Mascara Maddness

Does anyone else have the the hardest time deciding whether or not you like a certain mascara?  I find that I constantly go back and forth between high, mid, and value brands, never able to decide which works best on my lashes.

When Influenster sent me the YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils mascara to review, I decided it would be a good time to compare my current high, mid, and value mascara faves:

• High:  YSL's Volume Effect Faux Cils
• Mid:  Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes
• Value:  L'Oreal's Voluminous Butterfly

YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara ($32, available @ sephora.com)

YSL's description:  Flaunt bigger than life lashes when you brush on this mascara from Yves Saint Laurent. This non-drying formula is enriched with B5 pro-vitamin, which deepens, darkens, and leaves lashes look instantly thicker. The nylon fiber brush builds luscious volume, coating lashes from root to tip for a bold false-lash look.

My thoughts:  YSL isn't kidding when they say that the formula is non-drying.  This has to be one of the wettest formulas that I've ever tried, which comes with both an incredibly smooth application and few minutes of drying time.  This caused the mascara to transfer easily, but nothing that a little Bioderma can't solve.  My only real negative is that I found myself having to work harder to stop my lashes from grouping together than I normally like.  The final results, however, are worth the effort.





Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara ($20, available @ sephora.com)

Tarte's description:  Tarte lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara could be considered a dramatic makeover for your lashes. This high-performance formula is proven to increase the appearance of lash volume by 330 percent—creating strikingly thick, sexy lashes.

My thoughts:  330% increased appearance in lash volume is a lofty claim that I don't agree with.  I do agree that my lashes seem more voluminous, but it's much less dramatic than what Tarte implies.  That said, I much prefer the way this mascara performs in real life.  I find that this gives me a more natural looking lashes because of the drier formula (compared to YSL).  I also don't have to work quite as hard to avoid my lashes grouping or clumping, which I always appreciate.






L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara ($8.49, available @ ulta.com)

L'Oreal's description:  It's revolutionary Butterfly Brush with asymmetrical lash line shape extends and lifts outer corner lashes to give you a winged-out effect, instantly volumizing lashes at the roots and stretching lashes outward. The unique Cocoon Fibers instantly wrap lashes in a soft, delicate veil to create silky, spectacular lashes that flutter.

My thoughts:  I definitely see the length and volume effects on this one.  It's another very wet mascara, but the (very unique) wand makes it much easier for me to avoid messes.  I do have to work with this mascara quite a bit to keep my lashes from grouping, but for $8, I'm not mad at it.  The final results remind me a lot of the YSL mascara in that my lashes look very voluminous, dark, and less natural than with Tarte.





Despite what I think about the different application experiences, I can't shake the feeling that final results are all very similar, which begs the question:  spend $30 or $8?

Does anyone else have the same struggle in finding the right mascara?  What are your current faves?





*Required disclaimer:  I received the YSL mascara complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.