My hunt for the best and lowest priced mascara

Many of you have that one makeup item that's required before you leave the house. Mine is mascara. I wasn't blessed with lush, long lashes. Plus, they're the only real blonde left on my body, the one place I'd prefer to be dark, ugh. I literally look like a different woman without it. As a teen I didn't want to go swimming when boys were there because I didn't want my mascara to come off... sad I know.


So, I recently gathered up my news anchor and reporter friends. What they shared makes me upset that I didn't find all this out earlier!


First, Lancome mascara is the goddess of them all. There's nothing else even close in my opinion, and I've wasted a lot of money trying to find a less expensive version. However, one of my reporter friends said, "Have you ever tried L’Oreal Voluminous?" Then, my other reporter friends piped in by saying, "Oh yeah! That's the best drug store brand." My mouth dropped in disbelief. They're just now telling me this? I'd always read that the best drug store brand was Great Lash, you know the one with the pink tube and green cap. I have never been impressed. Some of my girlfriends feel differently though. If that's the case, good for you sister! Anyway, L’Oreal is made by Lancome. So, the next day I bee-lined it to the nearest drug store. They were right! Now, it's not as good as Lancome. But, for the price difference, it's definitely the best for the cost. Voluminous is about $8. You'll pay about $30 at the Lancome counter.


Next, we chatted about the brush. The makeup ads always tout their brushes. My makeup junkie friend (Jen) uses the brush for thickening the lashes, and for her second step, uses another tube with a lengthening brush.
That's a little too high maintenance for me. I might try it on my next special occasion though.


As for applying the mascara, the biggest impact comes from the back and forth movement as you move toward the tip. That's why the vibrating mascaras work so well. Also, make sure you start at the base of the lash. That's what gives the illusion that you have more lashes. For the last step, run the brush along the top of your lashes. You can hold the mirror by your chin and look down so you don't get mascara on your eyelids.


More tips below.


-Toss your tube every three months. You don't want to see what kind of infection an old tube can cause, trust me.
-Don't pump the brush; it adds air to the tube.
-Ever heard of bat poop in mascara? That's false.
-An eye-whitening liquid like Clear Eyes is great for adding to the wide awake look that mascara can help create. But, use is before applying your mascara, and if you use the drop throughout the day, your mascara won't last as long.