My Mom, Sister, and I All Use This $8 Mascara That Gets Us Tons of Compliments

As kids, my sister and I admired our mother as she applied her makeup, gleaning tips and techniques while she painted her lashes and lids with artistry. So it was only natural that we’d all align on our top cosmetics to suit our family features, like the Maybelline’s Full 'N Soft Mascara, our favorite multi-generational mascara.

My college roommate first turned me on to this mascara. Since then, I’ve stuck with this go-to tube for 20-plus years and gotten friends and family hooked, like my mom and sister. No matter what life stage or budget, this trusty tube’s seen us through long days, tear-jerking rom-coms, and humid summer weddings, and remains our desert-island item.

Available in both regular and waterproof formulas, the Full ‘N Soft mascara is infused with vitamin E and boasts an “advanced thickening formula” that creates full and natural-looking lashes. Whether prepping for work or a night out, I can achieve anything from a romantic and fluttery look to flirty, falsie-like peepers that pop with buildable coverage. Its gentle, easy-off formula has also allowed my lashes to grow long and strong because there’s less tugging for removal. 

With several decades of mascara experience, my mom, sister, and I especially love the easy-to-control applicator wand with a full brush and more bristles than others we’ve tried. It helps coat, separate, and lift each lash, allowing you to sculpt the perfectly coiffed lashes. We love the long-lasting, weightless formula that glides on thick, yet clean and smooth without being too wet, flakey, or dry. It also layers for a dramatic look without appearing chunky. This mascara is ophthalmologist and hypoallergenic tested, so it doesn’t irritate our eyes during allergy season or my sister’s contacts. After countless workouts and downpours, it’s also proven more sweat, smudge, and streak-proof than others. 

Hundreds of Target shoppers love the Maybelline mascara, too. “I have never found a mascara that doesn't make my eyes water in 63 years,” one fan wrote. “This mascara feels very, very natural. It looks good too,” they added. Other customers like me have been using the formula “since the 2000s” and say “there is nothing out there that works as well.” Plus, one self-proclaimed sweaty shopper said they’ve purchased “15 waterproof mascaras” to wear to the gym and pool, but the Full N’ Soft tube was the only one that was truly water- and sweatproof.

Snag Maybelline New York’s Full 'N Soft Mascara for just $8 at Target, and shop more popular formulas from the brand, below.

Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara 

Maybelline Great Lash Big Mascara

Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara