Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara Review: Weeks of Real Use

I spent 14 years behind a department store beauty counter, which means I have scraped more mascara off more testers than I care to count. So when Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara started showing up in every checkout line and every friend's bathroom, I was skeptical. A mascara that promises both volume and length usually delivers neither. But I bought a tube anyway, and for the past several weeks I have used it on my own lashes, on my daughter Kayla's lashes, and on a handful of friends who let me play makeup artist. Here is what actually happens when you wear it.

How I've Used It

My mornings are not leisurely. I have a small vanity, a 7:15 deadline to leave the house, and a husband who asks me where his keys are approximately every other day. So my mascara test is simple: can I apply it in under two minutes, without a mirror check every ten seconds, and still look put together by the time I hit the office?

For this review, I used Maybelline Sky High on my own lashes for three full weeks, five days a week. I also tested it on Kayla, who has longer, straighter lashes than mine, and on two friends with very different lash types: one with short, sparse lashes and one with oily eyelids. I wore it through an Ohio summer, which means humidity, the occasional surprise downpour, and at least one afternoon where I forgot I was wearing mascara and rubbed my eye like a tired child.

I started the test on the second Tuesday of June, the same week the humidity in Columbus decided to commit to the bit. I kept a small notebook in my vanity drawer, the kind I used to use for client appointments, and logged what I applied, what time I applied it, and what the lashes looked like at noon, at 4, and again at bedtime. I timed my application with my phone on the first three mornings: one coat took me about a minute and forty seconds, two coats just over two minutes. That is comfortably inside my get-out-the-door window.

I did not use a primer, a lash curler, or any setting spray. I wanted to know what this mascara does on its own, because that is how most of us actually use it. The only exception was Kayla, who cannot go without her curler, and I let her use it because that is her normal routine. My lashes have a decent natural curve, so I left mine alone for the full three weeks.

The Wand and the Formula

The wand is the first thing you notice. It is a curved, hourglass-shaped brush with short bristles that taper at the ends. That shape is not a gimmick. The curve lets you get the wand close to the lash line without stabbing yourself in the eyelid, and the tapered tip catches the tiny lashes in the inner corner that most wands miss. I have used wands that cost three times as much and do not reach those corners half as well.

The first time I opened the tube, I half expected the usual drugstore mascara smell, that faint chemical note that reminds you what you are dealing with. This one is milder, and the wand comes out with a light, even coat of product, not a clump on one side and a bare spot on the other. That sounds like a small thing, but it tells you the formula was put together with some care.

The formula itself is thin, almost watery, when it first comes out of the tube. That is a good thing. A thick, gloppy mascara is usually a sign that it will clump or flake. Sky High goes on wet and builds in thin layers, so you can do one coat for a natural look or two or three for more drama without ending up with spider legs. I have been using the Very Black shade, and one coat gives a clean, defined lash line that does not look painted on. I have also found that the formula does not dry out as fast as some other drugstore mascaras. My tube is still at a good consistency after several weeks of daily use, which is not something I can say for every mascara I have tested.

The dry time was the first thing I measured, because I have a habit of blinking like a startled owl right after mascara. On a normal June morning, one coat was set in about forty seconds. On the muggy mornings, the kind where the air feels wet before you even step outside, it took closer to a full minute. The trick is to apply, then keep your eyes relaxed for a slow count of thirty before you do anything dramatic. I learned that the hard way on day two, when I opened my eyes wide to check my work and left a faint smudge on my brow bone.

How It Wears Through the Day

Here is where Maybelline Sky High either wins or loses you, depending on your skin. On my own lashes, it holds a curl reasonably well and does not smudge or flake during a normal eight-hour day. I have worn it through a full workday, a dinner out, and a long afternoon at a flea market in July. No raccoon eyes, no little black flecks on my cheeks by 3 PM.

The flea market day was the real test. It was the third Saturday of July, ninety-two degrees, and I walked the aisles for four hours, stopping to try on sunglasses and wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. I had applied two coats at 8 that morning. When I got home at 1, my lashes looked like I had put them on an hour earlier. Not a single fleck on my cheeks, and the only thing that had moved was a bit of mascara I had smudged on my eyelid while applying it, which I had cleaned off with a cotton swab before I left the house.

But it is not waterproof, and it does not pretend to be. If you cry, if you get caught in rain, or if you have very oily eyelids, you will see some transfer. My friend with oily lids got a faint smudge under her eyes after about six hours. It was not dramatic, but it was there. I would not recommend this mascara for a wedding, a long outdoor event in summer, or a day when you know you will be emotional. For those days, you want a waterproof formula.

I did get caught in one surprise downpour, the kind that comes up over the Scioto with no warning. I was wearing a single coat, and by the time I made it to the car, my lashes had softened but not run. There was a little transfer on my lower lid, nothing that would not wipe away with a fingertip, and the mascara did not leave me looking like I had been crying. That is about the best you can ask from a non-waterproof formula.

One evening I wore it for a twelve-hour day, from an early dentist appointment to a late dinner with friends. By the time I got home, the lashes had faded a little, and one outer corner had softened, but there was nothing that needed fixing before I took it off. For a normal workday, that is more than enough.

What It Does and Does Not Do

Let me be specific about what Maybelline Sky High actually does, because the marketing makes it sound like it will give you lash extensions in a tube. It will not. What it does is lengthen. My lashes are average length, maybe slightly on the short side, and this mascara makes them look noticeably longer. The volume is real but modest. You get a defined, fanned-out lash look, not a thick, dramatic fringe.

I did one side-by-side comparison on a Tuesday night, one coat of Sky High on my left eye and one coat of a prestige mascara I had in my drawer on the right. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, turned on the light, and honestly could not tell the two apart from arm's length. Dave could not either, and he looked because I made him. That is the highest compliment I can pay a drugstore tube, and it is the reason I have not repurchased the expensive one.

It also separates well. I have not had a single clump with this mascara, which is remarkable for a drugstore formula. The bristles are spaced just right to comb through the lashes as you apply. If you are someone who hates the spiky, stuck-together look, this is a strong candidate.

I have used it on my lower lashes too, which is where a lot of mascaras betray themselves. The tapered tip makes it easy to catch the lower lash line without painting my under-eye area. That is a small thing, but it is the difference between a five-minute eye and a ten-minute clean-up.

What it does not do is hold a curl on very straight, stubborn lashes. Kayla has straight lashes that point downward, and she needs a lash curler before applying any mascara. With Sky High, the curl she gets from a curler lasts about as long as it does with other mascaras, but the mascara alone will not lift her lashes. If your lashes are stick-straight, you will want to curl them first.

Removal and the Next Morning

Removal is where a lot of mascaras fail, and Maybelline Sky High does reasonably well. It comes off with a good oil-based remover or a cleansing balm in about 30 seconds. You do not need to scrub, which matters to me because I have fine lines around my eyes and I am not interested in tugging at that skin every night. With warm water and a gentle cleanser, it leaves behind only a faint trace, nothing that requires a second round of scrubbing.

My usual routine is a cleansing balm, the kind you massage on dry skin and rinse off with warm water. Sky High broke down quickly, in about thirty seconds of gentle rubbing, and I did not need a cotton pad or a dedicated eye makeup remover. On the nights when I was lazy and used only my regular facial cleanser, I did wake up with a faint shadow under my eyes. So the balm matters, but that is true of almost every mascara I have tested.

I also paid attention to how my lashes felt the next morning. Some mascaras leave your lashes feeling brittle or dry after a few days of wear. I did not notice that with this one. My lashes felt normal, not crunchy, even after a full week of daily use. That is a small thing, but it is the kind of small thing that keeps me coming back to a product.

After three weeks of daily wear, my tube is still at a good consistency, and my lashes still look like lashes at 6 PM, not like a forgotten art project.

Who This Is For

Maybelline Sky High is for anyone who wants a lengthening, everyday mascara that looks natural and does not cost a fortune. It is especially good for people with average to slightly short lashes who want to look awake and polished without spending twenty minutes on their eyes. It is also a great choice if you are new to mascara or if you prefer a lighter, more buildable formula that is hard to mess up.

Kayla, who is twenty-four and has never met a makeup trend she did not like, took my tube for a weekend and came back asking where I bought it. That is about as strong an endorsement as I can offer.

Who Should Skip It

Skip this one if you need a waterproof mascara for tears, rain, or very oily lids. Skip it if you want dramatic, false-lash volume, because this is not that. And if your lashes are stick-straight and you refuse to use a curler, you will be disappointed. For everyone else, it is worth a try, and at a drugstore price, the risk is low.

If you have oily eyelids, you already know the drill: most mascaras will leave a shadow by mid-afternoon. This one is no better or worse than the average non-waterproof formula, so do not buy it expecting something different.