High Street vs. High End Mascara - Maybelline Great Lash & YSL Shocking Mascara

It's that age old battle, which is actually the best product overall... the high street or the high end one? I bought YSL Shocking mascara at the end of October and did a review in November and I bought Maybelline Great Lash the other week because I've seen lots of bloggers and heard lots of people raving about how good it is and that it is a staple makeup product in many top make up artists' kits. 

If you read my review on YSL Shocking mascara you'll know that it was a bit of a 'meh' review, so I guess this comparison just enforces what I said in that with a few comparison photos thrown in for good measure. Obviously the main difference between the two is the price point, YSL Shocking retails at £23.50 whereas Maybelline Great Lash is only £4.99... a massive difference in price. YSL claim that their Shocking mascara 'thickens' and adds 'curve' to your lashes whereas Maybelline's Great Lash is supposed to 'perfectly define' lashes while making them look 'fuller without clumps'.

 Maybelline Great Lash wand

YSL Shocking Wand

I'll get it out there now, I prefer Maybelline Great Lash and to make things simple I'm going to list the pros and cons for each...

Maybelline Great Lash £4.99

Pros:

- No clumps whatsoever, even after 3 coats

- No flaking after hours of wear

- Gives long, separated lashes

- You are in control of how much product goes on your lashes

- Applying to bottom lashes is easy because the wand is small

- Cheap and readily available

Cons:

- The wand may be a little small for some people

- The packaging isn't very pretty with the pink & green colour scheme

YSL Shocking Mascara £23.50

Pros:

- Gorgeously luxurious gold packaging

- Great staying power

- Adds volume and some length

Cons: 

- Clumps really easily

- There's a massive build up of product on the wand which I've had to wipe twice, wasting loads of product

- Really difficult to apply because lashes end up looking over loaded and clumpy

- Expensive

Overall

I know the two products supposedly give slightly different lash-looks I don't believe that the YSL Shocking mascara is worth the massive price tag. Now I've seen what you can get for just £4.99 I would highly recommend that you pick up a bottle of Maybelline Great Lash next time you see one. I've grown to really dislike the YSL mascara, to the point where I'm tempted to throw it away because it pains me so much to have to keep wiping away so much product!