The Best Drugstore Mascara To Buy In Australia

Unlike other makeup categories, the price of a mascara isn’t always reflective of its quality.

In fact, if anything, some of the best mascara formulas you’ll ever find can be sourced from your local Chemist Warehouse or Priceline equivalent.

For less than $20 you can get a mascara that lengthens, lifts, curls, volumises and defines your lashes and boasts lengthy wear time claims too. Plus, there are picks that perform serious tricks; they don’t don’t budge, smudge, flake or irritate sensitive eyes.

With so many positives it seems silly not to invest in at least one drugstore mascara — here are six drugstore mascaras under $20 with top-rated formulas.

2024’s TOP 3 Drugstore Mascaras

Essence Lash Princess Effect Mascara Black, $7, Priceline
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Washable Black, $13, Amazon Australia
L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Lift Mascara Extra Black, $16.49, Chemist Warehouse

The best drugstore mascara 2024

Essence Lash Princess Effect Mascara Black

from $7 at Priceline

Potentially one of the Internet’s worst-kept (and most valuable) secrets, this mascara is like a set of false lashes in a $7 tube. The unbelievably affordable pick lengthens, curls and volumises like no other, plus, the formula is free from fragrance, parabens, oil and alcohol.

Key features:

False lash effect finish
Lengthens, curls and volumises
Budget-friendly
Free from fragrance, parabens, oil and alcohol

Available at:

$7 from Priceline
$13.99 from Amazon Australia
$13.90 from Catch

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Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Washable Black

from $13 at Amazon Australia

Beloved by a loyalist community of beauty TikTokers, Maybelline’s Sky High mascara delivers the kind of clump-free definition one can only dream of. As you might have guessed from the name, this pick elongates lashes to sky scraping heights with just a few coats.

Key features:

Infused with bamboo extract and lightweight fibres
Flake-free and smudge-proof
Lengthening and volumising
Suitable for sensitive eyes

Available at:

$13 from Amazon Australia
$21.99 from Chemist Warehouse
$25.99 from Priceline

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L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Lift Mascara Extra Black

from $16.49 at Chemist Warehouse

Wish you could emulate a lash lift at home? Try this mascara. The formula boosts lash length by 5mm and is infused with ceramides, which work to hold lift in the lash for up to 36 hours. It promises to never let your lashes fall, smudge, clump or flake, so your lashes will look just as lengthy and defined throughout the day as when you first applied the mascara.

Key features:

Patented double hook brush
Lengthens, lifts and curls
Holds lash lift for up to 36HRs
Enriched with ceramides
Clump-free, smudge-proof and flake-free

Available at:

$16.49 from Chemist Warehouse
$24.99 from Oz Hair & Beauty
$31.99 from Priceline

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Covergirl Lashblast Clump Crusher Mascara Very Black

from $16.99 at Catch

If you can’t abide by a clumpy mascara then let us introduce you to this clump-free formula that promises zero clumps but 20 times more volume. The result? Voluminous and full lashes with clean, defined tips that look like they could pass for a pair of demi-wispy falsies.

Key features:

Clump-free formula
Volumised and defined finish
Curved brush with lash loading technology to saturate lashes

Available at:

$16.99 from Catch
$18.99 from Chemist Warehouse
$22 from Big W

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ISEHAN Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Super Waterproof Mascara

from $19.99 at Stylevana

Although you may not have spotted this in your local chemist per se, this mascara is the king of the drugstore category in Japan. It features innovations like volume-separate powder, which thickens and volumises for a fuller lash look, and waterproof super guard polymer, which is tear, sweat, water, and oil-resistant. Plus, it boasts memory polymer technology, which helps to hold a curl all day long, and is why this is such a cult-favourite formula for stubbornly straight lashes.

Key features:

Infused with camellia oil, wild rose oil, argan oil and royal jelly extract
Waterproof super guard polymer technology
Memory polymer technology
Volume-separate powder
Best for stubborn, straight lashes

Available at:

$19.99 from Stylevana
$26.95 from Amazon Australia
$28.88 from YesStyle

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Max Factor 2000 Calorie Pro Stylist Mascara

from $14.47 at Priceline

The perfect companion to a smokey eye, this mascara boasts volume and curl that lasts up to 24 hours after application, plus, the formula is enriched with styling waxes that help to hold up lifted lashes too.

Key features: