At first, I hated L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara – to put it lightly. I almost threw it out. Now, I choose it everyday over every other mascara I own.

My first mistake was attempting to use this mascara like I’d use any others I’d ever used. But after taking one look at the small, spiked wand, you realize that a different approach is needed.

To love Telescopic Explosion, you must learn how to work it, brush included. Even the thick, potentially clumpy formula I’ve learned to work to my advantage.

The formula, along with manipulation of the brush, gives me the most volume and lash separation I’ve ever experienced from a mascara. If you have naturally long or thick lashes, L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara could easily give you a serious false-lash look.

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This season is all about long, natural lashes. Trade up your false lashes in honor of lengthening your own lashes with one of these fabulous lengthening mascaras.

CoverGirl Lash Blast Length

If you loved the CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Blasting mascara, you’ll love Lash Blast Length. The “Elasta-Nylon” formula and CoverGirl’s longest mascara wand ever work to build longer lashes with a bit of added volume as well. I love that there is absolutely no clumping when I use this mascara.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto

You’ll recognize this mascara instantly due to the fact that the tube much resembles the heel of a black stiletto pump. The long and skinny “Grip & Extend” brush works to grab every lash. Maybelline Lash Stiletto does a great job of adding length to the lashes but I prefer to use it on the tips of my lashes only on top of a separate volumizing mascara, as Lash Stiletto adds nothing in the way of volume.

Lancome L’Extreme

When it comes to mascara, Lancome never disappoints. The formulas never dry my lashes and always perform exactly the way they should. L’Extreme lengthening mascara is no exception. I like to layer it on the tips of my lashes on top of Lancome Hynose Volumizing Mascara and watch as L’Extreme builds fiber after fiber of length. It’s my favorite lengthening mascara by far.

For those of us that crave lash length over volume, Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara will give you just that — and lots of it. Coat after coat of Lash Stiletto builds more length to your lashes and there is no clumping. Lash Stiletto mascara seems to coat every single lash evenly, probably due to the long, tapered brush with skinny bristles.

So, Maybelline Lash Stiletto does what it boasts and costs less than $10. I call it a steal. That, and take a look at how cool the tube is — it looks like the heel of my patent black pumps!

L’Oreal Paris Bare Naturale Mineral-Enriched Mascara gives a naturally lush look to the lashes. 86% of the ingredients are of natural origins including jojoba oil, aloe, and vitamin E. This mineral mascara is also hypoallergenic, is paraben-free, and contains no fibers.

So, how does it deliver?

Pros: Bare Naturale gives a lightweight, 100% clump-free lash look with no drying ingredients or brittleness as seen in most drugstore mascaras. It’s perfect for your low-maintenance “lipgloss and mascara” makeup days.

Cons: It is simply not volumizing or lengthening enough for my taste. If you have long lashes already, this mascara may be perfect for you. What a shame, as L’Oreal’s Bare Naturale mascara ad with Penelope Cruz suggests that you’ll get lashes just like hers (which are apparently false eyelashes, as in most mascara ads).

I have to admit that I eat up everything some of my favorite beauty bloggers review. TheMakeupGirl would be no exception, so I was eager to run out and try Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara after reading the enthusiastic review written by Josi. I have been burned time and time again when trying drugstore mascaras only to be disappointed (the “Pink and Green” being the worst)! Yet, I ventured out to pick up CoverGirl Lash Blast.

The packaging drew me in first. I knew exactly what I was looking for when I scoped the featured mascaras on-shelf at Walgreens. The bright orange tube was unmistakable after reading TheMakeupGirl’s review. Also, the wand is made of orange rubber bristles. It looks so sweet! After sticking it in the tube you’ll never see the bright orange rubbers again, but the wand is still super-cool.

CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara’s rubber wand may have something to do with the lash effect that it delivers. Instant long, lush eyelashes with just a couple coats (and I have teeny lashes)! If you want longer lashes on a budget, this is it.

You can buy it here.

While shopping in LA at Planet Beauty with my beauty blogger bud Kia, we were so trying to resist the urge to buy things we knew we didn’t need! Not too much damage was done on my end, except I did spend $30 on a tube of mascara. Most department store brand mascaras cost around $20. I spent $30 on a lesser known mascara brand called Rilastil. It promised to volumize my lashes to the nth power. I was out of my mini tube of Estee Lauder Magnascopic mascara so I decided to drop the cash on this Rilastil Volumizing Mascara in Black. I was sure I’d be disappointed.

You know how mascaras seem to dry out after maybe the first ten uses? Well, I’ve been layering on Rilastil Volumizing mascara for a month now and it’s still as black and plush as when I first opened it. Rilastil Volumizing Mascara makes my teeny lashes look longer, blacker, and thicker. I am very impressed. I had never heard of this brand prior but I will be raving about Rilastil mascara until I find something better.

Don’t underestimate the potential of lesser-known beauty brands!