volumizing mascaras

— This is a re-posting of an article from last Summer’s archives.  While I’m away in Europe I thought I’d give you a tour of my blog.  I’ve got years of content to delve into and plenty of fun content to keep you entertained while I’m away. —

I have a bit of a thing for makeup, in case you haven’t noticed. If my house were on fire and all the kids and family heirlooms made it out alright, the next thing I’d grab would be my Maybelline mascara. You know the stuff in the pink tube with the green lid? Yes, that one. It’s less than $5 at the grocery store and I can get it off easily at night with makeup remover wipes. I love everything about it.

So when I was at the grocery store last week and I saw two different Maybelline volumizing mascaras on sale for less than $5 each, I snatched them up so I could do a little experiment. It’s called: which Maybelline mascara makes my eyelashes look like a p0rn star?

Not really, it’s which Maybelline mascara will give me the best volume for the price of a cheap lunch?

Here’s my face in all its unedited, large pore glory. No judging. The point is that I’m not wearing mascara.

Now here are the mascara contenders:

#1 The Colossal Volume Express Mascara

#2 XXL Pro Volume Washable Mascara

#3 Great Lash Mascara {this is the one I already have and use every day}

I always curl my eyelashes first.

This is the Colossal Volume Express.

Start from the bottom of your lashes and wiggle your way up. I blink while I apply, it helps coat all the way to the tips.

Results of the Colossal Volume Express.

Nice, pretty, curly, volume-y.

I will say, inbetween all these photos I took off my previous mascara with my Costco makeup remover wipes and it all came off just fine.

Contender #2: XXL Volume

Lots of volume, that’s for sure.

And….. contender #3 my regular every day Maybelline Great Lash mascara. With the green top, very important to remember.

I think this one’s pretty foxy.

What do you think. #1, #2, #3? Honestly, and this is coming from a regular mascara wearer, I can’t tell the difference between the three. The two volumizing mascaras were on sale for the same price as my regular stuff, but they cost more on a regular day than the Great Lash.

I think they all look the same, but that’s probably because I’m fixated on my sun spots and big pores.

And here I am, ready for every day with just plain Maybelline Great Lash mascara and some lip-gloss from Avon. Not terrible for two pieces of makeup I think. Cheap ones too.

Do weigh in will you? Are volumizing mascaras worth all the fuss?

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!