6 Best Cruelty Free Mascaras

ByCordelia

6 Best Cruelty Free Mascaras

Happy Makeup Wars Monday! Today I’m sharing my picks for the 6 best cruelty free mascaras. 4 of these are awesome mascaras and 2 are products you will find invaluable to add to your mascara arsenal.

Pr + purchased by me.

6 Best Cruelty Free Mascaras


If you like this video please give it a thumbs up, share and subscribe!

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
The best, blackest mascara out there! It’s supposed to lengthen and volumize lashes. I think it mostly lengthens but does add a bit of volume. I love this mascara and I feel like it’s the one I can rely on to always look good. The brush on this mascara is awesome and works better for me than any other brush.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
This is the ultimate volumizing mascara. Use it at the base of your lashes to make them thicker and fuller. It has a HUGE brush, so if you’re a size queen, you’ll love it.

tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara (vegan)
This is an awesome mascara that claims to lengthen, curl, volumize and condition lashes. I love it but it’s definitely wetter in texture and prone to clumping, so you’ve gotta take your time with it, but the results are worth it. It also dries out faster than my other mascaras. If you need a vegan mascara, this one will give you the best results.

Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Cat Eyes Mascara
Super black mascara with volume. I love the brush, EXCEPT for the tip, which is too big. It needs to be smaller and more pointy. This mascara is paraben free and gluten free. It also happens to be the best drugstore mascara that I’ve tried in the past 5 years. Seriously, the only thing that keeps it from being perfect is the tip of that brush. I often start with this mascara and then finish with the UD Perversion mascara, since that brush works better for me, especially at the inner lashes.

Urban Decay Mascara Resurrection
I’m including this because it’s a genius product. If you need to refresh your mascara and want to add another coat, use this, then use your mascara and you’re good to go. No clumping or gross mess. If you apply your mascara and screw up, use this to work through your mascara and banish clumps! It’s awesome.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius
Make ANY mascara you love waterproof with Lash Genius.  It’s a clear topcoat that you need to have in your makeup bag. I’ve gone through 3 or 4 of these. It’s perfect in the hot, humidity of Florida.

What I’ve found that works best for me with mascara is

  • I use my enkore mascara shield behind my lashes to apply my mascara without getting it all over my eyeshadow. Zig zag going inwards towards your nose and make sure you end your zig zag towards your nose. If you don’t like this, you can always try a spoon. I tried the e.l.f. mascara shield but it’s too bendy. This one doesn’t bend at all.
  • Use a lash curler that fits the curve of your eye shape. I curl my lashes with my seki lash curler. This is the best lash curler I’ve ever found because it fits the contours of my eye and provides a good curl. I curl and hold at the base of the lashes, then the middle of the lashes, then near the tips.
  • When your mascara changes texture, time for a new mascara. I do dump mine whenever it gets dry and stops performing the way it does when it’s new. If you have an issue with this, I suggest buying a cheaper mascara, like the Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Cat Eyes Mascara so you won’t have any qualms about dumping it.
  • Try a Contoured Eyelash Comb. I have one like this one that you can get at Sephora. I think I paid like twice the price for the one I have from a one-off brand.

You can always layer mascaras for better results. Use a lengthening mascara first, focusing on the outer part of the lashes to add length. Then switch to a volumizing mascara to add volume directly at the roots. This lady MirellaBelleBeauty has the PERFECT tutorial for this technique.

Another tip I’ve recently seen is people suggesting that you should use a translucent powder between your first and second coats of mascara to add volume without clumping.

What are your tips for getting the most out of your mascara? What are your favorite mascaras?

[inlinkz_linkup id=492058 mode=1]

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

38 Comments

  1. I love UD Perversion, which I occasionally use w/ the Subversion primer. I just can’t seem to make Better Than Sex mascara work for me though. It seems to be…sticky…?? I find even if I curl my lashes, every time I blink my eyes my top lashes stick to my bottom ones. It also makes my lashes feel really heavy. 🙁

  2. Ummm , those are drugstore item that they dont sell over here and if they didt they will cost 3x the price you pay in the states. Looking for CF mascara, that works for me and the bottle is not to big, and is payable.

  5. Ok, time for the crazy talk.I’ve tried all of these (PF excepted) and they take the curl out of my mechanicaly curled lashes. I get it, in natural state, my lashes are short and stick down.So i almost have to ask what doesn’t curl for you? maybe that’s my holy grail.
    I’ve tried everything from $5 to $40 and hate them all except for the darkening effect.

    1. Since I’ve started using this method, everything has worked better. Maybe try the Perkect Beauty Macara? It didn’t seem to want to hold a curl for me. But before I got the new curler and started doing the 3 point curl, I always felt like my lashes were lackluster.

    2. Maybe try a more waterproof formula? Waterproof mascaras often have more waxes in them, which hold a curl better than regular formulas. Also, you could maybe try curling, then layering on a cheap (clear) brow gel before and after applying your mascara- these gels often have a “crunchy” finish, but that can definitely help keep your lashes curled.

  6. Too faced Better than sex mascara is my all time favorite and it is good to know that it is cruelty free. I would love to try out the one from Tarte

  7. I literally just started trying out Physican’s Formula Sexy Booster…and love it! Great choices!

  8. Ooh, so many mascaras I’ve yet to try. I’ve used the Tarte mascara and really liked it, but my tube dried out pretty quickly.

  14. I love the Physician’s Formula and Tarte because they don’t bother my eyes. Better Than Sex did, unfortunately. I had to give up wearing the sample after three days. It made my lashes look fantastic, though. I haven’t tried ABH. The mascara resurrection is an interesting idea. I’ll have to check it out sometime.

  15. I’m going to add the Sephora Contour Lash Comb to my VIB order. I love your tips and I love Better Than Sex. Tarte’s mascaras are always a pleasure to use.

  16. I love Tart LCL. But I’m a weirdo and prefer Lashgasm to Better Than Sex, lol!

  17. Excellent video! The Physician’s Formula and the Lights, Camera, Lashes both look great. I so wish we could get PF in the UK. (It always makes me giggle when you swear when talking about things like mascara wands! <3)

  19. Thank you for your dedication to keeping cruelty free options available for us! I need to get a new mascara so these are some great ones to scope out.

    1. I have! I need to try it again. I thought I bought another tube of it to try out since I switched my mascara technique. I love the brush shape.

Comments are closed.