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Experts say there’s a reason not to write off luxury mascara just yet.

I'm a HuffPost Shopping writer who loves organization and problem-solving.

According to previous coverage, luxury mascaras may indeed offer benefits that drugstore versions don’t. We see differences in ingredients and brush design that help higher-end mascaras elongate and add volume to your lashes without clumping or excessive flaking. 

It all depends on the individual, of course, and as makeup lovers know, a drugstore mascara can certainly knock it out of the park — you don’t have to spend a lot to rock a gorgeous eye look. 

Read on for luxury mascara picks from our team and the experts.

The experts consulted for this story do not necessarily endorse the products ahead unless otherwise noted.

Senior shopping writer Lourdes Avila Uribe sings the praises of this Merit mascara: "If you love a natural lash, this is about to become your go-to mascara. Despite a lifetime of being obsessed with thick — dare we say clumpy — mascaras, I'm absolutely besotted with Merit's lovely version. It's the ideal everyday lash-enhancer: clean, natural, and slick. It looks like your own lashes, but infinitely better."

She goes on to say, "The brush gives a really nice fluttery, feathery effect, and the formula itself gives lashes a really shiny, wet look that won't smudge or look dried out even as the day wears on. Best of all, it's easy to remove at the end of the day, so you don't have to worry about going to town on your lashes when cleansing your face."

Get it from Merit Beauty for $16+ (available in two sizes and two colors).

As experts noted in previous coverage, the inclusion of certain ingredients — such as polymers — in high-end mascaras could justify a higher price tag.

Tubing mascara may be a good example of this. Unlike standard mascara, tubing formulas contain polymers that wrap around lashes to lengthen and define; traditional mascara, on the other hand, uses pigmented waxes and oils that are more prone to smudging and flaking. Folks with sensitive eyes may also find tubing formulas preferable since they require much less tugging and rubbing on the eye area to remove.

Caliray's Come Hell or High Water tubing mascara is an Allure 2022 Best of Beauty award winner, designed to curl, add volume, and wash off with warm water.

Get it from Sephora for $14+ (available in two sizes and two colors).

“I like mascaras which give length and volume without clumping and I always find that the drugstore ones just don’t deliver,” Makeup artist Aleksandra Ambrozy told us in 2018, noting that in her experience as a makeup artist, high-end mascaras have performed "far more superior to drugstore ones."

“My all-time favorite [mascara] right now is Maneater by Tarte," Ambrozy said. "[It provides] amazing buildable volume and length."

Get it from Amazon for $15+ (available in two sizes and two colors).

Tarte's Tartlette XL mascara is an incredibly popular tubing option, currently a bestselling tubing mascara at Sephora and an Allure 2024 Best of Beauty award winner. The formula is equipped with peptides and biotin to lift lashes while thickening and conditioning them for a defined, lush look.

Get it from Sephora for $15+ (available in two colors and two sizes).

Ambrozy also recommended Dior's Diorshow Lash-Extension Effect mascara in previous coverage. That version of Dior's runway-famous Diorshow mascara has since been discontinued, but based on our research, we think Diorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara is a great substitute. 

This style is designed to deliver major curling and emphatic volume. Its strategically bent brush helps draw out the curve and length of lashes while the formula nourishes with jojoba esters.

"As a longtime member of the straight lashes community, I’ve tried at least 20 mascaras in an attempt to get mine to have some sort of volume or curl," wrote former writer Kristen Adaway in previous coverage. 

"[Benefit's Badgal Bang] mascara makes it look like I actually have long lashes ... and after multiple hours of wear, didn't smudge or give me the dreaded raccoon-eye effect," Adaway said. "I also have sensitive eyes, and I had zero irritation while I was wearing it." 

Get it from Sephora for $16+ (also available in a gift set).

Ambrozy also recommended Lancôme's since-discontinued Grandiose Extreme mascara. Based on our research, we think Lancôme's Lash Idôle lengthening and volumizing mascara is a close match. The two Lancôme releases share overtly bent brushes designed to push up and fan lashes alongside ultra-tiny bristles to define and lengthen.

One hack from a pedestrian mascara lover (myself)? If you're unsure about trying a more expensive formula, try the travel-size first.

Get it from Sephora for $16+ (available in two sizes and two colors).

Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara is an iconic high-end mascara, not just for its brow-raising name but for its dramatically fluttery look. Paired with a curl-priming polymer formula, the mascara's hourglass brush and grabby bristles claim to coat every lash while pushing lashes out for length.

Get it from Sephora for $16+ (available in two sizes and two colors).

In my opinion, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara is a slept-on heavy hitter. It purportedly increases lashes' curl by 35%, delivering an effortless smoldering eye. Its inky color adds extra definition to eyes, and the wand's defined brush sports short and long bristles to capture every single lash. 

Get it from Sephora for $15+ (available in two sizes).

Thrive Causemetics' bestselling Liquid Lash Extensions is another popular tubing mascara, both for its sensitive eye-friendly ingredients and its results (which, per reviews and reviewer photos, live up to its name). I've been pining for this mascara myself. 

Get it from Amazon for $26 (available in three colors).

For one, the formula. Luxury mascaras can take advantage of “high-end ingredients that drugstore mascaras cannot afford,” cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson previously explained.

Now, take the issue of excessive flaking, when a mascara disintegrates and smudges under and around the wearer’s eyes. You may be less likely to deal with that cosmetic problem with a more expensive mascara. “The fibers used in high-end mascaras may adhere to the lashes better because [those brands] can either afford to add more of them or a combination of fibers to give the desired effect,” Wilson explained.

And, as many of us mascara lovers may intuit, the design of the mascara brush is “just as important as the formula.” Having the money to design an especially effective brush may make a luxury mascara stand out.

Makeup artist Aleksandra Ambrozy told us that in her experience, “drugstore [mascaras] just don’t deliver” compared to higher-end options, especially when it comes to bestowing notable length and volume sans clumping.

Some of the price differences between luxury and drugstore mascaras can also come down to marketing. And, for parent companies that own both high-end and drugstore brands (for example, L’Oreal owns luxury brand Lancome and drugstore brand Maybelline), the company may share elements of the formulas across entities. (One way to check either way? Compare the ingredients.)