Favorite waterproof mascara (drug store preferred)

I decided to take Angie's advice and give mascara a try, and I must confess, now that I have seen the potential, I am eating my words. I don't loathe the feeling as much as I thought I would, but I can't seem to find a good one, so I turn to you.

For my birthday I treated myself to this, but only realized after opening it that not a single one of the samples is waterproof or ophthalmologist-approved, which makes them an absolute no for my sensitive, eyedrop-needing, contact-wearing eyes. Back it goes.

Anyway, I'm 100% ok with using drug store brands, and even prefer it. It's just tricky because I can't try them out first. Here is what I'm hoping for:

-I already have very long, dark lashes, so color and length aren't the most critical to me. What I struggle with more is volume and separation.
-NO CLUMPING. This is by far the most common issue I seem to come across.
-No spider legs, please.
-No flaking. I can't have little bits falling into my eyes when I'm wearing contacts.
-Here is the tough part: Must not be tested on animals. L'Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon, and Cover Girl are all out. I usually look at Almay, Neutrogena, and Physician's Formula. I have a volumizing mascara from Neutrogena but it is definitely clumpy.

If I can't find a drugstore brand, what non-drugstore brands do you ladies like? Just tell me what they are and I can check if they are animal tested or not. There must be SOMETHING.

15 years ago

(website)

Veteran

I like Lash Exact because I detest clumping probably more than you do! And I still meticulously comb out my lashes with metal comb after application to be sure each lash is separate and smooth. But it's one of your off limits brands. I think maybe the rubber brushes are something to look for if you want clump free. for some reason the traditional wire brushes always clump up for me.

Maya

That's interesting Mo. I never would have thought of the brush as being the cause for clumping. I always assumed it was the formula. Hmm, another piece of the puzzle...

Lori

My eyes have recently become super sensitive, to the point that I got rid of all my makeup and switched entirely to Almay since it is all hypoallergenic, and I've had pretty good luck with their products including the mascara. Almay One Coat - Thickening Waterproof is pretty good, but it can be a bit difficult to remove.

annagybe

Well crud, my go to mascara is L'oreal. Sorry.

Stephanie

I am with Anna--L'Oreal for me--but is MAC on the okay list? All the true makeup fiends I know use MAC mascara and primer, so it must be good. Have you looked at the reviews at Makeup Alley? There are other people there who have the no-animal-testing criterion, and it's a website made up of people who take makeup REALLY seriously, so they write extremely thorough reviews.

taylor

Was going to suggest Almay also...by far my favorite.

Dashrashi

In my experience, clumping is simply more likely to happen with "volumizing" mascaras (in the nature of the beast to deposit . . . stuff on the lashes themselves, rather than just pigment or fibers at the tippy-ends) rather than lengthening/darkening formulas and with any mascara when it's less than brand new. Investing in a lash comb is a good idea if you're staunchly anti-clump. I also wipe the brush on toilet paper before I apply to get the excess off which seems to help a lot. I've had good luck with Mally mascara (a gift from a friend--most likely from QVC?), but otherwise just use Maybelline/L'Oreal.

Vani

I've heard really good things about Milani also.

Scarlet

I am in love with my new mascara from Lancome at the moment. I write it a love letter every morning. Little to no flaking and it washes off with my face wash. It is the least clumpy mascara I have ever used but still thickening. People always say Clinique is excellent. I tried MAC and hated it--clump city. I read many times on the forum that Blinc is excellent and does not clump. I would give that one a try if it were available here. Well I mean I would have, but I am currently taken by Lancome. I also use a spooly (I think that is what it is called) to comb through my lashes.

I never tried any of the approved drugstore brands for mascara, so I can't comment on those.

Marley

Oh Maya - I'm glad to hear that you've decided to try some mascara! Its really kind of amazing what a huge difference in can make in your overall look! I have tried zillions of mascara over the years and I always end up going back to Lancome - black Aquacils. I'm pretty sure that my lashes are not as long or as thick as yours, so it may not work for you - but you might want to give it a try.

Louise

I love Blinc mascara. I too have sensitive eyes and this doesn't flake, comes of with a wet washcloth and pressure no need for strong eye make up removers. The website says they don't test on animals but I can't find them officially listed on the Peta website? x

modgrl

I use Trish McEvoy mascara.
http://www.trishmcevoy.com/pro.....fault.aspx

It is not tested on animals.

It doesn't clump. It doesn't move. It doesn't flake. It doesn't come off through tears or sweat or rain. It just stays in perfectly applied place all day until you use a make up remover or face wash on it. And then it comes off in pieces that sort of look like strips of fabric. It is a little bit disconcerting at first because the first time you wash your face, it looks like you are losing all of your lashes, but actually it is just the mascara coming off in one large piece.

It's kind of hard to get and spendy. I've tried lots of other brands in search of a cheaper alternative. But once you use this microfiber mascara, it's impossible to go back to a normal one that flakes or slides down your face by mid-day.

I use Clinique's High Impact mascara and love it. But it isn't waterproof and it isn't a drugstore brand. I always get a deluxe sample with my semi-annual moisturizer purchase and it lasts me until my next purchase.

Sara

Active Member

I use covergirl so my drug-store brand is also out:( but just wanted to pipe in and back Mo's comment... I think the clumping aspect has a LOT to do with the application brush and whether or not you use a lash brush afterwards!

chewyspaghetti

I haven't tried the mascara, but Boots No.7 (Target carries this brand) is supposed to not be animal tested. I like several of their other products, and they have a waterproof mascara in their botanical line that looks promising.

Thanks for all the recos. I have Blinc in my sample kit and it was the first one I tried. I like it a lot. Love the fact that it's buildable, not clumpy or flakey, and looks very natural. The ONLY drawback is that the tubes come off when I put drops in my eyes. I put the drops in, then blot my eyes, which gives the same effect as rinsing and gently rubbing them. I'm going to try and blot them more gently. Hope it works because it's definitely the best I have tried so far, although quite a splurge.

If not I'll try Almay next before venturing into expensive territory.

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