The Mascara Edit: Which Would I Repurchase?

I’m always looking for a great lengthening mascara – one that’s affordable, eye-opening, non-flaking and defining. A little volume and curl never hurt a girl either!

Find out which mascaras from this bunch I would repurchase and which will never be seen in my makeup drawer again…

e.l.f. Lash Extending Mascara*

This is a good mascara for long, defined, wispy lashes. It provides decent length with great definition, but little volume. The wand works well and I love that it doesn’t hold a lot of product on it. You’ll definitely need at least two coats for Lash Extending to have any real impact and you have to wait for the first coat to fully dry to be able to build on it. On a more positive note, no matter how many layers I apply, this stuff never clumps or makes my lashes stick together. It’s definitely not waterproof and smudges easily if you’re the teary type.

In short, e.l.f.’s Lash Extending mascara is a good option if you’re looking for a drugstore mascara to give you a natural lash look and it can give you spidery long lashes if you have the patience to build it up. Those of you looking for long lashes with a few strokes of the mascara wand will hate this stuff.

Would I purchase? No. (*got it free from TopBoxCircle)

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Knockout Mascara

I got Estee Lauder’s Sumptuous Knockout Mascara as a free sample with a previous Estee Lauder haul and it is wonderful! It has a rubber bristled wand that creates great definition and the formula gives you super long lashes. This was a favourite of mine until it finally started to dry out and I miss it in my current makeup rotation.

If you want super long lashes and don’t mind spending a few extra dollars, this is the best mascara of the bunch! Would I purchase the full size? Yes.

Buy It: Lord & Taylor | The Bay | Selfridges

Maybelline Volum’ Express The Colossal Cat Eyes Waterproof Mascara

I DESPISED Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara and vowed to never buy another mascara from the brand. But when I saw the Volum’ Express Mascara on sale for $3, I thought – ok, why not. I guess some vows are meant to be broken.

Volum’ Express is a super-black mascara that’s a real workhorse; it provides length and volume very quickly and helped hold my curl. It comes with a curved wand that works really well on my top and bottom lashes and I find one coat is usually enough to kick my lashes into gear – more than that gives me too much volume and the formula can start to get sticky. My only complaint would be that I found this mascara to be a bit too black for me.

Would I repurchase? In a lighter colour, Yes.

Buy It: Walgreen’s | Ulta | Target

PUR Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara

I got a sample size of this mascara in a previous Ipsy bag and would have really loved it if it wasn’t for all the flaking. PUR Fully Charged is powered by “magnetic technology” to strengthen, thicken, lengthen and separate lashes.

I loved how my lashes looked with this cruelty-free mascara – it provided great length and decent volume – but again, the flaking killed it for me.

Would I repurchase? No.

Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara

I reviewed Noir Interdit in detail here (got if free from Influenster), but the Coles’ Notes version of that review is as follows: Noir Interdit is a rose-scented mascara that provides great length, with zero volume.

It has a wand with pointy, rubber bristles and the wand can bend up to 90 degrees (see below) – a great idea, but it doesn’t really make application that much easier, in my opinion. It also hurt like crazy if you happened to poke yourself in the eye with said bristles.

Loved this mascara for giving me long, wispy, daddy-long-leg lashes but hated the rose scent that would last all day. I paired this mascara with my L’Oreal Voluminous Base Lash Primer during the summer and loved how the two worked together. I also enjoyed the super pointy rubber bristles and will be keeping this wand to help de-clump and separate my lashes in the future.

Would I repurchase: No.

Buxom Lash Volumizing Mascara

I received a sample of this Buxom Lash Volumizing mascara with a Sephora order and couldn’t wait to try it. The wand for this mascara is HUGE and has rubber bristles, which I personally love for mascara application.

It provides great length and definition but not a ton of volume, which is ok for me. It never flaked or smudged, but I wish it gave me a little more oomph in the length department.

Would I purchase the full size? No.

What’s your favourite mascara at the moment?

*this post contains affiliate links*

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