The 11 Best Drugstore Mascaras of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

See our top picks from Flower Beauty, Maybelline, e.l.f., and more

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A collage of drugstore mascaras we recommend on a grey background

Byrdie / Kevin Liang

Spoiler alert: You don't have to spend a lot of money to get great lashes. Whether you're looking to thicken, lift, or lengthen your eyelashes or want a quality long-wear product that won't fade, run or smudge, the best drugstore mascara can be your secret weapon. The best part? While you'll pay upwards of $30 for a high-end mascara, a great affordable drugstore mascara starts at just $5.

"I always have a drugstore mascara in my kit. Some of them are right up there with luxury mascaras," says New York-based makeup artist Neil Scibelli. "Many drugstore brands have the budget to do extensive testing and reformulating, and some even use the same research departments and formulations labs as the luxury brands."

Still, many of the affordable mascaras you see in the makeup aisle of your local drugstore aren't worth the money, no matter how much of a bargain you're getting. We spent over 100 hours researching and testing the most popular drugstore mascaras, evaluating wand design, lash separation and clumping, formulation, wear, and ease of removal. Here are the best drugstore mascaras you can buy now.

Best Overall

Flower Beauty Warrior Princess Mascara

Flower Beauty Warrior Princess Mascara

Ulta

Our Ratings
  • Wear
    5/5
  • Ease of Removal
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
What We Like
  • Creamy formula

  • Hourglass wand

  • Noticeably enhanced lashes with one coat

What We Don’t Like
  • Wand picks up a lot of product

  • Slight smudging after 11 hours

Flower Beauty’s Warrior Princess Mascara reigned supreme in our testing of the best drugstore mascaras. In a wear test, we applied this mascara around 7 AM, and by 10 PM, our lashes looked just as lifted and full as they did when first applying the creamy product—and with very minimal smudging, to boot! To say we’re impressed by this drugstore beauty buy is an understatement. In our book, a major reason why this mascara worked so well is because of its expertly-shaped wand. Much like Too Faced’s cult-favorite Better Than Sex Mascara, Warrior Princess features a feathery hourglass shape that makes coating the tricky inner and outer lashes just as simple as coating the longer middle lashes. 

Beyond the wand, the formula itself is impressive, albeit a touch thicker than other mascaras on this list. Despite its chunkier texture, Warrior Princess didn’t lead to any major clumping or unflattering separating. And, most impressively, it didn’t take forever to dry—which is so often the case with thicker formulas (and so often the reason that they end up on your upper lid). Not this Flower Beauty formula, though. What’s more, Warrior Princess is easy to remove. A single micellar water-soaked cotton round was enough to remove the jet-black product fully. Our one recommendation with this product is to wipe off any excess mascara on the rim of the tube before applying it to lashes. As a thicker, creamier formula, the wand picks up a lot of product, which can lead to slight clumping if directly applied. 

Formula and Type: Volumizing and thickening | Ophthalmologist-Tested: No | Color Range: Royal black | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Best Lifting

e.l.f. Cosmetics Big Mood Mascara

E.L.F. Cosmetics Big Mood Mascara

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Wear
    5/5
  • Ease of Removal
    4/5
  • Performance
    5/5
What We Like
  • Creamy texture

  • Applies smoothly

  • Feathery hourglass wand

What We Don’t Like
  • Slightly more difficult to remove

If it weren’t for slightly more difficult removal, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Big Mood Mascara would have tied with Warrior Princess for the best overall drugstore mascara. The creamy formula applies like a dream from the very first swipe, smoothly coating and lifting lashes without a single clump in sight. One coat of the fan-favorite formula resulted in noticeably darker and fuller lashes; three coats made them look like full-on falsies. Best of all, Big Mood creates volume and lift that lasts. After 11 hours of wear, we found that our lashes still looked full and lifted, with zero smudging or flaking. The formula is to thank for that. Infused with jojoba oil, it’s designed to stay put while also nourishing the lashes, keeping them from drying out and flaking onto the under-eye area and cheeks. 

“I’ve run the gambit of lash lifts, lash extensions, and pricey prestige mascaras, and truly nothing compares to the natural, fluttery look I get from Big Mood," associate editorial director Holly Rhue says. "Just a few coats give me a full-on falsies effect, coating my short, blonde, sparse lashes in a rich, jet-black formula that works like a push-up bra for my lashes."

As for the aforementioned removal, it’s not that Big Mood is terribly difficult to remove—it’s just that it’s so pigmented that it required two cotton rounds soaked with micellar water to remove it completely. Still, that just goes to show the long-lasting wear power of this drugstore must-have. 

Formula and Type: Volume and lifting | Ophthalmologist-Tested: No | Color Range: Three shades, including deep brown, black, and pitch black | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Lengthening

Essence Cosmetics Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara

Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara
Our Ratings
  • Wear
    4/5
  • Ease of Removal
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5

Read Full Review: Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara Review

What We Like
  • Wand coats and separates each lash

  • Highly pigmented formula

  • Dramatically lengthens and lifts lashes

What We Don't Like
  • Product tends to clump on wand

  • Flakes after all-day wear

If your goal is to achieve false-looking lashes with just a few coats of mascara, look no further than Essence’s Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara. From a performance perspective, we found that a single coat immediately lifted and volumized lashes, while three coats dramatically increased both volume and length.

It's also worth mentioning, however, that thanks to a slightly thicker formula, this creamy mascara does tend to clump on the end of the wand, so it’s best to wipe it off before applying. What’s more, as stunningly as it applies and wears for hours on end, after the eight-hour mark, it starts to falter in the form of noticeable flakes. Still, it wears so well during those first eight hours that it remains a top contender.

Formula and Type: Volumizing | Ophthalmologist-Tested: Yes | Color Range: Black | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Defining

Maybelline Sky High Mascara

Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
Our Ratings
  • Wear
    5/5
  • Ease of Removal
    4/5
  • Performance
    4/5

Read Full Review: Maybelline's Sky High Mascara Creates Dreamy, Fluttery Lashes

What We Like
  • Long-lasting wear

  • Noticeably defines lashes

  • Adds length

What We Don’t Like
  • Not cruelty-free

  • Not highly pigmented (despite name)

Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara is neither lightweight nor chunky. In just one coat, it noticeably lengthened and lifted our lashes. Also, the wand is made with spiked plastic, rather than with bristles, which we believe adds to the ultra-defined, easy-to-apply nature of the mascara. That said, the wand is very flexible (purposefully so), and the formula itself is lighter than we expected—both of which made it more difficult to adequately coat lashes from base to ends in one fell swoop. Instead, it required a few coats to achieve noticeably darker and defined lashes. But once we did apply a few coats, the results were noticeable.

Be advised that this mascara isn’t labeled as cruelty-free, nor is it Byrdie Clean, as it contains paraffin and PEGs. This isn't necessarily a deal-breaker but is more something to think about if you place a high value on those qualifications. 

Formula and Type: Volumizing and lengthening | Ophthalmologist-Tested: Yes | Color Range: Very black and blackest black | Cruelty-Free: No 

Best Color Selection

L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara

L'Oréal paris voluminous original mascara

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Wear
    4/5
  • Ease of Removal
    5/5
  • Performance
    4/5
What We Like
  • Wide color selection

  • Creates noticeable volume

  • Very pigmented

What We Don’t Like
  • Causes minor sticking with added coats

  • Slight flaking by end of day

If you’re tired of classic black mascaras, you’ll love the wide selection of colors that the L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara comes in—namely the popular Cobalt Blue and Deep Violet shades. Plus, since this mascara is super pigmented, it doesn’t require endless coats to achieve dramatically darker lashes. The main problem with this mascara, however, is that with multiple coats comes a chance of minor sticking and clumping. That said, we found that it’s best applied with slow care, making sure to wiggle the wand from the base of the lashes to the tips, rather than quickly swiping it on. 

Although clumping is possible, the fact that this volumizing mascara made lashes pop with a single coat makes it a worthwhile drugstore find in our book. Plus, even after 11 hours of wear, there was hardly any flaking or smudging, making it a great option for those looking for a long-lasting formula. One other slight deterrent to be mentioned is that this formula is sadly not Byrdie Clean, as it contains paraffin. Still, it remains a cult-favorite mascara for those looking for volume, length, and lift. 

Formula and Type: Volumizing | Ophthalmologist-Tested: Yes | Color Range: Seven colors, including cobalt blue, deep violet, and deep green | Cruelty-Free: No 

Best Vegan

CoverGirl Clean Volume Mascara

Covergirl Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara

Ulta

Our Ratings
  • Wear
    4/5
  • Ease of Removal
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5

Read Full Review: Covergirl's Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara Is Even Better Than the Original

What We Like
  • Vegan

  • Nourishes lashes with marula and argan oils

  • Doesn’t clump

What We Don’t Like
  • Not super pigmented

  • Requires multiple coats for dramatic lift

There’s a lot to love about Covergirl’s Lash Blast Clean Volume Mascara. For starters, despite having the same wand as the classic Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara, we found that a single coat of this smooth, clump-free formula offered better results than five coats of the OG formula. Still, hoping to put it to the ultimate test, we applied five coats of the creamy formula and found that it worked wonders to deliver beautifully curled voluminous lashes. However, is that despite being a cleaner version of the original formula, Covergirl's Lash Blast Clean Volume mascara is not Byrdie Clean, as it contains triethanolamine. That said, the ingredient list is notably closer to meeting our standards than the original. 

Formula and Type: Volumizing | Ophthalmologist-Tested: No | Color Range: Pitch Black and Very Black | Cruelty-Free: Yes 

Best Buildable

L'Oréal Paris Telescopic Original Mascara

L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Original Mascara

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Wear
    4/5
  • Ease of Removal
    3/5
  • Performance
    5/5
What We Like
  • Adds immediate length

  • Creates eye-opening lift

  • Little to no clumping

What We Don't Like
  • Minimal volume

  • Abrasive wand

  • Product easily transfers onto lash line

If your main goal is jaw-dropping length, you can’t go wrong with L'Oréal Paris’ Telescopic Mascara. The formula is creamy and lightweight and doesn't cause major clumping or sticking when swiping it from base to tip. Best of all, a single coat offers immediate length, lift, and pigment. And after five coats, the length was even more of a wow factor.  That said, in order to achieve such length, it was impossible not to have some mascara transfer through to the lash line. That’s an easy fix, though—a cotton swab soaked in micellar water works as an effective touch-up tool for this mascara. Another thing to note about this mascara is that the wand is particularly spikey, which makes wiggling it along the base of your lashes a bit uncomfortable, but not so much that it’s worth forgetting altogether.

Lastly, while this mascara isn’t marketed as a tubing formula, that’s exactly the result it seems to deliver. As such, removing it was a bit more difficult—in fact, it was the most difficult formula to remove among those we tested. The results make it worth a few extra swipes of micellar water, though. 

Formula and Type: Lengthening | Ophthalmologist-Tested: Yes | Color Range: Three colors | Cruelty-Free: Yes

L'Oréal Paris Telescopic Original Mascara on a beige surface

Byrdie / Tamara staples

Best for a Natural Look

Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara

Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara
Our Ratings
  • Wear
    5/5
  • Ease of Removal
    5/5
  • Performance
    3/5
What We Like
  • Buildable formula

  • Good no-makeup-makeup effect

What We Don't Like
  • Doesn’t offer dramatic volume or lift

Last but not least, we have Neutrogena’s Healthy Lengths Mascara. The lightly pigmented mascara might not dramatically enhance the color of lashes, but it works well to define and lengthen lashes thanks to its soft bristle brush complete with nicely spaced bristles to comb lashes.

As a result, we found this mascara to be a great option for those looking for a no-makeup-makeup look, as the color is subtle and the length looks natural yet enhanced. That said, if the goal is dramatic volume or lift, this isn’t the mascara for you. 

Formula and Type: Lengthening | Ophthalmologist-Tested: Yes | Color Range: Black and Black Brown | Cruelty-Free: No

Best Tubing Mascara

Milani Highly Rated Tubing Mascara

Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara

Milani

What We Like
  • Easy to remove

  • Lengthens and lifts

What We Don't Like
  • Not ophthalmologist tested

Milani's Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara is a favorite of ours because of how well it fakes the look of lash extensions. With every swipe, the formula wraps each lash in tube-like polymers that add length and lift. While it's not ophthalmologist-tested, commerce writer Caitlyn Martyn, who has super sensitive eyes and wears contacts, says she's never been bothered by this formula. "It goes on exactly how it says it will and comes off just as easily," she explains. "Plus, I love that it contains castor oil and shea butter to condition my lashes with every wear."

Formula and Type: Lifting | Ophthalmologist-Tested: No | Color Range: Black | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Waterproof

Black Radiance Waterproof Mascara

Black Radiance Waterproof Mascara

Amazon

  • Fortified with soy protein

  • Brings drama without clumping

  • Can take some time to dry

If you're looking for a great waterproof formula that won't cost a ton of money, check out this mascara from Black Radiance. It's fortified with soy protein and works to dramatically lengthen and volumize lashes. Even if you layer it, it's designed not to clump or cause flakes—a win-win. What makes this one unique is it's defining nylon brush that reaches every lash, even tinier ones on the inner corners of your eyes. It does take some time to dry, so be warned, but once it's locked in place, it's not going anywhere.

Formula and Type: Waterproof | Ophthalmologist-Tested: No | Color Range: Black eclipse | Cruelty-Free: No

Final Verdict

There are dozens of highly-rated drugstore mascaras on the market, but our top pick is the Flower Beauty Warrior Princess Mascara. The feathery brush and smooth formula make for easy application from base to tip, offering extreme volume, length, and lift in the process, not to mention overall dramatically enhanced pigment. Our runner-up is the e.l.f. Cosmetics Big Mood Mascara—which, while slightly more difficult to remove, offers a dark, full, falsie-like flutter in just a couple of coats.

How We Tested Drugstore Mascaras

The author of this piece, Byrdie contributor Rebecca Norris, spent three weeks researching drugstore mascaras and sorting through reviews to land on the product selection. Once the team narrowed down the drugstore mascaras with the highest accolades, it was time to put them to the test. Rebecca then spent 132 hours evaluating a dozen of the best drugstore mascaras on the market, taking into consideration everything from the packaging and formula to the number of coats it took to achieve the intended result and any flaking or smudging throughout the day.  

Each mascara was rated on a scale of one to five for performance, separation and clumping, wand design, wear, and ease of removal. At the end of the testing period, Rebecca selected the top eight drugstore mascaras and offered input as to why the others didn’t make the cut. All testing was conducted at her home in the Washington, D.C. area.

We also performed extensive research on options that Rebecca didn't get the chance to test, since not everyone's lashes are the same. To broaden our search, we poured over five-star reviews and even consulted with other Byrdie staff members to add a few more selections to the list.

Meet the Expert

  • Neil Scibelli is a makeup artist and beauty expert based in New York City. His clients include major supermodels, recording artists, and fashion houses. His work has been featured on national television, in print and online magazines, on the red carpet, and on runways during New York Fashion Week.
  • Rachel Nazarian is a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. She specializes in a range of medical and cosmetic dermatology services and is also a faculty member at Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology, where she completed her dermatology residency.

What to Look For in a Drugstore Mascara

Type of Formula

When selecting a drugstore mascara, you want to keep your overall goals in mind. If you have extremely light lashes, you may want a highly pigmented formula, like the e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Big Mood Mascara. If you have short lashes, a lengthening formula, like the Essence Cosmetics Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara, will be your BFF. If you have limp lashes, a volumizing and lifting formula—like the L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara—can help give them more shape.

Additionally, you’ll want to think about what matters most to you from an ethical and sustainable standpoint, as well as overall wear. If ethics and animals are top of mind, then a cruelty-free formula is a must. If sustainability and general health are of importance to you, looking for a clean formula (specifically Byrdie Clean) is a worthwhile endeavor. And if ultra-long-lasting wear is your main goal, considering a waterproof formula, like Black Radiance's Waterproof Mascara, may be your best bet.

Wand Design

Not all mascara wands are created equal. (That's why we've got a guide to the best mascara wand according to your lash type.) Where a thick, oversized brush can give dense lashes lift and curl, a long, skinny, fine-toothed wand can breathe new life into curly, short, fine lashes. Have sparse lashes? An hourglass wand can help you enviable fake volume and lift. One of the reasons the Flower Beauty Warrior Princess Mascara is our best overall pick is that it has an hourglass-shaped wand and a feathery brush, which provides full coverage without clumping. 

Removal

Even though we want a mascara that withstands the test of time from morning to night, we don’t want a formula that’s so difficult to remove that it requires massive amounts of friction, which can drastically damage lashes. We really like how easily the Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara washes off. In a past article on proper eye makeup removal techniques, New York-based, board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian shared that “gentle dabbing and soft circular movements should be enough to lift the eye makeup off, without traumatizing the skin.” If that’s not the case for your mascara, it’s time to try a new cleanser (like a makeup-melting balm) or find a new mascara. 

FAQ
  • What is the difference between drugstore mascara and luxury mascara?

    The biggest difference? Price. While you can expect to pay between $30-$80 for a great luxury mascara, our most affordable drugstore mascara pick is just $5. The basic ingredients don't differ much, but many luxury brands offer formulations enhanced with richer color pigments, curl enhancers, and even lash growth serums. 

  • What should I do if I get a drugstore mascara formula in my eye?

    Anytime you get anything in your eye, the proper approach is to flush it out with water. If after doing so your eye continues to feel irritated, you should seek medical attention. It’s always better to be safe than sorry—especially when your eyes (and vision) are at risk. 

  • What should I do if I get a drugstore mascara on my eyelid?

    It’s a simple fix. Simply soak a cotton swab with micellar water and gently wipe it away. For even more target removal, opt for a pointed swab. Or, if you don’t want to embrace a multi-step process, consider stocking your beauty routine with Alleyoop’s Tip Off Liquid Filled Makeup Removing Swabs. Simply crack off the tip, let the other tip fill with liquid, and swipe away.

  • How do you choose a mascara?

    With so many products on the market, word-of-mouth reviews can prove beneficial. When taking other people’s reviews into mind, however, you’ll want to ensure that their lash type coincides with your own—otherwise, their perspective may not be super effective for your own flutter. So if you need, say, a lengthening mascara, take that into consideration when reading reviews.

Why Trust Byrdie

Byrdie beauty writer Rebecca Norris has been contributing articles to the site for over three years and has been working within the beauty field for over eight years. She’s in the know on all the latest and greatest mascara formulas or used her knowledge to hand-select top drugstore options, which she then tested first-hand to offer expert input on the category. Rather than being based on brand preference alone, each mascara was rated on a standardized scale to conclude the best drugstore mascaras.

Updated by Caitlyn Martyn

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