Our Testers Applied 60 Coats of This $5 Mascara — and It Still Didn't Clump

One beauty buy that you can always count on the drugstore for? Mascara. While there are amazing mascaras from luxury brands that come with hefty price tags, it's no secret that drugstore favorites can perform just as well — if not better.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab constantly conducts new tests to find the best beauty products. There are tons of different mascaras out there, from waterproof mascara to hypoallergenic mascara and more, and our GH Beauty Lab experts consider a wide range before deciding on which ones to test. In the Lab, our pros rates each product's performance and take measurements on ease of application. From there, real consumers test the mascaras and actually wear them throughout a normal day to see how they stand up to real life usage. These consumers record their thoughts, scoring mascaras based on how easy they are to use and how well they wore during the day. Our top picks are volumizing, lengthening, separating, smudge-free and clump-resistant.

Below are our favorite mascaras, a mix of top-tested drugstore buys, picks beloved by beauty editors and online shoppers, Good Housekeeping Seal holders, or a combination therein. With some picks clocking in at under $5 , your lashes — and your wallet — will never be happier.