{beauty board} lush lashes

Mascara. It's one of those beauty necessities that we all need in our lives. A product that transforms our blah, bare lashes into hypnotic, eye-framing fringe in as little as 1...2...3 strokes. Here, 5 of my favorite products for scoring the lushest lashes {no falsies required}:

ONE: RIMMEL LONDON in EXTRA BLACK {$5.99} TWO: SEPHORA COLLECTION in BLACK {$22.00} THREE: BENEFIT COSMETICS in BLACK {$23.00} FOUR: GIVENCHY in 1 BLACK SATIN {$32.00} FIVE: Cover Girl in VERY BLACK 800 {$8.99}

If you want to be insanely impressed on a budget, RIMMEL LONDON ScandalEyes RetroGlam Mascara in Extra Black is. a. must. The brush takes a little bit of time to get used to, as it is a buxom, full-bodied, hourglass shape that is quite big; but...it results in big lashes. Lashes that are bold, defined, and fluttery. SEPHORA COLLECTION Upside Down Mascara in Black is ingenious if you love a multitude of lash looks. The clamp-like double brush allows you to focus on volume, length, lower-lash definition, or, if you're like me, a combination of all three. One thing to keep in mind...practice makes perfect. Getting used to working the dual-brush takes time; but it's worth it for the volume and curl it creates.

Being asked if you're wearing falsies {when you're not} is something that I, personally, find flattering - and that is the number one question I receive whenever I use BENEFIT COSMETICS They're Real! Mascara in Black. The domed tip is awesome, and really allows you to define each and every lash {regardless of how tiny}. Plus... it curls your lashes - and very few mascaras are capable of that.

There are many reasons to love GIVENCHY Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara in 1 Black Satin; the main being: you can rub your eyes while wearing, and it won't smudge or flake off. Yes. That nugget of amazingness aside...the formula here is fantastic. It's very buildable and lengthening; yet also adds incredible volume. If high-end beauty products are your thing; this one is stellar.

Long before I read an interview wherein Nina Dobrev stated 'I have one mascara that I use religiously and I refuse to try anything else, and if they discontinued it I would probably cry. Cover Girl lash blast, in the orange tube', Cover Girl LashBlast Volume Mascara in Very Black 800 was my favorite drugstore mascara; and it remains so to this day. Time and time again I return to this mascara as the quality is unbeatable - especially at this pricepoint. I love the brush, I love the pigmentation, and I love that it's comparable to high-end, designer mascaras.

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FTC Disclosure: RIMMEL London's ScandalEyes RetroGlam Mascara was provided to me for review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.