TRIED AND TESTED: 3 new mascaras under $25 that'll make your eyes look alive on video calls.

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Senior Lifestyle Writer Amy Clark found three new mascaras under $25.

Maybe it’s just me, but I have never been more acutely aware of what my face looks like than I am right now.

In isolation, my reflection is staring back at me constantly. In work video calls I feel like I have to have the camera on for. On FaceTime catch ups with my parents. In my bathroom mirror as I slowly work through my now-extensive nightly skincare routine to sort out my quarantine pimples.

The more I see the working from home version of my face, the less I feel like… me. Not because I don’t like what my face looks like without makeup, but because it’s made me realise how much I enjoy putting it on.

WATCH: Here’s an easy guide to doing your eyebrows at home. Post continues after video.

Of course, I’m not complaining about the extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning and not having to wipe my face off at the end of the day. But. I don’t know. I’m also really missing the morning ritual of applying makeup each day.

In the scheme of things, it’s tiny. A blip on the scale of how life has changed in the last six weeks. But amid all the Big Things going on, it’s OK to miss the little things, too. Little things you’d usually find joy in, like going to the pub for a parmi on a Friday night, playing netball with friends, patting random doggos on walks, or treating yourself to a facial.

For me, makeup is a joy. Choosing which foundation or cream blush to wear and umming and ahhing between doing a sparkly eyeshadow or a punchy lip (or both) is just really fun. So even though it doesn’t make much practical sense right now, I decided to dust off my makeup bag this week. Literally, it’s collecting dust in my bathroom.

 

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The pose you do when you’re wearing makeup for the first time in 3 weeks ✨✨✨ Video coming as soon as my internet can handle ???? Oh, and I’m wearing the mascara I couldn’t talk about until now! Products used: – @trinnylondon BFF Cream Skin Perfector – @zoevacosmetics Authentik Skin Concealer – @morphebrushes Bronzer in Mastermind – @maybelline Cheek Heat Cream Blush in Fuschia Spark – @toofaced Born This Way Turn Up The Light Highlighter Palette – @benefitaustralia 24Hour Brow Setter Clear Gel – @maxfactorau False Lash Effect Blue Primer – @maxfactorau False Lash Effect Mascara in Deep Raven Black – @trinnylondon Lip2Cheek in Rosssy – @morphebrushes Mattifying Continuous Setting Spray

A post shared by Amy Clark (@theamyclark) on Apr 1, 2020 at 3:27pm PDT

When I declared on a work video chat I was wearing mascara, a lovely colleague of mine commented she’s been doing the same. Mascara makes her feel like herself, she said. And really, that’s why we keep doing a bunch of things in isolation, even though we don’t have to.

On that note, I’d like to tell you about three brilliant, budget-friendly mascaras I’ve been wearing on work video meetings to make my eyes look… like they exist. *There are actually four mascaras, but that’ll make more sense momentarily.

Why? Because if you feel like your eyes are looking weary right now, a few coats of mascara is the quickest way to fake a decent night’s sleep on camera.

1. Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift Volumising Mascara, $24.95.

This mascara launched earlier this year (feels like a lifetime ago!) and it promptly sold out everywhere. While everyone in the You Beauty Facebook group was debating whether it’s the best thing since iced lattes or nothing to text a mate about, I was going to every chemist around town looking for it.

I finally located it and my verdict is in… I love it. I reckon this product lives up to its ‘lash lift’ name because in just a few, light swipes, your lashes look infinitely longer. I also think this mascara caters to almost everyone because you can decide how you want to use it.

If you prefer your lashes long, sleek and separated, you can achieve this in a few swipes by removing excess product on the edge of the tube. If volume is what you’re after, you can build this mascara to achieve the ‘falsies’ effect. I’m loving it sick.

P.S. You'll almost always find it cheaper when you buy it on sale from your local chemist.

2. Max Factor False Lash Effect Max Out Blue Primer, $24.95, and Max Factor False Lash Effect Deep Raven Black Mascara, $26.95.

Yes, I too thought we were done with mascara primers, but honestly, this mascara combination is the best I’ve tried… ever?

Before our world completely changed, I accidentally posted a selfie wearing these two products on Instagram while they were still under embargo. This meant I had to tell the people who messaged asking what was on my lashes it was a secret. Lame. Now, these products are available at Priceline, BIG W and anywhere that stocks Max Factor.

The actual mascara is similar to the original False Lash Effect formula I used to wear a lot when I wanted sexy lashes going out to the club. I don’t go to the club anymore but the Deep Raven shade gives your lashes that intense black that makes blue and green eyes pop. Wearing the blue primer underneath serves two purposes: it adds length AND makes the Deep Raven shade look like a striking blue black tint.

Both products have a flexible, plastic bristle brush, which I prefer for getting in and coating every single lash. The mascara is technically $26.95 but I guarantee you'll find it cheaper in-store or online.

3. Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Volume On Demand Mascara, $18.95.

 

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A post shared by Ru Blackwell (@ru_makeup) on Mar 15, 2020 at 4:26pm PDT

This recommendation comes from beauty editor and host of Mamamia's You Beauty podcast Leigh Campbell. She recommended it as her latest budget beauty purchase because mascara is one of the only makeup products she’s been wearing in isolation to feel like herself.

Leigh says this one is the perfect all-rounder mascara because it’s lengthening, but not hectic, and volumising, but won’t leave your lashes looking chunky. It’s also buildable, so you can apply several layers for a more intense look without ending up with crunchy, globby lashes. As you can see in the image above, the results are as advertised.

So, chuck on one of these affordable mascaras on before your next video call and marvel at its transformative powers. Or don't. The choice is yours, my friend.

Feature image: Supplied/@theamyclark.

Have you tried any great, affordable beauty products lately? Tell us about them in the comments below!

You can catch up on our previous Tried and Tested reviews here:

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• TRIED AND TESTED: The $50 sparkly Sand & Sky 'Body Sand' with a 10,000 person waitlist.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 cult setting powders in 7 days to see which ones stay all day.
• TRIED AND TESTED: A celeb spray tanner gave me his 7 tanning commandments. They're game-changing.
• TRIED AND TESTED: "I tried the Kardashian-style wig that genuinely looks like real hair."
• TRIED AND TESTED: I trialled Bondi Boost for 8 weeks to see if it's really magic for thin hair.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 new tinted moisturisers in 7 days to see which ones are winners.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The $12 Revolution skincare products that seem too good to be true.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had a HydraFacial, the 'vortex pen' that sucks the gunk out of your pores.
• TRIED AND TESTED: What it's actually like living with hectic "influencer" nails for a week.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had cosmetic acupuncture, the ancient 'cure all' beauty treatment.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had my brows laminated and now they look perfect with zero effort.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tinted my own eyelashes at home for the first time. It didn't go to plan.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The $49 K-Beauty AHC eye cream that sells every three seconds in Korea.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 new-ish concealers in 7 days to see if they live up to the hype.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I let a stranger massage the inside of my face for an instant facelift.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I used these weird-looking face massagers to see if they actually work.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried Sephora's new 'clean' skincare line that starts from $9.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The $69 straightening brush that's just as good as the $230 ghd Glide.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I tried 7 new foundations in 7 days to see if they live up to the hype.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had my pubes 'sugared' off to see if it really hurts less than waxing.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I had my lymph nodes stroked for 90 minutes in a lymphatic drainage massage.
• TRIED AND TESTED: The viral 'exploding' nail polish remover that looks too good to be true.
• TRIED AND TESTED: I shaved half my face with this $10 supermarket razor for better makeup.