My Go-To Mascara Under $15

Mascara is a product where I have yet to find The One. I haven’t made a repeat purchase of mascara… until now.  If you want to learn about an inexpensive alternative with the staying power of a boutique brand, keep reading.  If not, check out this fun meme.

One day while perusing Wal-Mart (which is a suburban adventure for me now that we’re living in the city) I grabbed a random mascara from the bargain bin.  It was $4. Yes, $4.  I forgot my own at home that day and had a meeting after work, so this mascara was kind of important.  (See below.)

I had spent about $30 on a well-known Sephora brand a few weeks earlier, and though I wasn’t in love with it, I couldn’t justify replacing it with something of equal price.  Thus, the bargain bin visit.

I grabbed Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect in Jet Black.  I didn’t read all that when I bought it, I only noticed the price. It turned out to be amaze-balls.

I consider myself pretty damn lucky to have found a hail mary product like that – since then, I always have one of these bad boys in my makeup kit.

Here’s what I love about it:

1- It’s waterproof.  Good luck getting it off at the end of the day, never mind unintentionally with sweat or rain.  (I find coconut oil to be the best eye makeup remover). Seriously though, this does not budge. I wore it for my wedding as well as those tear-jerking mother’s day commercials. Not a smudge.

2- It’s inexpensive.  $4 CDN is the cheapest I’ve ever seen it, but it is regularly on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall.  Even at full price ($12.49), it is far more affordable than some other brands.

3- The brush is amazing.  It has two sides, one for fanning out your lashes and one for separation.  I find it adds serious volume and length to my lashes.

4- It stacks up to the competition.  When I compared it to the Benefit Roller Lash, I did not see enough difference to call for buying the Roller Lash at $31. They have the same brush and very similar formula, but obviously the Benefit name and packaging is super enticing.  If you really feel like spending the money, Roller Lash is a great bet.  If you really don’t feel like spending the money, Lash Sensation is the best bet.

Here’s what I don’t love about it:

1- The brush handle is a thick and the brush itself is big, so if you have tiny hands or tiny lashes, this might not be the mascara for you.

2- You know when it gets old.  According to makeup health standards, you should replace your mascara every 3 months.  I don’t always follow this advice, but with the Maybelline product, I have to. Around the 3 month mark it tends to dry out quicker and I notice the product flaking around my lower lashes.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the shelf life is definite.

Here are the two brushes side by side:

Benefit Roller Lash ($31}

Maybelline Lash Sensation ($12)

What’s your favorite mascara? Or do you just get the deluxe sample sizes and try them all, like I do?  Share with me in the comments 🙂