Battle of the Brands: Mascara

I was originally planning on doing a review and comparison of all my different mascaras, because it was requested, but I was having a really hard time comparing them all, because they each have different price points, they each are meant to do different things, and quite frankly, it was getting tedious trying to take different pictures for each one. So instead, I decided to shorten it up and just compare two of my mascaras. They are both the same price, and have similar qualities so it's much easier to compare. So, here it is, I bring you the battle of the brands: mascara edition.E.L.F. lengthening and volumizing mascara vs. NYC Instant Lash Mascara ELF lengthening and volumizing mascara above left, NYC instant Lash Mascara above right
I curled my lashes before applying them, and used two coats each!


Each of these mascara's cost me $1. I purchased the E.L.F. mascara at Target, and the NYC mascara at walmart. Let me give you a quick overview of each.

ELF

the Elf mascara, contains 0.24 oz of product. It features a long handle with a relatively short mascara wand. I find that this offers me a lot of control. I tend to prefer a shorter mascara wand, personally, though I know a lot of people don't like them. The bristles are nice, average size, average shape. Nothing spectacular. I find with this product that I do get a bit of length, but definitely not the volume that it advertises. Over all I really like this mascara. For a dollar, I can't really complain. It doesn't clump, and it doesn't leave my lashes feeling crunchy, which makes it easy to re-apply. On the downside, you have to reapply often- this one doesn't last as long as I would like. I can usually get 3-4 hours of wear before reapplying.

NYC

The NYC Mascara contains 0.23 oz of product. The wand on this mascara is longer than the elf wand, and the bristles on this brush are shorter. I like the shorter bristles because I can easily put mascara on my bottom lashes as well as my top lashes. The formula of the mascara itself is pretty decent. I find that it really separates my lashes great (when it's not clumping, which this one does do a bit), and gives me some volume, which is nice! This mascara gives my lashes a bit of a spidery look, which I actually like, so that's not a problem. If you aren't into spidery lashes, steer clear of this one. This one does leave my lashes feeling a little crunchy, which I don't love, however, it lasts all day. No reapplying necessary, and it doesn't flake either, which is great!!

Overall, I think that both of these mascaras are great, especially for their $1 price tag. Which ones the winner? Well, it really depends on what you want out of a mascara. If you want lengthening mascara that won't clump or flake, go with the ELF. If you want separation, a little bit of volume and a mascara wand that is easy to use for both top and bottom lashes go for NYC. or, do what I did. Snag them both. After all, for a dollar you can't really go wrong.



Bottom Line: If you are looking for your holy grail mascara, you wopn't find it with either of these. But if you just want to darken your lashes, define them and make them stand out, both of these mascaras are great!

What are your favorite mascaras? Have you tried either of these mascaras? What are your thoughts?