We Tried 17 of the Best Mascaras That Deliver Length, Volume, And All-Day Staying Power
Behold the power of mascara. This inky-black (or brown, or any other color) formula is one of the makeup industry’s best inventions. Whether you like a natural-looking lash or a high-glamour, mega-volume one, there’s nothing quite like a good mascara to deliver. But with it comes some unfortunate side effects, like smudges, raccoon eyes, and clumped lashes, that may leave you questioning whether your favorite mascara needs a major upgrade. While not everyone needs to wear mascara, the lengthening and volumizing eye makeup is beloved for its ability to make the lashes appear thicker, more dense, darker, and a little more dramatic, instantly taking the eyes from average to stellar. So how do you know which mascara is the best and will make you look pulled together while enhancing your eyes? We sifted through one too many tubes to find the best mascaras that deliver results for seriously good length, volume, lift, and curl. Chances are, if you’re on the hunt for a new mascara, you’re likely to find that one of our picks fits the bill.
Our Top Picks:
Best for Overall Lengthening: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara Best for Long-Lasting: Sisley Paris So Stretch Mascara Best for Curling: GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeFANATIC Fanning and Curling Mascara Best Clump-Free: Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara Best for Volumizing: bareMinerals LASHTOPIA® Mega Volume Mineral-Based Mascara Best for Lifting: tarte Big Ego Lifting & Volumizing Mascara Best Clean Formula: RMS Beauty Straight Up Volumizing Peptide Mascara Best for Thickening: jane iredale Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara Best for Waterproof: GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeMASCARA Waterproof Mascara Best for Sensitive Eyes: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara Best Tubing: tarte tartelette Lengthening & Tubing Mascara Best Vegan: bareMinerals STRENGTH & LENGTH® Serum-Infused Mascara Best Lash-Lengthening Serum: Colorescience Black Total Lash® Serum Mascara Best Fiber-Based: bareMinerals MAXIMIST® Phyto-Fiber Volumizing Mascara Best for a Natural-Look: RevitaLash Length Define Tubing Mascara Best for All-Day Wear: tarte Lights Camera Lashes Volumizing 4-in-1 Mascara Best for Lash Growth: By Terry Mascara Terrybly Growth Booster
Best Mascaras
Best for Overall Lengthening: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Sculpt Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara
$26.00
Hands down one of our favorite lengthening mascaras to date, this ultra-glossy one gives the look of extensions without resorting to them. The ultimate mascara for extreme length and added volume, it never flakes or clumps, making it a must-have for every makeup bag.
Key Ingredients: Rice bran wax, candelilla wax, biotin, glycerin, collagen, peptides
Benefits(s): Provides long-lasting buildable length, helps sculpt the lashes, volumizes, doesn’t flake, clump, or smudge
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply the mascara by starting at the root and wiggling the brush horizontally out towards the tips for length and separation.
Best for Long-Lasting: Sisley Paris So Stretch Mascara
$85.00
This award-winning mascara provides long-lasting length and thickness from root to tip. With each layer applied, the lashes and eyes appear more defined and beautiful.
Key Ingredients: Damask rose extract, castor oil, vitamin peptide, arginine, ceramides
Benefits(s): Lengthens, defines, and beautifies the lashes for a fanned-out look
Beauty Insider Tip: For a more extreme fanned-out look, apply the mascara first to the outer corners of the eyes before applying it to the inner corners.
Best for Curling: GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeFANATIC Fanning and Curling Mascara
$25.00
If your lashes won’t hold a curl no matter what, fake it till you make it with this flake-free formula that promises the perfect lash flick. The unique molded applicator brush coats every lash with the curling and lifting mascara that also leads to healthier, stronger, fuller-looking lashes after 28 days of consistent use.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, aqua, panthenol, tripeptide, vitamin B5, natural wax blend
Benefits(s): Instantly curls, lifts, and lengthens, creating healthier, stronger, fuller-looking lashes after 28 days
Beauty Insider Tip: For a more intense fanning effect, apply an extra coat of mascara to the outermost lashes.
Best Clump-Free: Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara
$26.00
This beauty editor favorite promises major drama and length without any clumping. The super-glossy, ultra-black mascara helps lift and curl the lashes while strengthening and conditioning them so they always look perfectly flirty, without any signs of spider lashes.
Key Ingredients: Beeswax, licorice root extract, peach leaf extract
Benefits(s): Provides dramatic volume and length, creates a fuller lash line
Beauty Insider Tip: The special tube keeps the formula fresh and prevents it from drying out while also allowing for control of how much mascara gets placed on the wand.
Best for Volumizing: bareMinerals LASHTOPIA® Mega Volume Mineral-Based Mascara
$20.00
Of all the volumizing mascaras we’ve tried over the years, this mineral-based, black one takes the cake for mega-watt volume and a fluffy, fanned-out look. Perfect for all lash lengths, the mousse-like formula also nourishes and conditions the lashes for maximum lash appeal.
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, castor seed oil, carnauba wax
Benefits(s): Builds weightless volume, gives the lashes a fluttery effect, conditions and nourishes the lashes while moisturizing them
Beauty Insider Tip: The tapered applicator brush contains more than 600 bristles to coat the lashes from root to tip.
Best for Lifting: tarte Big Ego Lifting & Volumizing Mascara
$28.00
Consider this mascara a must-have for tackling do-nothing lashes that deserve a little lift. The ultra-black formula, which is clinically proven to lengthen, volumize, and curl, delivers a seriously lifted effect for fuller-looking lashes and nary a flake in sight
Key Ingredients: Babassu oil, glycerin, vitamin B5, sunflower seed wax
Benefits(s): Lengthens, volumizes, and curls the lashes, nourishes and conditions lash hair
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply the mascara in a zigzag motion, starting at the base of the lashes and working up to the tips.
Best Clean Formula: RMS Beauty Straight Up Volumizing Peptide Mascara
$29.00
If clean makeup sits high on your priority list, then this long-wearing, clean mascara is a must. Perfect for creating thick, long lashes, it also lifts and adds volume while nourishing and redensifying the lashes thanks to a blend of peptides for major lash drama.
Key Ingredients: Candelilla wax, shea butter, carnuba wax, white tea extract, peptides
Benefits(s): Offers 12 hours of dramatic volume and lift, strengthens, revitalizes, and thickens the lashes
Beauty Insider Tip: To easily remove the mascara, apply a layer of coconut oil or the RMS Beauty Coconut Clean Cleansing.
Best for Thickening: jane iredale Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara
$36.00
Everyone wants thicker lashes, and that’s just what this mascara delivers. For long lashes and buildable volume, swipe on a layer or two of this fortified mascara, which also reduces lash breakage.
Key Ingredients: Algae extract, beeswax, radish root extract, panthenol
Benefits(s): Makes lashes thick and long, and reduces lash breakage and splitting
Beauty Insider Tip: Use the mascara to touch up roots and brows when a little extra color coverage is needed.
Best Waterproof: GRANDE Cosmetics GrandeMASCARA Waterproof Mascara
$25.00
If you love GradeMascara, then you’ll love this waterproof version of the fan favorite. Perfect for long-lasting length and volume, the buildable, creamy formula stays put without flaking or smudging while infusing lashes with peptides and vitamin E to improve their health.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin E, beeswax
Benefits(s): Helps strengthen and fortify the lashes, increases lash volume and length, supports overall lash health
Beauty Insider Tip: To remove the waterproof mascara, soak a cotton pad in oil-based makeup remover and press it onto the eyelids for 30 seconds to break up the mascara. Then, gently swipe the cotton pad down the center of the lashes.
Best for Sensitive Eyes: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Waterproof Mascara
$26.00
Finding a non-irritating mascara that won’t set off sensitive eyes can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Enter this waterproof one made just for sensitive eyes. It dramatically enhances the lashes and amplifies the eyes without causing any redness, itching, or irritations no matter how many coats of this gorgeous mascara you apply.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, silica, texturizing waxes
Benefits(s): Easy to remove without irritating sensitive eyes, defines and separates each lash, visibly amplifies lashes, leaves lashes looking full all day
Beauty Insider Tip: To intensify the mascara, apply several layers of it to the lashes, combing through each application.
Best Tubing: tarte tartelette Lengthening & Tubing Mascara
$28.00
If you love the look of eyelash extensions but hate their price tag and upkeep, then this tubing mascara deserves a spot in your mascara rotation. Hands down, one of our favorite tubing formulas, quite possibly ever, the micro-tubing technology wraps each lash in lengthening tubes without weighing them down for loads of volume, length, and color.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter, carnauba wax, castor oil
Benefits(s): Adds length, volume, and curl to the lashes without flaking or smudging, lasts all day, makes eye color pop, separates and lifts the lashes for a fanned-out effect, conditioning agents help lashes reach their full growth potential
Beauty Insider Tip: For the best results, let the first coat of mascara dry before applying the second one.
Best Vegan: bareMinerals STRENGTH & LENGTH® Serum-Infused Mascara
$22.00
Build healthier, stronger lashes over time with this vegan mascara. The plant-based formula features peptides and red clover flower to help strengthen lashes, lifting and defining them so they appear noticeably longer and healthier.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, beeswax, sunflower seed oil, black currant seed oil, rosemary leaf extract
Benefits(s): Instantly lengthens, lifts, and defines the lashes, helps to strengthen the lashes so that they appear longer and healthier over time, and prevents lash fallout
Beauty Insider Tip: To build up fullness, use the backside of the brush and focus on the middle lashes.
Best Lash-Lengthening Serum: Colorescience Black Total Lash® Serum Mascara
$59.00
Build healthier, stronger lashes over time with this vegan mascara. The plant-based formula features peptides and red clover flower to help strengthen lashes, lifting and defining them so they appear noticeably longer and healthier.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, beeswax, sunflower seed oil, black currant seed oil, rosemary leaf extract
Benefits(s): Instantly lengthens, lifts, and defines the lashes, helps to strengthen the lashes so that they appear longer and healthier over time, and prevents lash fallout
Beauty Insider Tip: To build up fullness, use the backside of the brush and focus on the middle lashes.
Best Fiber-Based: bareMinerals MAXIMIST® Phyto-Fiber Volumizing Mascara
$22.00
Mascaras that contain lash-lengthening fibers, like this one, are one of the quickest and easiest ways to add mega-watt volume and crazy-long length. This volumizing formula is infused with lash-fortifying ingredients, too, to help thicken lashes over time.
Key Ingredients: Orange peel fibers, microalgae, rice bran wax, sunflower seed wax
Benefits(s): Builds volume instantly, helps lashes become thicker and denser, smudge and flake proof, gentle on the eyes, and suitable for contact lens wearers
Beauty Insider Tip: The vegan formula is easy to remove with any makeup remover—no tugging or pulling required.
Best for a Natural-Look: RevitaLash Length Define Tubing Mascara
$32.00
For more of an I-woke-up-like-this lash look, swipe on this lengthening mascara with a unique tubing technology. Perfect for creating a natural look with added length, the lashes also become stronger thanks to the game-changing formula, which infuses them with nourishing ingredients—a major plus!
Key Ingredients: Biotin, vitamin E, peptides, panthenol
Benefits(s): Strengthen the lashes, protects against breakage, conditions and provides antioxidant benefits, enhances the appearance of the lashes, helps to hydrate and improve shine
Beauty Insider Tip: This mascara is perfect for anyone who lives in humid climates and needs their mascara to stay put.
Best for All-Day Wear: tarte Lights Camera Lashes Volumizing 4-in-1 Mascara
$28.00
Like a push-up bra for your lashes, this 24-hour lasting mascara does everything you expect: volumizes, curls, lengthens, and conditions. Plus, the dermatologist- and ophthalmologist-tested formula is safe for contact lens wearers and won't smudge or flake while in use.
Key Ingredients: Olive esters, rice bran wax, carnauba wax, vitamin B5, mineral pigments
Benefits(s): Volumizes, lengthens, and curls lashes, doesn’t flake or smudge, safe on the eyes
Beauty Insider Tip: Layer on more product for a more dramatic result.
Best for Lash Growth: By Terry Mascara Terrybly Growth Booster
$49.00
Reap the benefits of instant length while you grow longer lashes with this lash-boosting mascara. The smudge and clump-resistant formula reinforces the lashes so that after a few weeks of use, they emerge stronger, healthier, longer, and thicker.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, collagen and plant protein, plant waxes, and polymers
Benefits(s): Stimulates new lash growth, strengthens lashes, prevents lash loss, conditions and restructures the lashes, creates an enviable curve and volume
Beauty Insider Tip: Available in six colorful shades if basic black mascara isn’t your thing.
FAQs
How to choose the right mascara?
Not all mascaras deliver the same effect, which is why it’s important to first determine what you want out of a mascara—volume, color, lift, curl, or length. From there, look for a formula that matches your goals, and note the wand, since different shapes and lengths create different effects. For example, if you want enhanced length, a comb-like applicator is best, whereas a curled one gives a curling effect to the lashes. You’ll also want to choose between black and brown (brown gives a more subtle effect) or a bold, pigmented shade. Finally, take into consideration any specific needs, such as sensitivities or whether you wear contacts.
How can you prevent smudging and flakiness?
The easiest way to prevent mascara from smudging and flaking is to prep and prime the eyelashes first. A good lash primer works as well as a light dusting of translucent powder. Always make sure the lashes are dry before applying any makeup to them, and check the expiration date of your mascara, too, since expired or dry formulas are more likely to flake. You can also wear a fiber or tubing mascara, known for its locked-in formulas and virtually no smudging or flaking.
How do you apply mascara?
After curling the eyelashes and applying primer, take the mascara wand and gently wiggle it back and forth at the base of the lashes to create a good foundation. Then, disperse the formula evenly through the lashes by brushing it slowly upwards and towards the corners of the eyes. Depending on the look you’re going for, one coat may suffice, or a few more may be needed to add dimension, depth, and glamour.
The Bottom Line
Mascara is not a one-size-fits-all, and with the multitude of choices, there’s something for everyone. No matter if you like a barely-there lash or a full-on drama one, our picks for the best mascaras are sure to deliver every time.
Elise Minton Tabin is an award-winning beauty journalist, editor, and beauty expert with more than 16 years of experience. She previously held the title of Executive Beauty Editor at NewBeauty magazine, where she reported on beauty, plastic surgery, anti-aging, health and wellness. She was also instrumental in the launch of the beauty supplement brand Hush & Hush. A self-professed beauty junkie and retinol and sunscreen pusher, Elise knows what’s new, what works and who’s the best to go for every procedure under the sun. Follow Elise on Facebook, Instagram, and on her beauty blog, elisetabin.com
