Happy Wednesday! Since going vegan in the summer of 2016, I’ve been on the hunt for my new Holy Grail mascara. While it’s been quite easy to find a vegan substitute for the majority of my makeup products, finding a vegan mascara has been a bit more challenging. Today I am going to share mini reviews of the eight different mascaras I’ve tried in the past couple of years. These mascaras range widely in both price and quality, and I will share my thoughts on them in the chronological order in which I tested them. Let’s go on a journey through all of the vegan mascaras I’ve tried!
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Wet ‘n Wild MegaVolume Mascara – $2.99 [BUY]
The first vegan mascara I tried is the Wet ‘n Wild MegaVolume. I decided to start out with a very affordable option, as I always hope to find a product that is extremely budget friendly. I posted a full review of this mascara on my blog HERE. Overall, I thought this mascara was okay, but it didn’t provide me with too much volume or length. If you are looking for a natural-looking mascara that will give you just a little definition, the MegaVolume is a good option.
e.l.f. Cosmetics Volumizing & Defining Mascara – $2.90 [BUY]
I then decided to try another drugstore brand to see how that mascara would compare. I bought the e.l.f. Cosmetics Volumizing & Defining Mascara because I really enjoy this type of plastic wand as opposed to natural bristle wands. Unfortunately, this mascara was a huge disappointment! As I outlined in THIS blog post, the formula was extremely thick and heavy. Worst of all, it gave me the dreaded uni-lash, meaning all of my lashes stuck together in one clump. This was strike one for e.l.f., a brand I usually love!
Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara – $23.00 [BUY]
After two frustrating rounds with drugstore mascaras, I tried my hand at a high end option from Tarte. I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. It provided me with longer and fuller lashes, and was definitely the best option I tried thus far. However, I prefer a drier mascara formula, and this one is a bit on the wet side. That being said, I do recommend this mascara, and I can see myself going back to it at some point in the future. I don’t like spending a lot on high end mascaras, but this one is worth it if you like a wetter formula.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara – $23.00 [BUY]
I next decided to try a cult favorite mascara in the beauty community – the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. Unfortunately, this mascara did not work out for me at all! I found the formula to be extremely heavy, and it made a huge mess every time I tried to apply it. I think the natural bristle brush combined with the wet formula was just a big no for my lashes. Despite so many people loving this mascara, I would not recommend it! It was back to drugstore formulas (and prices!) at this point.
e.l.f. Cosmetics 3-in-1 Mascara – $3.00 [BUY]
I decided to give e.l.f. a second chance, and purchased the 3-in-1 Mascara. Again, I went with a plastic mascara wand, and chose a formula advertised to define, lengthen, and volumize. This time, it wasn’t the mascara formula that went wrong – it was the packaging! The opening of the mascara was so narrow that the brush could barely fit through it. That meant that almost zero product made it onto the wand and onto my lashes. I consistently felt like I was putting absolutely nothing on my lashes with this mascara. I do want to mention that this product has since been reformulated, but I have no desire to try it again. We’ll call this strike two for e.l.f.
e.l.f. Cosmetics Volume Plumping Mascara – $3.00 [BUY]
I gave e.l.f. its third and final chance with the Volume Pluming Mascara. I grabbed this at Target, hoping that the promised “New Formula” would be good. Well, this was strike three for e.l.f. mascaras for me. Once again, the formula did almost nothing for my lashes. Remember how I said the Wet ‘n Wild MegaVolume looked very natural? This Volume Plumping Mascara did even less than that. I’ve now come to the conclusion that e.l.f. mascaras are not for me. I absolutely love e.l.f. Cosmetics as a brand, but I do not plan on ever trying another mascara from the company.
Wet ‘n Wild MegaLength Mascara – $2.99 [BUY]
At this point in the game, I did some thinking. I wanted to stick with a drugstore mascara to save money, but I also needed to stay away from e.l.f. I decided to go back to Wet ‘n Wild and try a different mascara formula. This time I got the MegaLength, and I was pleasantly surprised! This is by far the best vegan mascara I’ve tested, and it’s only $2.99 regular price! I like this mascara because it does a great job at lengthening my lashes. It doesn’t provide much volume, but I would rather have long lashes than clumpy ones. While still not a Holy Grail product for me, this is a mascara I’ve repurchased a few times already.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Gifted Mascara – $23.00 [BUY]
Last but not least, I got a mini size of the Tarte Gifted Mascara as a point perk from Sephora. I really liked this mascara, too. It can be a bit messy, but I like how my lashes looked really full and long after application. That being said, I wouldn’t buy this mascara at the full price. If it went on sale, I would consider getting this again, and I do recommend it if you’re looking for a weightless yet effective mascara.
Final Thoughts: I’ve learned a few important things during these past 18 months of testing vegan mascaras. First, e.l.f. Cosmetics mascaras are to be avoided (at least, for me). Second, spending a lot of money on a mascara isn’t worth it for me. I like to change out my mascaras every three to four months, so keeping the cost down is important. In the same way, more money doesn’t necessarily mean a better formula. In the end, I’m going to continue testing out vegan drugstore mascaras to see if I can find my new Holy Grail. Until then, I highly recommend the Wet ‘n Wild MegaLength!
What’s your favorite vegan mascara? Let me know in the comments!