Choose a mascara by the one thing you most want your lashes to do. A volumising mascara makes each lash look thicker, so the lash line looks fuller. A lengthening mascara separates and extends, for a longer, more defined look. A curling mascara lifts and holds the curve. Then decide how it should come off: a waterproof formula is made to stay through heat and humidity but needs an oil-based remover, while a washable formula rinses away with warm water. The brush matters as much as the formula, and below we set out both, with the mascaras we have chosen for each.
Volume, Length or Curl: What Is the Difference?
Most mascaras do a little of everything, but each is built around one result. Volume comes from a richer formula, sometimes with fibres, and a brush that holds plenty of it. Length comes from a lighter formula and finer bristles that separate each lash and carry colour to the tips. Curl comes from a curved brush and a formula that sets with hold, so the lift stays where you put it. If your lashes are fine or sparse, start with volume. If they are straight and already long, length and definition will show them off. If they grow straight out or point down, a curling formula does the most visible work.
Volumising Mascara
A volumising mascara is the choice when you want presence: a darker, denser lash line that reads from across a room. The risk is clumping, so the brush does the editing. Chanel Le Volume Mascara uses a disk-style brush of overlapping, angled discs, designed to shape and define each lash, with a fast-drying fluid texture you can layer from a subtle lift to pronounced fullness. Dior Diorshow Mascara is enriched with microfibres for added thickness and uses the house's Air-Lock brush, made to keep the formula from drying out on contact with air. Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara sets three lightweight fibres in a mousse-like base, and its BrushComber Extreme applicator pairs flexible bristles that hold the formula with firm ones that separate.
Lengthening Mascara
A lengthening mascara is about definition rather than bulk. Look for fine bristles that comb through and separate, and a lighter formula that will not weigh lashes down. Lancôme Idôle Flutter Extension Lash Mascara has a precision brush with ultra-fine bristles and a wax-enriched formula made for a lasting extension effect. Estée Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara combines micro-fibre bristles, which reach into the roots to separate and detangle, with polymers the house designed to resist smudging in heat, humidity and sweat. Sensai Lash Lengthener 38°C Mascara layers flexible polymers for length beneath a micro-emulsion for structure and gloss, with a brush made to reach the short lashes, and it rinses away with warm water at around 38°C.
- Idôle Flutter Extension Lash Mascara
- Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara
- Lash Lengthener 38°C Mascara
Curling Mascara
A curling mascara is for lashes that grow straight out or point down. The brush is usually curved, so it follows the line of the eye and pushes the lashes upward as you sweep. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara uses the house's curved Hook'n'Roll brush to catch, lift and separate, with provitamin B5 to condition the lashes. Guerlain Noir G Mascara Courbe Volume Intense 24H pairs a curved brush with rich black pigments, for curve and volume together. Artdeco Full Waves Curling Mascara has a curved brush set with fibres, made to reach even the shortest lashes for a lifted, separated finish.
For the most lift, use a lash curler first and let the mascara hold the shape. Curl bare lashes only: once they are coated they are stiffer and more likely to bend unevenly.
Waterproof or Washable Mascara?
A waterproof mascara is made to hold through heat, humidity and the odd tear, which makes it the choice for a wedding, a holiday or a long day. The trade is removal: it needs an oil-based cleanser or a waterproof eye makeup remover, and a little patience. Dior DiorShow Waterproof Mascara brings the house's microfibres and Air-Lock wand to a waterproof formula built for buildable volume. Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara is made to stay put through heat, humidity and sweat, with a brush that builds lift and fullness while the lashes stay light.
Washable formulas take a different route. They are made to hold through the day yet come away with warm water, so there is less rubbing at the end of the evening. Catrice Glam & Doll Easy Wash Off Power Hold Volume Mascara builds volume with a power-hold formula and rinses off with warm water. The Sensai Lash Lengthener above works the same way. If you wear mascara most days and want a gentle removal, a washable formula is worth considering; if you want it to hold through rain or tears, waterproof is the steadier choice.
- DiorShow Waterproof Mascara
- High Impact Waterproof Mascara
- Glam & Doll Easy Wash Off Power Hold Volume Mascara
How Do You Apply Mascara?
Mascara is the last step of eye makeup, after shadow and liner, so nothing falls onto lashes you have just finished. Then:
- Draw the wand out with a gentle twist and wipe it on the rim of the tube. Pumping it in and out pushes air in and dries the formula sooner.
- Start at the root. Hold the brush at the base of the lashes, wiggle it gently from side to side, then sweep up and out to the tips.
- Build in thin coats while the first is still wet. Layering over dried mascara is what causes clumps.
- Turn the brush upright and use its tip for the inner corners and the lower lashes.
- Comb through with a clean spoolie if any lashes have stuck together.
Keep your mascara to yourself, and look for the open-jar symbol on the pack: the number beside it is how many months it keeps once opened. If your eyes are sensitive or you wear contact lenses, stop using any mascara that stings, and ask your pharmacist or optician for advice.
How Do You Remove Mascara?
Gently, and with the right remover for the formula. Soak a cotton pad in eye makeup remover, hold it against closed lashes for a few seconds so the mascara softens, then wipe down and outwards rather than rubbing. A waterproof mascara needs an oil-based or two-phase remover; a washable formula comes away with warm water. Finish with your usual cleanser, so no residue is left along the lash line.
Where to Begin
Choose for the lashes you have: volume for fine lashes, length for straight ones, curl for lashes that point down. Choose waterproof only when your day asks for it. If you are choosing just one, start with the section above that matches your lashes and let the brush be the deciding detail.
