There are so many good mascaras on the market today. You can find mascaras in drug stores, beauty stores, boutiques and online. Mascara possibilities are endless. All of the choices you have for mascaras might make choosing a mascara harder, but I’m here to share with you my 2023 top rated mascara that is both affordable, easy to find and completely fool proof for application.
I will keep this 2023 mascara review honest and simple…
Let’s go!
The #1 Best Mascara
I’m not going to beat around the bush. This mascara is affordable and WORKS. It makes lashes look longer and thicker for a false lash effect without the glue. The #1 best mascara is hands down L’OrĂ©al Paris Lash Paradise.
Cons:
- Not clean beauty (but also not the worst ingredients)
- Doesn’t come in travel size
Pros:
- It’s CHEAP! $15 on the walgreens website or in person
- The wand makes it totally fool proof
- Comes in black and black/brown
- Can boost your lashes even more with the lash primer
- Works great with any lash curler
- Comes in a waterproof version
- Easy to remove with micellar water for less pulling at the eyes
- Can usually find bogo or buy2get1 sales
*disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with any of these companies in any way. I have zero financial or gratis incentive to share other than I love makeup and want people to use a mascara they love.
Top 5 Mascaras
In 2023 I’ve tried several mascaras because I’m always on the hunt for the best. If for some reason you just cannot get into Lash Paradise, here are the top 5 mascaras I’ve tried in 2023 that are a close second.
- Thrive
- Benefit Bad Gal
- Too Faced Better Than Sex
- Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes
- Milk Makeup Kush
All of thees mascaras are priced between $20-$40 and the results are beautiful. Though priced a bit higher, I think all of these mascaras are worth sampling. Make sure you always sample mascaras and make your purchases at a reputable in-person or online store (not poshmark or amazon). Unfortunately there is a HUGE makeup black market and the products are being sold more cheaply but with less quality and often unsanitary or even toxic ingredients.
The Top Rated Mascara In 2023
According to Who What Where the mascara voted editor’s best in 2023 is LancĂŽme Lash IdĂŽle Volumizing Mascara $30. Let me let you in on a little beauty industry secret: Loreal is owned by Lancome and their products are made in the same factories often with the exact same ingredients with varying quality of ingredients. A lot of the time what you’re paying for is the branding and marketing (makeup counter vs. drug store) instead of the product itself.
That said, I haven’t tried the Lash Idole yet and I do see that that brush is very unique and might be worth checking out for that reason alone. Maybe it will blow me away even more than the Lash Paradise. At about twice as much for the cost, I doubt I would be converted that much.
Is Clean Mascara Worth It?
So you might be wondering why I don’t have a clean mascara on my list. First, I should probably define clean: without chemicals and preservatives like plastics, formaldehyde, synthetic dyes, and parabens. I absolutely love cleaner ingredients but I also value performance and unfortunately there aren’t a lot of brands out that that give me the performance that I want with the purist of ingredients. I get it- it’s hard and almost impossible to compete in this market without manufacturing products in China and using synthetic ingredients. So, I’ve decided to take the road somewhere in the middle.
When it comes to mascara and dishwasher tabs I would rather there be a bit more chemicals in it than I like than get something that sheds on my eyes, doesn’t work or goes bad really fast.
While the idea behind clean mascara is admirable in terms of wellness, in terms of performance clean mascara objectively falls short. That might change someday and I’m excited to keep trying new products as the market demand changes.
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