Maybelline Sky High Mascara Review
Drugstore mascara that lengthens and lifts like a luxury formula for a fraction of the price.
If you want longer, lifted lashes without spending $30, this is the tube that built its entire reputation on doing exactly that. Sky High earned its cult status honestly.
What Sky High actually is
Maybelline Sky High is a lengthening, volumizing mascara that runs roughly $8 to $13 at Amazon and most drugstores. The pitch is simple. It promises sky-high lift and length, and unlike most drugstore promises, owners largely agree it delivers.
The formula leans on bamboo extract and fibers, paired with a flexible, tapered plastic brush. That wand is half the story here. It has a slim tip and a bristled body that grabs short corner lashes most chunky brushes ignore.
How it performs day to day
The headline result is length. People with shorter or sparse lashes tend to see the biggest payoff, and the flexible wand makes it easy to fan everything out and stretch lashes toward the brow. Lift is genuine too, so straight, stubborn lashes get a noticeable curl boost when you wiggle from the root.
Volume is the weaker hand. This is a lengthener first. If you want thick, spiky drama, the standard Sky High won't pile on as much as a dedicated volumizing formula, though a second coat builds reasonable density before it starts to clump. The regular version is buildable but can get spidery if you go heavy. The waterproof version holds curl better and survives humidity and watery eyes far more gracefully than the original.
Wear time is where opinions split. Plenty of people get a clean all-day hold. Others with oily lids or hooded eyes report transfer and smudging under the eye by afternoon. The waterproof formula mostly fixes that complaint.
The good and the annoying
Pros: real length, easy fan-out application, a wand that reaches every lash, and a price that makes luxury tubes look silly. It layers without instant clumping, and the brush separates well.
Cons: modest volume, a regular formula prone to smudging on oily skin, and the usual mascara math. You're supposed to toss it after about three months, which stings less at this price but still adds up. A few people find the wet formula needs a beat to set before you blink.
Who it's for and who should skip it
Buy Sky High if your lashes are short, sparse, or straight and you mainly want length and lift. It's also a smart everyday pick for anyone tired of paying $26 for Benefit Roller Lash or Too Faced Better Than Sex and wanting a close-enough result for a third of the cost.
Skip the standard version if you have oily lids or genuinely watery eyes. Get the waterproof one instead. And if your goal is heavy, false-lash volume, look at a fatter-brush volumizer. This isn't the tube that builds thickness.
The verdict
Sky High earns the hype. For length and lift at a drugstore price, it's one of the easiest beauty recommendations going, and it genuinely competes with formulas costing three times more. Just buy the waterproof version if smudging is your enemy, and adjust expectations on volume. For most people, this is the mascara to keep in regular rotation.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Maybelline Sky High smudge?
- The regular formula can smudge or transfer on oily lids and watery eyes by late afternoon. The waterproof version holds far better and is the one to choose if smudging has burned you before.
- Is Sky High good for short or straight lashes?
- Yes. This is where it shines. The slim, flexible wand grabs short corner lashes, and the formula adds real length and a curl boost, which is exactly what straight or sparse lashes need.
- Is Sky High better than the luxury mascaras?
- For length and lift, it competes closely with pricier picks like Too Faced Better Than Sex and Benefit Roller Lash at a fraction of the cost. For maximum volume, a dedicated volumizing mascara still wins.
Aaron digs into offers, cards, and software so you don't have to read the fine print. He flags the genuinely good deals and the traps.
