Best drugstore mascaras for long, defined lashes

This felt lighter than air on my lashes yet made them look long and defined, delivering a your-lashes-but-much-much-better effect. Although the brush is twisted, it’s pretty flexible and helps the shorter bristles to pick up every hair.

I didn’t have any issues with smearing or clumping when applying (which is very rare for when you use a mascara for the first time), and I could add up to three layers without my lashes feeling like stalagmites. Like Pacifica’s, this formula contains vegan collagen, which may be the secret to doe-like fluttery lashes.

This is probably the drugstore mascara I will always reach for by default. I’ve gone through tubes of the brown shade (I like softer definition most of the time, even though my lashes are black), and the blackest black shade packs a deeper punch without looking too intense.

It lasts all day, doesn’t transfer onto my lids during or post-application, and layers well on the topside of my lashes without clumping up. Removal was very easy and actually the quickest of the group — I used a cleansing foam and black Face Halo microfiber makeup cleansing pad.

This one’s perfect for no-make-up make-up days or when you feel your lashes need some TLC, but you don’t want to take a break from mascara just yet. The definition felt almost too subtle to notice (fans of Glossier’s mascara will love this one), but it felt nourishing and plumping thanks to the vegan collagen and plant fibres, and it was really easy to remove.

I liked the feeling of having something cleaner on my lashes — the formula is free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, and talc. The glass tube instead of plastic made it feel more elevated than the others I tested.

My lashes are already quite long, but I always want them longer. If they touch my eyebrows when my eyes are wide open, it's automatic entry into the Hall of Fame. I’d somehow never tried this formula, one of the most classic mascaras of all time, until testing for this review. But I definitely can’t be without it now.

I did find the wand is a little long (I’d never apply this in a moving car), which made the application take a little longer, but it is excellent at grabbing every hair and extending it to unprecedented heights.

I really love a straight, thin, flexible comb applicator — and for this reason, I gave e.l.f.’s mascara five stars. Out of every contender, this one had the best synergy between formula and wand. It seemed to spread effortlessly across every lash in one swipe without clumping or bobbling on the lash tips.

The jojoba oil in the formula seemed to really come through, as my lashes felt soft and flexible, and removal was easy.

I remember first trying this mascara when it launched several years ago and being so excited at the spoon-style wand. You do have to wipe some of the formula off the wand to get fanned-out, fluffy lashes, but it does deliver once you’ve done this.

There was slight clumping that the wand didn’t quite comb through. Aside from that, it’s a solid choice and is most suited to a wide range of lash needs, and it washed off easily.

This formula was the most buildable, closely followed by Pacifica and CoverGirl.

I could definitely tell it contained fibres, which helped build volume over two to three layers, but it did make the finish a tad too matte for my preference. The formula added a lot of volume to my lower lashes rather than drenching them to clump together, with tons of separation.

This pretty much does it all: lengthens, volumizes, feels like it would hold a curl, and adds lots of definition at the base for an illusion of eyeliner.

But above everything, it lasts extremely well — even surviving a flash rain shower despite not being waterproof. I built up to three layers without it clumping, and all those layers washed away easily almost 16 hours later.