Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's... Drug-store mascara?

So I just took a little looksie in my makeup drawer... I have fifteen tubes of mascara.

FIFTEEN.

That's not even counting the piles of sample mini-tubes. What on Earth would posses someone to buy that much mascara? Well, I certainly have no idea. Apparently I have a serious addiction. Eh. Oh well. I can think of quite of few substantially worse things to be addicted to than mascara.

So, on to my point... I do have a few favorites in the high-end mascara category - Chanel Inimitable and DiorShow definitely make the cut, but for the most part I just don't see the point in spending $30 on mascara when the drug store varieties are just as good, if not better.

And despite the fact that I was a marketing and advertising major in college, I'm a HUGE sucker for mascara commercials. Of course I know all those models are wearing false eyelashes, I'm not blind. But somewhere between watching a commercial on television and staring at the pretty display in the store I always manage to convince myself that this new mascara will be the BEST.THING.EVER.

Unfortunately, that is just not always the case. In fact, it's hardly ever the case. But in the midst of all the duds I've definitely found a few dazzlers. So here is my list of the most awesome, and not so awesome, drugstore mascaras.

(Keep in mind that I have dark hair, dark eyebrows, and dark lashes... So I am all about the drama. I love 'em super dark and super long and frankly the more intense for me, the better.)

Maybelline The Colossal - Volume Express: You can layer this over and over again and it never turns clumpy! It definitely delivers on the volume promise, but I have found that sometimes by the end of the day it seems to disappear from my lashes a little bit. No one else I know has run into this problem, though, so maybe it's just me.

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume: This is actually a new favorite of mine. It gives a little extra volume and certainly delivers on the length. I use it much more for daytime as it's definitely a little more of a natural look, but you can add a few more layers for a pretty nighttime look.

L'Oreal Double Extend: This is one of those not so awesome ones. I get it... I really do. I'm all for anything that's going to give me even longer/thicker lashes. The primer is pretty good, actually. It separates the lashes well and I can definitely see some added length. But good god, the little tube thingies? Sure, they look good while they're on... But I just cannot handle spending five minutes getting them off only to find my entire sink covered in tiny little black tubes that always make me think I've pulled out my precious lashes. Not acceptable.

Cover Girl LashBlast: I'm a pretty big fan of this stuff. I was a fan of CG's original mascara with a similar, yet much thinner, brush - LashExact. It reminds me a lot of Chanel's Inimitable, but I do remember being a little disappointed with the lack of intensity. They remedied that problem with their next incarnation - VolumeExact, but I still wasn't completely thrilled. This latest version pretty much corrects all the problems. Volume and length and zero clumps no matter how many coats you put on. Thumbs up!

Maybelline Great Lash: As far as I'm concerned, this is the biggest joke in the entire beauty industry. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why or how every beauty editor has decided that this is the end-all-be-all of mascaras. It's seriously the WORST garbage I have EVER tried. It's clumpy and lumpy and flaky. It has no curling powers to speak of nor does it have any ability to last beyond a few hours. Seriously. CRAP. C-R-A-P. And each and every time I see a recommendation for this ridiculous eyesore of a package it makes me want to vomit. Great Lash my ass.

Rimmel Sexy Curves: I've tried several Rimmel mascaras and I've got to say... I'm just not impressed. They're usually decent, but rarely extraordinary. This one, though? It's extraordinarily bad. Look at the shape of the brush... I'm not sure why I thought it might be a good idea, but wow... The weird shape does nothing except give me uneven length. It also takes much longer to get all of your lashes evenly coated and it's just... A mess.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto: Love this stuff. Seriously. LOVE IT. I'm really not sure about all that "patent leather" stuff the commercials talk about... I don't think it does anything like that. But it certainly gives me some pretty ridiculously long lashes that have tons of volume and look exactly the same all day (and night). For a little extra boost, I use the primer from the L'Oreal Double Extend and put this on top and viola! I've got people asking me if I'm wearing fake lashes. Music to my ears!

So, what do you think? What are your favorite drug-store mascaras? Do you loathe and detest the Great Lash like I do? Or maybe you think I'm crazy for hating it... Let me know!

[photo credits belong to beauty.com and all of these products can be found there]