Many like to watch their favorite stars and copy their beauty techniques but often feel like they can’t afford expensive high-end products. Fortunately, even stars use drugstore cosmetics. Start a search today to find affordable mascaras under $10.
Mascara is one of those must-have beauty enhancers, and some of the best brands are affordable and in stock online and at your local drugstore. Despite their price tags, these formulas have impressive texture, color and effectiveness.
The Basics
A tube of mascara doesn’t have to cost you $100 to achieve plump lashes. Just because it’s labeled as designer mascara doesn’t mean it always lives up to the hype. The packaging might be richly designed, but really, who cares? It’s what’s inside that matters.
That being said, it’s not hard to see why budget-friendly makeup can be a smart investment. The perfect mascara with the ideal brush or wand will let your eyes pop, look larger, more defined, and feel good wearing the formula. Below we’ve listed four mascaras that are truly worthy of praise, check them out!
L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara
If long lashes are what you crave in a mascara tube, then stop right here because L’Oreal has developed one of the finest lash-lengthening formulas out there. The product can make your lashes looks absurdly long. Just a few coats and you’ll achieve the kind of length that many people use false lashes to achieve.
The mascara wand creates part of the incredible results. Telescopic features a very thin and long wand that picks up the product and applies it without clumping. The narrow flexible precision brush is excellent at reaching the very inner lashes of the eye or any lashes that sometimes get lost in normal mascara application. The wonder brush is also superb at defining the lower lashes without smudging in the process.
Ladies, if you have short lashes or pales ones that need some major “oomph,” Telescopic will bring on the drama. At this entry-level price, you’re getting a huge game-changer in one discreet tube. YouTube’s famous beauty guru Carli Bybel calls Telescopic mascara her “absolute favorite, hands down”, and she’s accustomed to trying on tons of different makeup brands.
Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara
Let’s be honest, if this famous mascara in the pink tube and green cap wasn’t any good, it wouldn’t still be on the market. Maybelline’s Great Lash remains America’s favorite mascara, with one tube of Great Lash sold every 1.7 seconds in the United States. It’s inexpensive, reliable and helps you achieve the classic glamour of pretty eye fringe. Maybelline’s Great Lash creates a very natural-looking lash, so don’t expect an over-the-top doll-like effect. It’s not claiming to be a special effects product, just a reliable and consistent lash enhancer.
Nicole Richie loves the brand, and it’s the only mascara she’ll use on her own when a professional makeup artist isn’t around to create her beautiful face and large doe eyes. Nicole tells InStyle magazine that “Maybelline is great because it’s inexpensive and easy to use!”
Maybelline’s Great Lash comes in a curved or straight brush and in washable or waterproof varieties. The formula is never chunky or thick and is perfect for those who wear contacts or have sensitive eyes. Just two coats of Great Lash, and you can double your lash volume, and head out the door.
L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara
If you like how television anchors and actresses always seem to have the biggest eyes with the thickest lashes, then L’Oreal Paris Voluminous is the tube to reach for. The formula is intense and almost as pronounced as a pair of false lashes. Just ask Kerry Washington of ABC’s Scandal how she got those flirty, lush lashes. Good Morning America host Amy Robach is also a fan of this product, it’s hard to miss! Both ladies have revealed that it’s the Voluminous formula that keeps their lashes looking as sharp as they do.
L’Oréal Voluminous Original Volume Building Mascara is uniquely formulated to build lashes five times their natural thickness, and they aren’t kidding. This is partially due to the unique mascara wand. It’s a fatter brush that’s constructed at a slight angle. It loads up with just the perfect amount of product for each build-able coat, creating a thick smooth fringe with zero smudging or flaking.
Voluminous is so dramatic, just one coat will show off your lashes with stunning volume. You can layer it more for a great evening look. It’s versatile for day or night, and Kerry Washington says it’s in her makeup bag wherever she travels.
For less than $10, this thickening mascara lives up to its name and reputation.
Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara
When you find a mascara that lengthens lashes and offers a lash-growing conditioning treatment, grab it fast. Rimmel London is revered for their inexpensive, yet high quality, mascaras from here to London, and this particular mascara is no exception.
Lashes that are stunning are an asset, but those that are strong and healthy are a welcome bonus. Rimmel London’s special formula is made with an exclusive, natural GROW-LASH Complex with Procapil. The good news is you don’t need a prescription for lash enhancement because this one is safe and produces decent results for a lot of women.
Women find that Lash Accelerator mascara gives impressive length, and its pointed-tip brush does a great job of separating and defining every lash. The great texture never clumps, smudges or transfers. The formula is also nourishing due to its unique conditioning ingredients, so dry, stale lashes aren’t a problem.
Some women use the Lash Accelerator mascara as a lash primer and allow it to dry. From here, they add another coat of a different mascara to double the doll-like lash effects. Either way, this product is a steal at just under $10 and promotes longer, stronger lashes.