Shea Simmons, Hello Giggles
Welcome to Game-changing factorsa weekly series where we reveal the absolute beauty products we love now – the ones that saved our hair, cleared our skin and, in some way, changed our lives.
There’s a curse in my family – thanks to my genetic lottery, my grandmother, my aunts and my mother all lose their eyelashes. Seriously, we all reach a certain age and hey presto, the eyelash growth cycle comes to an abrupt halt. They don’t disappear entirely, but over time the eyelash growth cycle shortens, resulting in shorter and sparser lashes. Because of this, however, we’re pretty adept at finding a good mascara – and there’s one that has stood the test of time and is used by my grandmother, my mother and now myself: Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara.
I first discovered the eye-catching pink and green tube in my mother’s and grandmother’s messy makeup drawers and bags. I watched them apply makeup, layer after layer until their previously sparse lashes were not only visible, but also appeared thicker and longer. I loved watching their transformations.
I was twelve years old when my mom taught me how to do makeup and introduced me to Great Lash. “Move it down and push it up,” she told me. I’ve been hooked ever since. This mascara makes my lashes look great with just one swipe. After curling my lashes, I move the brush along the lash line to apply the product, then comb through to create thick, sky-high volume. They instantly look darker and fuller with just one swipe. Plus, I love the buildable formula – I love dramatic lashes.
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Most mascaras clump when you apply multiple coats, which I hate because they make my already thin lashes clump together and spike, but that’s not the case with Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara – I can apply up to four coats without ever seeing any clumping or spikes. Plus, the mascara never weighs down my lashes. Instead, it can help my lashes maintain their curl all day long, making them look much longer than they naturally are.
Everything about Great Lash’s formula is perfect for my lashes, but there’s also one design feature that works particularly well. Right now, popular mascaras – like the TikTok-famous Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara – have flared silicone brushes that add length and volume simultaneously. All of these products are great, but Great Lash’s brush is shorter and has small, densely packed bristles. The smaller brush allows me to be more precise in thin areas and ensures I don’t accidentally smear mascara all over my lid.
At the end of the day, when I want to remove my mascara, I use a double cleansing method and the product comes off instantly – no pulling or scrubbing required. After 15 years of constantly wearing makeup, this drugstore pick is still my favorite.
