Testing Drugstore Mascaras (Cruelty Free)

I’ve been on the hunt for a while now, searching for a new favourite cruelty free mascara ever since deciding that I will now only be buying from cruelty free companies. My previous favourites had been the Benefit Roller Lash and the Maybelline Lash Sensation which I used every single day but after discovering that both Benefit and Maybelline test on animals, I will no longer purchase from them.

The first mascara that I decided to try from the drugstore was the Soap and Glory Thick and Fast black mascara. I had previously seen some good reviews about this and it is a reasonable price so decided to give it a try. The wand is very basic, it has got no curve and the bristles are quite long. One thing that I noticed during the application of this product was that it was quite difficult to reach all of your lashes because of it not being curved but that’s just a personal preference. The mascara itself is quite good, it gives a good amount of length and is very black which makes your lashes stand out but personally, I have noticed it can be quite clumpy when a few layers are applied and it is also quite a wet formula so it transfers quite easily. Overall though, for the price of £10.50, I cannot see myself re-purchasing this mascara because I do not love it enough and have definitely found cheaper options which work better. Click here to view this product on the Boots website.

The next mascara that I decided to try out is the Collection Fast Stroke Defining Lash because I had been recommended to try out a Collection mascara by a friend as they are cruelty free and very affordable. This mascara is only £2.99 from Boots ans can be found here. The wand of this mascara is very different to anything I have previously tried, it is long and plastic and goes from bigger to smaller at the end, I assume that this has been done so that the outer lashes get more volume whereas it is easier to reach the smaller, inner lashes. When I first applied this product, I did notice that it is also a very wet formula and it did go on to my eye lid however, I was pleased with the final look and it had added a lot of volume and length to my lashes from me building it up with a few layers. Something else that I had noticed which shocked me was that throughout the day, it did transfer slightly on to my under eye, this surprised me because it is supposed to be a waterproof mascara so I expected it to not budge. Overall, I can see myself using this again but not for everyday use, it is much better for reaching all of your lower lashes.

The final mascara that I decided to try out was the Essence Super Curl in black. I got mine from Wilko for £3.00 and you can find it here. The applicator of this mascara is definitely something which I would normally go for whereas the others were not, it is very curved and the bristles are longer in some places than others as this then adds more volume when applied (I’d definitely say this applicator is very similar to the Benefit Roller Lash but it is longer). When I first applied this mascara, I was amazed, it gave me instant length and volume which I was not expecting and after just a few coats, I was so pleased with it. It also didn’t go anywhere around my eyes which shows it doesn’t have a wet formula like the others and it lasted so long throughout the day before I did eventually, get some transfer beneath my eyes. Overall, this is definitely my favourite of the 3 that I have recently tried and I can see myself getting the most use out of this one and re-purchasing it in the future! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a really good quality, cheap mascara which is so fast to apply.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you’d like to follow me on Instagram or Twitter you can find me at @bethxkate.

Beth X