Darlings, you know I work tirelessly for you, testing blushes and creams and fussing around at Target illegally snapping photos of the latest affordable fashions (“Ma’am, I’m afraid that you’re going to have to stop taking photos of our merchandise”).
I even splurged on a gourmet mascara because I had several formal occasions coming up and I thought that this stuff would work on my eyes as well as it worked on the young lady in the salon where I had my hair cut and colored recently. This gal had lashes as long as my arm, and she told me she was obsessed with Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara.
This is a two-step rigamarole where you curl your lashes (always my recommended first step for a lush lash), put on the black mascara, follow with the white goopy stuff, and then follow up with more black mascara. The idea is that the white goopy stuff is a fibre that extends your lashes. The reality is that the black mascara is super whimpy and does a pathetic job of priming your lashes for the goopy coat, and REALLY fails as a top coat. So I used the fiber coat and then topped everything off with a really good drugstore brand, good ole Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express (but in their waterproof formula, which is far superior to the regular). 
In the end, I conclude that the Maybelline product is way better and that the lengthifying magical stuff isn’t worth your time or money. If you do a keyword search under “mascara” on this blog, you’ll find my other mascara recommendations, which haven’t changed much over the past few years. It’s still the Maybelline and the CoverGirl Remarkable formulas that give you the best bang for your buck. If you’re looking for a great brow tint kit, lashbombusa.com has the best one.
I read rave reviews of ‘They’re real’ mascara by Benefit. I got some and it is the best I’ve tried for noticable, thicker, longer lashes. It is waterproof but does smear a bit under my eyes during the day. It’s not a subtle look, but that’s fine by me.
I’ve never seen what the fuss is about Maybelline mascaras. For something a bit more subtle I like Clinque or Elizabeth Arden (the later goes gluggy after a while).
I’m a mascara and eyelash addict. 1) I use a lash conditioner at night L’Oreal or Lancome; 2) Lancome or Dior lash primer; 3) Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara as a base; 3) some drugstore volumizing mascara, i.e. Rimmel, L’Oreal,etc.; 4) Dior’s Iconic for max volume and then on special occasions, 5) Dior Blackout – and I promise I don’t look like Tammy Faye! – [Extreme Party Mascara just sounds like too much fun! And I’ve heard about Dior Blackout — must think about trying. – PB]
Have you tried blinc mascara, the one that makes “tubes”? i actually love it. no raccoon eyes ever.