For some people, crying is an activity reserved for funerals, bad test grades, and videos of military parents returning home to their kids. For others, crying is a completely normal and vital part of their everyday lives. After a long day of work or school, it can feel good to come home and let a few tears out while waiting for “The Bachelor” to come on. Swollen and red eyes, salt-stained cheeks, and clumped-together eyelashes can really intensify the drama of a good cry. But how many times have you felt that your cry just wasn’t enough; that something important was just missing. Maybe that something is a fantastically runny mascara. Nothing says “I just cried for half an hour and I don’t know why” like black stained lines streaming down your face. But that begs the question, what is the best mascara for a dramatic cry?

Voluminous Original by L’Oréal 

In the initial application, this mascara was very runny and messy. It looked to be a home run because of how much it had already smeared all over my eyelid from merely blinking. But after a run through “The Notebook,” this mascara had surprisingly underwhelming results. It seemed as though a lot of the product had been removed from the eyelashes, but barely appeared on the cheeks. There were visible streams of the product down my face, but no real pigmentation. The mascara came off in more of a watery clumpy line, rather than a clean black line. Overall the mascara had a good smear, but it just wasn’t at the level of Taylor Swift in the “Blank Space” music video. 

Volumazing by Revlon

This mascara was extremely clumpy when applying. It was very difficult to work with because of the lack of product that would stick to my eyelashes. I had little hope for the performance of this mascara, but came out of the experience pleasantly surprised. The mascara does not compare to the winner of this race, but there was very nice pigmentation on the cheeks. The product embodied the stained black look of my dried tears. There were a few clumps in my eyes that made the mascara not very enjoyable by the end of “Collateral Beauty,” but I appreciated the effort. There were almost no tear stains directly under my eyes, which made the crying effect look more fake. I would say this isn’t the worst mascara for a good old dramatic cry, but if I were Revlon I would rename it to something more fitting like “Mediocre-azing”.  

Professional by Covergirl

I would say this mascara would fall into second place. The product definitely created some noticeable tears and I appreciated the amount of mascara that ended up on my eyelid. The tear stream was pretty pigmented and the product stayed on my eyelashes through the process. I liked the amount of staining that surrounded my eyelids and under eyes. It was an effect that would be almost impossible to mimic. My biggest complaint about this mascara is how much it made my eyes burn. It is clearly not made for sensitive or dry eyes. If you wear this mascara and feel the urge to cry, I would remove it before doing so.

Great Lash by Maybelline 

Going into this experiment, I honestly wasn’t expecting to find the most dramatic mascara. My results differed from my expectations drastically. Great Lash was my first trial and it blew every other mascara out of the water, even before I saw them. The pigmentation in the stained tears was unreal. I was especially impressed by the amount of product that had made its way all the way around my under eye. The product stayed on my eyelashes and clumped in a way that tied the whole look together. The streams of tears this mascara created embodied the craziness and sadness of Sammi when she would fight with Ronnie on “Jersey Shore.” The consistency of the mascara is very runny, which I think blended with the salty tears perfectly. I think every reality show should use this mascara, and any show that isn’t, needs to start. 

Which Mascara Won the Race?

In the end there was a clear winner, but a not-so-clear loser. All of these mascaras did an average job at creating a heart-broken effect, however, Great Lash won this race. Based on build up under and around the eyes, pigmentation of tear stains, clumpy lashes, and crazy factor; nothing compares to this mascara. If this story happened to appeal to you because you are looking for the least runny mascara, I don’t think any of my results will help. I would personally go with a waterproof mascara if you aren’t up for the “jumped in the pool and forgot to take off my makeup” look. These products were all either $10 or under. I would recommend picking one of them up just in case you are feeling like having a good cry, and want to show it.