A Good Drug Store Mascara

Maybelline!, the pink and green tube, i get the one with the slightly fluffier applicator, but both work nicely. Ive tried every mascara known to man and i always keep going back to this one.

if you want to hear a trick ill put on one coat, then dab my eyelashes with eyeshadow and coat again. works like a charm

I was in Walgreens last night and bought Covergirl Lash blast luxe (hot pink one). Used it today and I love it.

I have a few that I love to use and I layer mascara to get different effects
L'oreal is a great start my fav is the Double Extend with the growth syrum
Maybeline has a good product in their definition mascara but it does not thicken (good for bottom lashes)
Revlon double click custom eyes is my newfound favorite.

Hard to beat Maybeline Great Lash. Aclassic.

The absolute best drug store mascara for sparse short lashes is L'oreal Double Extend. L'oreal is manufactured by the same company that makes Lancome, as is Maybelline. Maybelline's mascaras aren't quite as good as L'oreal's. The Double Extend mascara comes in a double ended tube. One side is a conditioning extending base coat (the conditioning is important if you have short lashes as you don't need the breakage caused by ordinary mascara). You follow with the other side, which creates a long wearing tube around the lash. You can wash it off with water. When you do, the neatest little strands come off all in one. Removal is gentle, yet it doesn't smear easily. I'd say you'd have to have fairly oily or overmoisturized lids to get smudging. Maybelline has a version, I think, but I've not tried it.

If you are not interested in a two-step mascara, the next best is one by Cover Girl. There is a new one in a yellow tube, forgot the name of it, but it wears well and doesn't smudge. The orange is too thick, volumizing but not lengthening. There is also one in a white tube, I think called exact lights? with a range of black mascaras with undertones to compliment your eye color. The one for green eyes made the natural color vibrant and gave good length and volume. It was a fun change. Since you had irritation with Cover Girl, you may have to avoid all of their mascaras. :-( The Double Extend recently had ads with Beyonce showing new colors much like the Cover Girl eye enhancing products.

I've tried Lash Stilleto and Great Lash from Maybelline. They are okay, but about midrange for me. The Lash Stilleto doesn't add volume, just length. It would be better for thick & short lashes. The Great Lash smudged when I wore it, and was nothing special on my lashes. It has a cult following, is cheap, and some love it. I don't.

Maybeline Great Lash. Curved brush not straight, "very black"
People ask me all the time if I am wearing false eyelashes. :)

My all time favorite is Wash-Off-Waterproof mascara by Avon. It goes on sale about twice a year for $1.99 each, and then I buy about 10 tubes. It stays on when you cry or your eyes tear and comes off easily with cold cream.

I love L'Oreal Voluminous Waterproof mascara.

I use Volumunous by Loreal get the one that is not waterproof, works best, great lash coverage!

I like Maybelline Falsies, and Loreal Voluminus mascara.

Maybelline Falsies is the best mascara I have found. It makes my tiny lashes look huge.

My mom bought me a tube of Loreal Telescopic Explosion. It has a miniature end on the wand and makes it easy to apply to all of your lashes once you get used to the size. I wear contacts too, this has been working well for me.

I love Maybelline Falsies! It makes your lashes look thick and long!

I use the clinique...but won't bother you with the details of that - but, i did use the Stilletto mascara, i think by Maybeline for some time and really liked that. I think Loreal Volumnous works good too - I used this religiously before moving to the Clinique brand (which is only $14 so not too much more than some drug store brands). My lashes are long, but flat; you can't tell I have lashes without mascara; but I also use a curler to help lift my lashes.

I'm a Mary Kay rep, so I use our products. But BEFORE that, I was IN LOVE with Loreal Beauty Tubes, or something like that. It's a 2 step process. The first is white and adds some length, then you put on the black. I swore by it... it's in a red and white double ended tube. Good luck! I know it can be hard to find a good mascara :)

I love Loreal Voluminous. I wear contacts and Voluminous doesn't flake or irritate, great coverage, makes your lashes look great. And cheap! Love it.

I went to a dollar store and found Cover Girl Professional Remarkable Washable Waterproof Mascara. I love it! It really defines my lashes and I like the color black/brown. I've had a lot of different mascaras, but this is one I hope to be able to purchase again.

I like Loreal Telescopic! :)

Try Rimmel Lash Accelerator, it's supposed to help lashes grow 117% in 30 days; lashes are supposed to look 80% longer with the mascara on. It costs just under $7. I'm in the process of trying it as well. I also have L'oreal Double Extend and Voluminous Million Lashes and like both; neither irritated my contacts. I like to play with false lashes too---fun! You can also go on YouTube and search for reviews of that or pretty much any other cosmetic. Good luck!

I have the same problem as you - short and thin lashes. And I know you stated you don't purchase Mary Kay - but I swear by Mary Kay's Lash Lengthening Mascara! It's only $10 and lasts me about two-three months.I've used this brand for about 20 years! (not to date myself!) I've tried different drug-store brands through the years and always go back to Mary Kay. Best wishes!

I like the maybeline steletto.....mine are also thin and short....and this works really well. I also wear contacts and have had no problems.

I'm in LOVE with Mabelline Lash Stileto!!! I love, love, love it! I've been switching to more natural makeup, but this I don't think I can. My lashes are sooo huge with them! I also have a friend that has thin lashes, but when she wears the stileto and they are huge! I'd go for them.

Falsies by Maybelline! So Awesome! It comes both washable and waterproof. It sounds like your eyelashes are like mine, so don't follow the directions exactly, because they say don't let it dry between coats. But, if you do, then you can build them out longer. I usually just alternate between eyes and let the coat on one eye dry a bit while I do the other eye. Don't forget to apply to both the top of top eyelashes first and then do the top lashes from underneath. I told all my friends about it when I found it. Hope you like it, too! http://www.maybelline.com/products/67/eyes/mascara/volum-...

My all time favorite is Dior show, but over $20 a tube isn't practical as a working mom! I find the best results from combining a lengthening with a volumizing and like many different ones..almay triple effects, loreal voluminous, loreal voluminous million lashes, maybelline falsies, and another loreal in a fat black tube (will look later at home!)

I am currently loving the Cover Girl Lash blast (if that's the orange tube's name haha) and it hasn't bothered my contacts to much.
When I was first getting used to contacts and my eyes were super sensitive I loved Neutrogena Healthy Volume and they also have healthy length. I only switch to lash blast because it is buy one get one free at Publix all the time!

The Loreal Double Extend kept flaking on me, and I was always walking around with black rings under my eyes! Very attractive! ; )

The only mascara I have found to not flake is the Lancome mascaras.

Mabeline in the pink and green container.. I once heard Cindy Crawford talk about mascara,, she said it is essentially shoe polish in a bottle. so that is the least expensive item she purchases in makeup.

Alos keep in mind anything called "extend" in mascara, uses small fibers. they can irritate contact lens wearers..