The Best and Worst Mascaras

Over the bank holiday weekend I took the opportunity to reorganise my makeup collection - it has been so messy for so long and I just needed a change! Once I'd reordered everything I quickly realised that I was almost drowning in mascaras... Despite wearing mascara nearly evert single day they're not a beauty item that I get too excited about. So when I saw that I had no fewer than fourteen mascaras (I know, that just shouldn't be a thing!) I was a little bit shocked. However, I did see the positive side and decided that it was a great opportunity to walk you through all the mascaras I've been using this year. Comparative reviews are really helpful when it comes to deciding what's actually worth spending your money on, so that's what I'm going to offer up today!

Let's start with my most recently mascara additions. I recieved the Rimmel Wake Me Up Mascara (£5.99*) in August's Look Fantastic Beauty Box (incidentally, I'm giving one of these boxes away in a giveaway) and I've used it a couple of times now. I was immediately terrified of the massive wand - it's probably the biggest one I've ever used - but it did add a surprising amount of volume. However, towards the end of the day I noticed a couple of smudges under my lower lashes so it's definitely something you need to keep an eye on throughout the day. Another recent addition has been the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara (£19.50*) and I'm happy to say that it ticks pretty much all the right boxes for me. It adds length and a bit of volume, and I haven't noticed any smudging. It's probably my favourite high-end mascara and I'd definitely recommend it.

I was a little shocked to find three MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascaras (£10.99) in my collection - one of which was open and the other two are new. This is probably my favourite drugstore mascara and I've been repurchasing it for years now. I often get them free with in-store deals and I guess I've been hoarding them! I found two other drugstore mascaras - the Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara ($7.99) and the Maybelline the Clossal Go Extreme Volum' Mascara (£6.99*) - but I haven't actually tried them yet. They've been sitting in that drawer for a long time so I'm not entirely sure if they're still in their use-by date. I hate wasting makeup but sometimes you just mess up and can't get the most out of a product.

I also found two of my favourite natural mascaras - the Green People Volumising Mascara (£14.75*) and the Living Nature Thickening Mascara (£17.85*). Both of these feel gentler on the eyes than other mascaras I own as I do sometimes get watery eyes from mascara. I love the Green People Volumising Mascara, that's probably one of my favourites out of all the mascaras I've tried this year. I do also like the Living Nature Mascara but I'm not as big a fan of its brush, it just doesn't quite give me the results that I'm looking for.

This is where we come on to a series of high-end mascaras that I've trialled for review but they haven't made it into my long-term everyday beauty routine. I recieved a couple of samples from John Lewis Kingston (where I often go to attend beauty events - they're beauty hall is amazing!) - notably the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara (£24.00*) and the Lancome Paris Hypnose Mascara  (£22.50*). I definitely prefer the Estee Lauder mascara and I did actually get quite a lot of use out of it early on in the summer. I think I might pull that one out and try and use it more!

I also have a couple of mascaras that I enjoyed trialling but that I just didn't love enough to continue using everyday. Both the Ariane Poole Luxury Mascara (£17.00*) and the Claudia Louch Lashware Mascara (£23.00*) are both really good products but, again, their brushes just weren't quite what I prefer using. Lastly, I also have the RMK Color Mascara (£25.00*) which is downright incredible. The brushes are amzing, the formula is incredible and the colours are really fun. I would love to wear this mor often but I'm definitely a bit conventional when it comes to my mascara. However, if I owned the same mascara in black or brown then I could see this being my holy grain product. Honestly, it makes my lashs look incredible and holds a curl really well. If I ever run out of mascara then this is the brand I'll be looking to purchase from.

Have you tried any of the mascaras in today's post?

What's your favourite mascara?