If you have blonde lashes, you’ll know how annoying it can be to seemingly finish coating every lash only to turn your gaze downwards to reveal a white blonde lash line. This is something I’ve become used to over the years and is, aside from the occasional lash tint, part and parcel of the fair-hair experience – or so I thought. Milk Makeup’s kush mascara wand somehow gets underneath the lashes in a way that reaches both the top of the lash line and encapsulates the hairs. This surprised me, given the fairly straight and narrow design of the spoolie. What’s more, the formula enables you to apply multiple coats without any clumping. It also gives some serious volume at the root. I reach for this product all the time and have no doubt I’ll be repurchasing after I’ve scraped every last ounce out of my current tube.
Finding a budget-friendly mascara that applies and wears like a dream is often a thing of, well, dreams. If you’ve heard everyone wax lyrical about Maybelline’s lash sensational sky high mascara, you may have written off this one but do not overlook ‘great lash’. This is a do-it-all product that effectively lifts, curls, lengthens and defines, leaving your lashes looking gorgeous and wispy, all for less than £10.
Complete with its single-sided applicator, Refy’s lash sculpt is not only unique but actually does what it says on the tin: sculpts your lashes. The spoolie is crescent-shaped and, contrary to expectation, curves in the opposite direction to your lashes (no, you can’t flip it). Somehow, it works, with the outer edge of the brush gripping those hard-to-reach outer lashes, while the petite tapered end reaches the stubby, previously inaccessible ones towards the inner corner of the eye.
It’s a bit clunky on the bottom lashes and doesn’t lend itself to multiple coats but the formula is reliable and neither smudges nor crumbles. It’s a product I genuinely reach for in my day-to-day routine. As someone with naturally poker straight/droopy lashes, I’ve always been sceptical about curved spoolies on mascaras, deeming them more of a gimmick than a productive feature. With Lancôme’s lash idôle mascara, however, this isn’t the case. While those with straight lashes will still reach for a lash curler, once your lashes are curled, Lancôme’s brush helps to plump the curl even further.
It’s best to be sparing with this water-based formula, to prevent weighing down the curl, but I enjoyed how easy it is to coat the lash from root to tip in just one pass, thanks to the spoolie’s lash-hugging shape. My one bugbear is that the cumbersome size of the brush doesn’t bode well for the clumsy among us. On more than one occasion, I caught my eye while applying this formula and, as is always the way, blinked the product onto a full face of make-up – not ideal.
This mascara impressed me from the first swipe until the end of the day. I’m not normally one for a fibre brush and, more often, reach for plastic/silicone spoolies. However, this one separated every lash; looked just as good whether I’d opted for a hasty or precise application; and maintained all the height from my lash curling. The formula neither clumps nor smudges, and the fact it happens to be water-resistant is a bonus. Full marks, no notes.
I’m obsessed with both Clinique’s black honey almost lipstick and the matching lip oil, so, naturally, I had high hopes for this mascara. Initially though, this product had me letting out a sigh of disappointment as, from the first stroke, it appeared as though nothing had come off the spoolie. As I continued to brush the product through all my lashes, however, the subtle burgundy hue began to develop, giving my lashes a natural definition, as though they’d been freshly tinted.
With this formula, your eyes are left looking bright and awake – especially blue/green eyes, thanks to the magic of colour theory – in a way that would leave passers-by none the wiser that you’re wearing make-up. It’s perfect for those ‘no make-up’ make-up days. Plus, the brush is easy to use and forgiving to beauty beginners. There’s no denying this is a premium product but I think it’s worth its price tag. Often, when mascaras are good at lengthening it’s because of some extra fibres in the formula. This isn’t something that bothers me, per se, but it does mean the finish is bolder than you might like. With the Givenchy l’interdit couture mascara, the formula coats every lash but does so without pushing clumps of lashes together. Rather, it pulls the lashes apart, to give the appearance of a wispy, full lash line, without the heaviness of extra fibres or a thick, gloopy formula. It does, however, have the sort of brush that’s bound to encourage smudge accidents but, in my opinion, the final results are worth it.
Brown mascaras are great when you want to draw attention elsewhere – for instance, to a red lip or shimmering highlighter – and the Diorshow iconic overcurl mascara is a top pick. That’s not to say it makes your lashes look ‘less than’. In fact, it leaves them looking – much like Clinique’s black honey option – like perfect natural lashes. We’re talking full at the root, defined at the tips and expertly combed without even a hint of product detectable. It’s a tad clunky when it comes to coating your bottom lashes but, if you’re aiming for the barely there look, bypassing the lower lashes might not be the worst idea.
