I thought that this would be quite a fun post to do to see whether more expensive mascaras are really worth purchasing. Out of all my makeup products, I wear mascara the most so I like it to be good!
For this post, my ‘cheap’ mascara is the Fast Stroke Defining Lash Waterproof Mascara from Collection. I bought this mascara for £2.99 from my local Superdrug, so it is highly affordable. My ‘expensive’ mascara is the Better Than Sex (waterproof formula for fair comparison) Mascara from Too Faced. I bought this from Debenhams for £19.00, making it much more expensive than Collection’s Mascara – but is it worth it?
Cheap VS Expensive: Mascara
CHEAP: Collection’s Fast Stroke Defining Lash Waterproof Mascara
Firstly I tried Collection’s Mascara. Firstly, I found that the brush was incredibly thin and cheap feeling, but that was expected for the price. I applied two coats of the formula to my eyes and I found that immediately it was quite smudgy, but maybe that was because it hadn’t dried yet. It did transfer onto my lids and under my eyes a little. On application, I found it be be slightly scratchy as the bristles of the brush are very very short.
I have naturally quite long eyelashes and I didn’t curl my eyelashes prior to application. This was so I could see whether it could hold a curl and I don’t think it really does. I’ve also found with this that it can clump fairly easily. This can irritate my eyes a bit, but that isn’t at fault of the mascara itself. I think it’s waterproof mascaras in general that make my eyes a bit itchy as I also get it with the Too Faced Waterproof Mascara.
Overall, I don’t think that this is a bad mascara – it’s certainly wearable. I do think that it could be better. As it isn’t completely waterproof, I think that you’d be better off with the original formula of this mascara, that may be easier to get along with. ( I’ve never tried the original formula of this mascara but I did previously own the Collection ‘No Clumps’ Mascara which I believe was quite similar but has been discontinued now).
EXPENSIVE: Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara
I own both the original and waterproof formula of this mascara and I love them both! I think that the brush on this mascara is much better. The bristles are much longer and the brush has an iconic hourglass shape that curls your lashes and stops it clumping so much. I do believe that this is quite a ‘wet’ formula at first so careful application is required. The application experience, I found, was a lot more comfortable with this mascara I think, and even more so with the original formula (which I prefer slightly over this one!).
When applied badly, yes it can transfer slightly, but overall I think that it stays where it’s meant to. I found it much more difficult to get off than the other one – so it may be more waterproof. I also found it didn’t clump despite having a thicker brush and formula etc. I believe this’ll hold a curl nicely which is goo for my long eyelashes.
Overall, I love this mascara, but as a waterproof mascara. For everyday wear I prefer the original formula of ‘Better Than Sex’. However, I would happily wear this everyday despite preferring the other one.
Conclusions
In conclusion, I think that the cheap mascara is great for the price. It’s a bit better than i was expecting – but I wanted more. If you’re on a serious budget, it’ll do. If you’re looking for hardcore everyday wear mascara, I think you’ll have to fork out a bit more cash. Maybe not as much as £19 but maybe a little more than £3!
My advice is to read reviews of other people’s experiences, and also just try some out and speak to the staff in shops. At the end of the day, it’s totally down to personal preference. For instance, myself and many other love the Too Faced mascara but other’s don’t – they may prefer a drugstore brand like Maybelline.
I hope this post was useful and taught you a few things about how price affects what a mascara is like. I’m by no means a professional MUA or nothin’ so I don’t really know all the specifics about mascara, but I tried!
Thank you for reading – let me know, which mascara do you think you’d prefer?
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