Battle of the Inexpensive Mascaras

*Note: Yes, I call Miss Manga, Miss Magna....Magna made more sense to my brain, but it is in fact Manga.
Hello my lovelies!!!  Today I'm talking about Mascara.  Anyone who knows me can tell you that I 100% do not believe in buying expensive mascara.  There is absolutely no need for it.  I've tried them all.... and you can get an amazing mascara that does what you want for under $10 (Knowing what you want it to do is the trick).  IF you pay for luxury brand mascaras you are an idiot and a fool... No offense meant, but really.

So, I have been a Maybelline mascara addict for a very long time.  The Volum' Express line is amazing, and I've tried most the variations of them.  (Note, they have a new one I have not tried, Pumped Up! and I'll have to try that one soon...).  I personally like a curved brush, so I usually bounce back and forth between the Falsies Black Drama and The Colossal Cat Eye products. The Cat Eye mascara has a little stiffer brush, and I sort of like that... so that's what I've been using mostly for the past year.  I totally love this mascara.  One swipe and I was good to go.

I've been reading how MakeupGeek's Marlena loves L'Oreal's Voluminous Carbon Black.  The more I read about it, people compare it to and like it BETTER than DiorShow, which is sort of the holy grail standard of mascaras.  So I've been thinking about stepping out of my comfort zone and trying it.  I've walked the makeup aisle at Target several times.... went so far as to put it in my basket... but couldn't bring myself to try it.  Then I saw a new product in the Voluminous line pop up, Miss Magna.  Interesting.  I did some more reading, and people tend to like the original Voluminous vs. the spin offs... so I sort of wrote of Miss Magna.

Well, then I read on Facebook my friend, Molly Johnson, purchased Miss Magna.  Her initial reaction was that the brush looked like something an "alley cat chewed on", but then she was really amazed with the product.  That sealed it.  I was going to have to pick up both the Carbon Black and the Miss Magna... and I did, today.

So this is what my lashes look like with no mascara....no makeup at all here. I will admit I was blessed with pretty good eyelashes, they are just light.  I don't care for lengthening mascaras because with the natural curl I have in my lashes it just makes them too long and I get mascara all over my lid.  I prefer volume building formulas.  (And yes I know I need to do some eyebrow grooming, I'm going next week to get threaded... I was letting them grow out after a technician got them just a bit too thin for my taste, and I've been a little lazy...so don't judge.)

This is my much loved Colossal Cat Eye... ignore the bottom lashes, I didn't do a great job of applying it here.  This is 3 coats and as you can see quite lovely.  I love the stiff curved brush... This has been my go to mascara for the last year.  And yes, I mark on the tube with Sharpie when I opened it, so I know to throw it away after 3 months if the mascara makes it that long (It never does though).  This is non clumping and builds great volume.  One coat will just color your lashes, and looks pretty natural, just better.  I still really love this mascara. 

Here is the L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon black.  I accidentally picked up the waterproof version, and I really dislike waterproof mascaras.  It's nice, but I think I like my Cat Eyes better.  I'm wondering if it is because it is waterproof, so I'm going to return it and get the non waterproof version.  Actually, the original Voluminous (not the carbon  black) had a curved brush version.  I think I'll give that a go.  You can see it goes on really nicely, isn't clumpy and is very black.  This is my crazy eye with curly eyelashes, so I have problems applying mascara and not getting it all over my lid.  The fat straight brush did a pretty good job.  I did wipe the brush off before using though, I don't know why makeup companies can't come up with a tube that wipes more product off the brush as you remove it... but that is a cosmic question I can not answer.  This is a good solid mascara.  I do give it a thumbs up, but think I would stick with my Cat Eyes over this.  I will update if I like the non-waterproof curved brush version better.

And here is the Miss Magna.  Wow.  I think I like this a little better than my Cat Eyes.  I feel like I'm betraying an old friend.  The brush does indeed look like an alley cat chewed on it, but that is what makes it great.  The bristles going in crazy directions ensure that every lash is coated from every angle.  There is also a "joint" below the brush so that it moves a little when you apply.  I'm usually not a fan of the wiggly brush, I do like my stiff curved brush.  I feel like the brushes that are stiff let you push the product onto the lashes...and the wiggly brushes let your lashes push the brush.  Does that make sense?  But I think I could get used to this brush.  I did have to wipe A LOT of product off of the brush before using.  Keep that in mind before you cry that this is a clumpy mascara.  I think the pictures of Miss Magna and the Cat Eyes are pretty similar, but where I saw the difference was in just putting on one coat.  Miss Magna wins hands down if all you have time for is one coat.  BUT if you want something that is a little more subdued for daytime, Cat Eyes is pretty versatile. 

So I would say all 3 of these are really great mascaras.  As I mentioned above, the key to getting a great inexpensive mascara, is knowing what you want it to do.... and what kind of brush you like.  If you want lengthening, get a lengthening mascara.  Thicker lashes, get a mascara that builds volume, like one of these 3.  Want both?  Get one of each, and do a coat of lengthening first, then the volume mascara.  I go through a tube of mascara in about a month.  I find that even though it might not be empty, after a month I don't like the texture anymore.  This is why I've never spent more than $10 on mascara.  With a little experimentation, you can find a really great mascara that you love.  Keep in mind that not everything works for everyone, this is my opinion on these mascaras.  I know people who SWEAR by the Cover Girl mascaras, and I personally can not stand them. So, get out there and find what works for you!  If I helped, I'm glad!

Kisses! ~Paula

**** Update:  While I really do like the Miss Magna, I find myself reaching for my Colossal Cat Eye still.  L'Oreal needs to improve the packaging to wipe more of the product off the brush when pulled out of the tube.  Having to wipe it off manually is getting to be a bit tiresome for me.  I still really like the mascara, and it is my go to when I'm doing "good" makeup... (aka non quickie work makeup).  But for my everyday needs, I grab my Cat Eyes.  I have yet to make it back to Target to exchange the waterproof Carbon Black for non-waterproof.... I will give status on that as soon as I can!!

***** Update x2:  I got the Original Voluminous with the curved brush.  I like it!  The brush is curved but fat too.  I think the formulation of the product itself is similar or the same to Miss Manga, it's the brushes that are different.  Again, it is all up to preference.  But this is a very solid choice for a mascara.

I also wanted to say I got a sample of Makeup Forever's mascara.  Meh... I like these 3 inexpensive products much better.