Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara: An Honest Review From a Former Beauty Counter Manager

For fourteen years I stood behind a department store beauty counter and watched women buy mascaras that promised everything and delivered maybe half. I sold the expensive ones with the gold wands, and I also watched a little Maybelline tube outsell a lot of them once word got around. So when the Lash Sensational Sky High mascara started showing up in every makeup bag I checked, I wanted to see for myself whether the hype was real. This is that review, written the way I would talk to a friend across my kitchen table.

How I've Used It

For three months, this mascara has been my everyday tube. Some mornings it is the only makeup I put on, because I am usually running late and my bathroom vanity is small enough that I can only lay out two or three things at a time. I apply one coat for work, two coats for evenings, and I have worn it to a wedding, a humid farmers market, and a dinner where I forgot I was wearing it and rubbed my eye without thinking. No mascara survives that test, but this one came closer than most.

I also made my daughter Kayla try it, the way I used to test products at the counter. She is 24, with longer and lighter lashes than mine, and she wore it for a full shift behind a coffee bar. Her verdict matched mine on the two things that matter most: no flakes by noon, no smudging by the end of the day.

Before this, my daily mascara was a fiber formula that cost three times as much. I switched because I kept finding little black flecks on my cheeks by lunch. The Maybelline does not do that on me. That is the first thing I tell anyone who asks, because flaking is the reason most women give up on a mascara, and this one solved it.

The Wand and the Formula

The wand is the first thing you notice. It is a curved plastic brush with bristles that are longer on one side, meant to catch short lashes at the inner corner. The curve does help, though it took me a few tries to stop poking myself. The formula is thin enough to layer without clumping, which is the main reason this mascara works. Thick formulas give volume fast, but they dry stiff and drop flakes. This one stays flexible, so it builds without turning into spider legs.

There is no lash serum inside this tube, no matter how the advertising words it. It is a cosmetic mascara. It makes your lashes look longer while you wear it and it washes off at night. That is not a knock against it. It just means you should not expect your natural lashes to change. What it does well is coat every lash evenly, including the tiny ones at the corners, because the brush is narrow enough to reach them.

One thing I noticed in the first week: the tube does not hold as much product as the big department store mascaras. You will replace it more often, especially if you use two coats. That is the tradeoff for a formula that stays wet on the wand without drying out. I would rather replace a tube every six weeks than fight clumps.

What It Looks Like on Real Lashes

On my lashes, which are average length and a little sparse at the outer corners, one coat reads as my lashes but better. Two coats gives real length and opens up my eyes. It does not give the thick, false-lash look that some volumizing mascaras promise. If that is what you want, you will need to layer it with something else. The Sky High name comes from length, not thickness.

The shade I tested is the Very Black one, and it is genuinely black, which defines my light lashes without looking harsh. I have fair skin that burns in about ten minutes of sun, and a softer brown mascara usually looks more natural on me, but this black shade still works because the formula is not heavy. On Kayla, who has longer and lighter lashes than mine, one coat looked almost like she had nothing on, and two coats gave her the defined fringe she usually gets from a lash lift.

One honest note: if you have very hooded eyes, the curved wand can leave a little transfer on the lid in the first few minutes, because the formula is wet. I let my mascara dry for about thirty seconds before I open my eyes fully. That is a small habit, not a dealbreaker.

How It Holds Up Through the Day

I wore this for ten hours at a family dinner and checked my reflection before dessert. No flakes under my eyes, no smudging on my lower lash line, and my lashes still had their curl at the ends. That is better than the department store fiber formula I used before, which is a sentence I did not expect to write about a mascara at this price point.

Humidity is the real test for me, because Ohio summers are like wearing a wet towel. This mascara survived a July afternoon at a farmers market without smearing. It is not waterproof, and I would not wear it to swim or to a tearful wedding, but for everyday wear it holds up better than several waterproof formulas I have tested.

Removal is where I have the strongest opinion. Because the formula is flexible and not waterproof, it comes off with a warm washcloth or a basic eye makeup remover. I do not need to scrub. That matters to me at 48, because the skin around my eyes is already showing fine lines, and pulling at it every night is the last thing I want to do.

The Claims vs. The Reality

Maybelline says this mascara gives sky high length. I would call it very good length, not dramatic false-lash length. On my lashes it adds maybe a third more visible length with two coats, which is honestly more than most mascaras deliver. It will not give you the kind of lashes that brush your eyebrows, but it will make your eyes look more open and awake.

Maybelline also says it is volumizing. This is the claim I push back on. It adds some thickness because the formula coats each lash evenly, but it is not a true volumizing mascara. If your main goal is thickness, you would be better served by a fiber mascara or a thicker formula. I have seen women buy this expecting the same result as the department store volumizers I used to sell, and then be disappointed because their lashes looked longer but not dramatically thicker.

One more honest note: the wand can feel a little flimsy at first. The handle is thin and the brush is flexible, which helps with control but can be awkward if you are used to a heavy metal wand. It took me about a week to stop over-applying. Once I got the hang of it, I actually preferred the lighter wand because it is easier to maneuver around the inner corners.

How It Compares to Other Drugstore Mascaras

I have tested most of the drugstore mascaras that get talked about online, and this one sits in its own lane. The fiber mascaras give more visible thickness but they flake on me. The waterproof formulas hold a curl longer but they are hard to remove and they tug at my lashes. This one is the middle ground: it lengthens well, it does not flake, and it comes off easily. That middle ground is exactly what most women want on a Tuesday morning.

The mascaras I used to sell at the counter were better at volume. If you have very thin lashes and you want them to look twice as thick, the department store fiber formulas will do a better job. But they cost more, and they are harder to remove, and I have seen more than one woman cry in my chair because a mascara remover stung her eyes. The Maybelline has never stung mine, and I have never had to scrub my lashes to get it off.

The comparison that surprised me was against a popular tubing mascara that claims to come off in warm water. That one does come off easily, but it can leave little flecks on my lower lashes by the end of the day. This one does not do that. It is not a tubing formula, but it removes just as easily with a warm washcloth.

What Nobody Tells You About This Mascara

The first thing nobody tells you is that the curved wand is not a shortcut. You still have to wiggle it at the base of your lashes and pull upward, the same way you would with any mascara. The curve helps, but it does not do the work for you. I have had women ask me if it applies itself, and the honest answer is no.

The second thing is that this mascara looks better on the second or third use. When the tube is brand new, the wand picks up a lot of product, and it is easy to overdo it. After about a week, the formula settles and the brush applies a thinner, more even coat. So if your first try looks clumpy, give it a few more days before you decide.

The third thing is that the tube really does run out faster than the mascaras I used to sell. I get about six weeks of daily use, sometimes seven. That is normal for a mascara, but it feels fast if you are used to a thicker department store formula that lasts two months. You are paying less per tube, so it balances out, but you will be buying it more often.

How to Make It Last Longer

The trick is to wipe the wand once on the rim before you apply. That removes the excess and gives you a cleaner coat, which also keeps the tube from drying out. I do this every morning and my tube lasts closer to seven weeks than six.

Another trick is to store the tube upside down. It keeps the formula at the brush end and means you do not have to pump the wand, which pushes air in and dries the mascara out. I have done this for years with every mascara I own, and it makes a measurable difference in how long the tube stays usable.

One more habit that helps: I never pump the wand in the tube. Pumping pushes air in, which dries the formula out faster. I twist the wand out slowly and close the tube the moment I am done. It sounds fussy, but it takes two seconds and it keeps the mascara from turning crumbly before it should.

No flakes under my eyes, no smudging on my lower lash line, and my lashes still had their curl at the ends.

Who This Is For

This is for anyone who wants longer, more defined lashes without a lot of fuss. It is especially good for people with average or short lashes who have tried fiber formulas and hated the fallout. If you have five minutes in the morning and you want a mascara that behaves, this is worth a spot on your vanity.

It is also a sensible pick if you are new to mascara. The thin formula forgives mistakes, and the curved wand teaches you how to work with your lash line. I remember teaching my daughter Kayla how to apply mascara when she was a teenager, and she always ended up with clumps. This is the kind of mascara that would have made that lesson easier, because it builds slowly and you can stop before it gets heavy.

At my age, I am pickier about mascara than I was in my twenties. I do not want anything that dries stiff, because stiff mascara settles into the fine lines around my eyes by the end of the day. This one stays flexible, which is why it does not smudge into those lines the way thicker formulas do. That alone is worth the price of the tube to me.

Who Should Skip It

Skip this if your priority is thickness over length. You will be disappointed. The ads say volumizing, but this is a lengthening mascara with a little extra thickness, not a true volumizer. If you have very thin lashes and you want dramatic thickness, look at a fiber mascara instead.

Skip it if you need a mascara that survives sweat, rain, or tears. This is not waterproof. It held up through a humid afternoon, but I would not wear it to the gym or to a wedding where I might cry. If you need that kind of staying power, a waterproof formula is the better choice, even if it is harder to remove.

Skip it if you dislike flexible wands. The handle is thin and the brush bends a little, which some women find hard to control. If you are used to a stiff, heavy wand, this one will feel flimsy for the first week. It is not a defect. It is just a different tool, and not everyone will like it.

Finally, if you have very sensitive eyes that react to most mascaras, I cannot promise this one will work for you. It is gentle on me and on Kayla, but everyone's eyes are different. Start with one coat on a day when you do not have anywhere to be, and see how your eyes feel after a few hours.

The Bottom Line

After three months, this is the mascara I reach for when I want my eyes to look awake without a full face of makeup. It is not the answer to every mascara problem, but it is a well-made lengthening mascara that behaves, comes off easily, and does not make false promises about your natural lashes.

If I were still standing behind that counter, this is the drugstore mascara I would recommend first to anyone who asked for length without flakes. I would also tell them the same thing I am telling you: it is not a volumizer, the wand takes a week to learn, and the tube runs out faster than the expensive ones. If you can live with those three things, you will probably love it.