I’m a firm believer that mascara is one of the places in your makeup routine that you absolutely do not need to invest heavily in. Some of the best mascaras I have tried and continue to repurchase have been available on the high street or when I’m doing my food shop. I have long, straight lashes, so I always curl them before applying mascara. I’ve found that the best affordable mascaras will hold the curl all day and won’t droop or crumble off. Of course, no mascara is perfect (except maybe one—we’ll get to that), so below, I’ve noted the pros and any cons with each mascara pick.
If you have short or curled lashes, look out for mascaras that have a plastic brush. These seem to work best for lengthening and gripping shorter lashes without leaving an imprint on your lid, a nightmare if you’ve already done your eye shadow or liner. Fibrous bristle brushes are great for loading volume onto your lashes. So if you are happy with the length but want them to look fluttery and full, this kind of brush is your best option.
Below are my picks of the best high-street mascaras across the board.
Price shown is member price. This has become one of Beauty Pie’s most raved about products. It’s a tubing mascara, meaning that it creates glossy, blacker than black tubes around each lash, boosting volume, length and lasting curl hold. These kinds of tubing mascaras even wash off with warm water, and don’t flake off or smudge like other mascaras do.
This is the closest thing you can get to haute couture for your eyelashes. Max Factor’s clever mascara wand shape-shifts by twisting the tip, allowing you to change the shape of the brush for either length or volume. The longer shape beautifully lengthens and fans out lashes, while the shorter length dials up volume for a dramatic effect.
If it is lift and length that you’re after, then it doesn’t get better than L’Oréal Paris’ new version of its iconic Telescopic Mascara. This one offers a new brush and formula that promises lasting lift throughout the day, giving you long and fluttery lashes. The brush features hooked bristles that lengthen each lash to its full potential, while the flatter side of the brush is ideal for dispensing product at the base of the lashes for a false-lash effect.
This was one of the first mascaras that I actually loved. The difference it makes to the length of your lashes is incredible, and it contains a Grow-Lash Complex to nourish your eyelashes and help them lengthen sans mascara, too. It’s all about lengthening here, so not for you if you want any noticeable volume.
Looking for fanned-out lashes? This separates lashes and holds them in place. It’s great for adding flutter but not length.
Light volume is the best way I could describe this mascara. The formula is whipped, so it gives a generous dose of flutter to the lashes. I recommend two coats maximum though before it starts to clump up.
With 250 natural bristles on this mascara wand, you can definitely coat every single lash. It also contains jojoba oil for nourishing the lashes too.
The small brush is perfect for top and bottom lashes, and you can really create lift by getting right to the root of the lash comfortably. I would opt for this one for length rather than volume.
I would say, right now, this is my favourite high-street mascara. The length you can achieve is incredible, and while it doesn’t create lots of volume, because it catches the little lashes, it really is an all-round winner.
If curl is your top priority, this is an excellent choice. The curved brush grips your lashes to coat them and give 24-hour hold. I haven’t ever worn it for a full 24 hours, but for a solid 12 hours, it didn’t budge.
You can layer this up to six times, and it remains clump-free. That’s how light the formula is. I would say this is less of a wow impact, but for natural, fluttery, everyday wear, it creates good volume and length.
The brush for this is really traditional and good for natural, everyday volume. While it’s not groundbreaking, it doesn’t clump (a real mascara pet peeve of mine), and the formula lasts all day.
If I had to describe this mascara in two words, it would be enviable length. The plastic bristles are almost nonexistent, but it makes it easier to lift from the root of the lash. This isn’t a mascara to layer up, though, as the result will be clumpy.
Fluttery lashes are the MO with this mascara. It curls and separates for that doe-eyed look, but don’t expect tons of length here.
A dupe for the cult-favourite Benefit mascara, this provides length and volume in abundance. The bristles at the tip of the brush can be used for the inner corner and bottom lashes too.
The tiny bristles on this plastic wand give the shortest lashes new length. The formula sets quickly, but layering more than two coats does result in a little bit of clumping up.
Did you know a tube of this iconic mascara is sold every five seconds around the world? Legendary for a reason, you can steadily build up volume without the fear of dreaded clumps. Plus, they were way ahead of the trend pairing bright green and pink together.
Rise by name, rise by nature – a blacker-than-black formula featuring four vegan waxes that coat each lash. The result? Curled, lifted, and clump-free lashes. The travel size comes in at just under £15 if you want to try it before committing to a full size tube.
