$7 vs $24 Mascara: Which One Was Worth It?
Hey y’all!
Welcome back to Broke and Bougie! This section of my blog is dedicated to all things fashion, beauty and home decor for my queens with champagne taste on a happy hour budget.
For this post, I am focusing on how I’ve been surviving quarantine without my favorite beauty expense—eyelash extensions.
Me with eyelash extensions in late 2019.
So, I will totally put it out there that maintaining eyelash extensions is not cheap.
But saving up my coins to do my eyelashes every few weeks has always been money well spent for me. I am not a makeup girl at all, and even when I do take the time to put it on, my description of my look would be “a little more alive with a hint of sparkle” (lol).
One of the things I have always loved about getting my eyelashes done is that it allows me to have that little hint of sparkle in my eyes without having to devote a ton of time to my face in the mornings. And having extra time is where the value comes in for me. (Hello snooze button!)
It’s also allowed me to develop a very close relationship with my amazing lash artist, Linda. In fact, I have been seeing Linda specifically for the last 7 years and her talent definitely did not go unnoticed in my friend group. I got my friend, Becky addicted as well!
Left to right: Me, Linda and Becky having lunch at Linda’s house.
But when COVID shut down the world last March, I had to explore other options for the time being.
So, this week I’m comparing a “broke” mascara to a “bougie” mascara to see which one can deliver eyelash-extension-worthy lashes. Both brands either claim or suggest that they can offer dramatic length that is similar to eyelash extensions. So, I’m ready to put them to the test.
The Bougie option: Thrive Cosmetics Liquid Lash Extension Mascara
Price: $24
Claims:
Doesn’t clump
Doesn’t smudge
Doesn’t flake
Lash-extension-worthy lashes
I discovered Thrive Cosmetics while doing a late night Pinterest scroll. They had a video up that featured a woman using their mascara and achieving super long dramatic lashes in just seconds.
My eyes couldn’t believe how long her lashes looked off of just mascara. So, you know ya girl placed an order that night.
In addition to the video, their website boasts over 15,000 reviews at 4.5 stars. This mascara also won a beauty award from Allure magazine and a clean beauty award from Glamour magazine.
First, let’s talk price. $24 is pretty pricey for mascara. But if it gives me the same length that I have spent $60 a month to achieve, then I have to give it a shot.
They also offer free shipping on orders over $35, and some amazing free product bundles during promotions.
So, I put a few other products to try in my bag to get that free shipping.
The Arrival
When everything arrived I was extremely impressed with the quality of the containers that the makeup comes in. Just holding the tube, you know this is not cheap mascara.
The spool also looks much different from the typical mascara spool. It has a more spiky look than a brush look. The mascara itself also looks a lot thicker than most.
Results:
When I put it on, I was super excited to see my lashes grow taller and taller just like the girl in the video.
But after a couple dozen strokes I realized that this was as far as my lashes were gonna go.
I then thought to let them dry for a moment and try to build off of the top lashes, but it just started to clump.
As far as the claims go, I would have to disagree with a few of them…
Doesn’t clump — False
This mascara definitely does clump. Every time I have put it on since purchasing it, I have always experience clumping. I think this is because the mascara is very thick.
Doesn’t Smudge — True
Once the mascara is dry, you can definitely touch your eyes and not worry about it getting all over your face. I have a tendency to literally cry laugh, which is one reason why I don’t like wearing mascara. But this definitely passes the cry laugh test.
Doesn’t Flake — Ehh…
So, while it doesn’t smudge when I cry laugh, I’ve definitely had flakes of mascara come off. It also tends to flake and get into my eye at the end of the day or after having worn it for a significant amount of time. However, the reason why I say “ehh” is because for the most part it does not flake.
Eyelash-extension-worthy lashes — Not For Me
As someone who has gotten eyelash extensions in the past, this mascara just doesn’t compare. However, I do believe that if you have naturally long lashes, then this mascara would be good at making them look more dramatic.
Liquid Lash Extension Mascara
Eyelash Extensions
Is it worth it? — Only if you have longer eyelashes to begin with
Now considering that I haven’t seen myself with lashes for over a year, this was a god send. However, when thinking about the biggest claim that it makes, which is to give you lash-extension-worthy lashes—then no, this definitely doesn’t even come close to the effect that wearing lash extensions creates.
I’m thinking the girl in the video must have had extremely long lashes to begin with.
All this being said, it’s a decent alternative for the time being. I also really enjoyed some of the other products I received from Thrive like their CC cream and their eyebrow gel—both are staples in my beauty drawer.
But I don’t think I would buy this mascara again, and it definitely won’t be replacing my lash appointments once it is safe to get back in the chair.
If you would like to try the mascara or any other Thrive Cosmetics items for yourself, click the button below to get $10 off a $50 purchase + FREE SHIPPING!
The broke option: Joah Lash Uprising Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara
Price: $7
Claims:
“Fierce” volume
Increased length
Higher lift of lashes
I discovered Joah Lash Uprising while browsing through its sister site, Impress nails. I LOVE Impress nails. They are the best press on nails that money can buy in my opinion. It’s actually very hard for me to believe that Impress and Kiss nails are made from the same company because I’ve only had horrible experiences with Kiss nails. But I’ll save this rant for a future post on nails.
In any case, because Joah is connected to Impress/Kiss, I figured Lash Uprising was either going to be a hit or absolute trash. Luckily, it was at a price point that gave me the ability to indulge my curiosity.
Lash Uprising is also an award winning mascara that boasts 912 reviews at 4.25 stars. Given that it was only $9.99 (and I had a discount that brought it down to $7) I decided to give it a shot.
You can actually get it for even cheaper on Amazon here.
While it doesn’t promise lash-extension-worthy lashes, it does claim to offer “fierce volume, length and lift.” I don’t know what “fierce volume” means, but I like the sound of it. In the cart you go!
The Arrival
When the package arrived, I could tell from the tube that this mascara was on the cheaper side.
But, to be honest, as long as it delivered the results I needed from it, it could come in a plastic bag for all I care. (God, can you imagine plastic bag mascara).
The mascara wand has a very full brush and is shaped in a coke-bottle-esque way (fuller at the top and bottom and slightly slimmer in the middle).
RESULTS
I don’t know about y’all but this definitely doesn’t feel like “fierce volume” to me. But that being said, I’m not mad at what I see. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but it definitely coats my lashes very evenly. I’d say the biggest issue is that it is very faint in comparison to the Thrive mascara.
As far as the claims go…
“Fierce” volume — Ehh…
I wouldn’t say “fierce,” but it does do a great job of not clumping.
Increased length — Yes, but barely
They definitely didn’t make any monumental changes.
Higher lift of lashes — Ehh…
It definitely lifts higher than the Thrive mascara, but again, nothing monumental when being compared to eyelash extensions (especially because it is much fainter).
However, it also doesn’t smudge or flake, even at the end of a long day.
So, for being as low as $5, it’s definitely not a bad option to consider.
Joah
Thrive Cosmetics
Is it worth it? — Yeah, I’d consider buying again if in a pinch
This mascara also did not convince me to trade in my eyelash extension addiction. But given its low price point, it’s definitely not the worst option for the time being. But if you have natural lashes that are on the shorter side like me, this mascara is not going to do much to change that and increasing length is very important to me.
If you would like to give the Joah mascara (or Impress nails) a try, click on the button below!
Conclusion—To go broke or to go bougie?
So, this decision is pretty hard because both didn’t really deliver what they promised. In all honesty, I would take the money I spent on these and choose eyelash extensions if that were an option. But since it’s not, I think either one could work depending on a few important factors:
Tint— The biggest difference between the two is how dark they can make your lashes. If having really dark, black lashes is important to you, then the Thrive Cosmetics mascara is the best out of the two.
Price point— The other big difference between the two is the price point. If staying on budget is really important to you, then the Joah mascara is not a bad option. For someone who has naturally short eyelashes, it has great lift. They just need to work on the how to get the tint to be much stronger.
Overall, I’m glad I gave these two mascara’s a shot, and I will definitely use them up since I have them. But as I mentioned before the Thrive Cosmetics option is just too pricey for me to commit to putting it in my beauty rotation. But I would definitely recommend checking out their other products—especially their brow gel and cc cream.
While the Joah option is affordable, I’d rather just save the money I’d be spending on this and put it towards my future eyelash extensions fund.
What have been your favorite mascaras to use in quarantine? Let me know in the comments!
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