Full disclosure: I used to be a major mascara snob. I happily applied cheap eyeshadow, blush and lipgloss, but when it came to mascara I turned my nose up at anything not sold in a department store.

To be fair, I'd had a few bad experiences with drugstore mascaras (like, ehm, this one), and so I just decided it would be better to play it safe and splurge. That is until a makeup artist put this cheapie mascara on me and I was amazed with the results.

So now, you could call me a convert. I truly believe you can get great lashes with a low-budget product (these tips certainly don't hurt either), and it seems TotalBeauty.com readers agree. They shared their favorite bargain mascaras -- save yourself a few bucks and check them out here.

• Still not convinced? That's OK, you'll love these editor-approved beauties.

• Need a waterproof formula? Check out these top budge-proof formulas.

• What every mascara fan needs -- find it here.