7 Surprisingly Awesome Mascaras ...

Price: $64.80 at amazon.com
Actually, specifically, I have to recommend Chanel’s Exceptionnel mascara. The wand has a comb and a brush, and it really does give your lashes exceptional volume. It’s a little on the expensive side, but it’s worth it. Or you can be like me and take supreme advantage of the fact that your BFF works at the Chanel counter at Macy’s! This mascara makes it easy to apply several coats for extra thickness. I have a shade that’s kind of darkly purple, and I love it.

Price: $11.99 at target.com
This is probably my favorite mascara. I’m generally skeptical about any of the mascaras that use that white base first, because they usually leave my eyelashes looking clumped and awful. This mascara doesn’t, plus those tubes actually work! I get length all out of town. You’ll definitely need makeup remover, though! You’ll also still want to be careful with your application, and try to keep both sides of the brush clean.

Price: $24.00 at sephora.com
Surprisingly affordable for a designer mascara, this stuff is awesome. It curls your eyelashes and makes them look thicker as well. Of course the premise is that it lengthens all on its own, and it does, but anyone who tries to tell you they use this instead of falsies on the runway is probably flat out lying.

Price: $5.04 at target.com
This is a great choice when you don’t have a lot of money to spend on mascara. As far as the shelf life of makeup goes, it’s been around an age, and there’s a reason for that. Quite simply, it works. You may need to replace it more often, but heck, that’s still a small price to pay -- literally.

Price: $17.00 at sephora.com
Sephora has some of the best makeup within its collections. Plus, the products aren’t as expensive as you might be dreading. This mascara really does give your lashes a much needed boost, and it’s been my experience that it goes on pretty smoothly, without a lot of clumping. You just have to be careful with how you apply your coats -- a little bit is going to take you a long way.

Price: $6.24 at target.com
This comes on a recommendation, although I haven’t yet been able to try it myself. I have seen its effects on someone else, however, and I’m already a fan. This mascara really does have a super shine to it, so it will really make your eyes stand out and sparkle. As far as lengthening goes, it does a really good job. There’s a reason Maybelline has been around for so long, you know?

Price: $18.00 at sephora.com
Last but not least, we have the Buxom Lash Mascara by Bare Escentuals. This is a really great pick and, again, it’s not nearly as expensive as you might be expecting. It’s sort of what you go for when the Chanel is just totally not an option. This promises to actually thicken your lashes for real while you’re wearing it.

My mascara quest will never be over, although I do have some clear front runners right now. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I run out of the Chanel, beyond mooching some more free samples. What do you think?