I grabbed this on a whim at Ulta because I forgot my mascara and refused to pay $28 for a tube I’d toss in three months. Big mistake — I should have been using this the whole time.
The wand is what got me. It’s a curved plastic bristle deal that looks cheap but somehow grabs every single lash, including the invisible ones in the inner corner that usually get zero love.
It’s called Catrice Glam & Doll Lash Mascara, costs $5.99 at Ulta, and the packaging claims “extreme volume and length.” I rolled my eyes. Then I applied it.
The fiber formula
Thin enough to layer without clumping, thick enough to not look like nothing happened.
The curved wand
Actually follows your eye shape instead of fighting it — rare at any price.
Zero flaking by hour 8
I fell asleep in this. Woke up with intact lashes. No raccoon eyes.
Photo: pmv chamara / Unsplash
The ingredient list reads like a drugstore formula but performs like it snuck into a prestige lab. Key players: waxes for structure, fibers for length, and film-formers that lock it all down without that brittle crunch.
- Beeswax: holds curl without stiffness
- Carnauba wax: adds that glossy, not matte finish
- Nylon fibers: physically extend lash tips by 2-3mm
- Silica: prevents the dreaded midday panda eye
Photo: Nick Noel / Unsplash
First swipe: wet, almost too wet. I thought “great, another gloopy mess.” Let it dry 30 seconds — then it transformed into this lightweight, buildable dream. One coat = “I woke up like this.” Three coats = “I spent 45 minutes on my eyes.”
Two weeks in and it hasn’t dried out, hasn’t gotten clumpy, and hasn’t irritated my stupid sensitive eyes. The surprise? My lower lashes actually look like something now. Usually they’re invisible — this mascara finds them.
Photo: Evangeline Sarney / Unsplash
My lashes measured 8mm before application, 12mm after two coats — that’s a 50% visible length increase. Volume stayed moderate, not dramatic. Curl held all day with no crimper. But it does smudge slightly if you rub your eyes, so don’t.
Photo: Christin Hume / Unsplash
This is the best drugstore mascara I’ve tested in five years of doing this job. No hype, no bullshit — just really, really good lashes for pocket change.