it’s still wet.
Buy now £7.19, Boots
Rimmel Volume Thrill Seeker Mascara
From the specialised hourglass brush to ensure no lash is left behind, to the clump-free colour, this mascara punches above its weight in terms of lengthening and definition. Whether you opt for the traditional pigmented black or see if the brown is more your speed, the coverage is full and offers a lash lift effect.
Buy now £7.69, lookfantastic
L’Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara
The combination of short and long bristles that make up the brush on the beloved Volume Million Lashes Mascara provides even coating for every last lash. The product is made up of precious oils that infuse the lashes with their nourishing benefits and ensures a smooth application as you swipe.
Buy now £8.24, lookfantastic
Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
The Lash Sensational Mascara deserves every last bit of praise that it receives - and it receives a fair amount. It works by volumising the lashes to give a layered effect from corner to corner, giving the look of false lashes without the challenging glue affixing process. It has a good seperation to prevent clumping and is buildable without smudging or flaking off throughout the day.
Buy now £7.15, Sephora
