Consider the case below: Your Zoom date is less than a minute away. You have 25 seconds to decide whether to apply lipstick, blush, or a coat of black mascara after slipping on that Proenza Schouler dress and raking hair back into a low ponytail.
A quick poll revealed that the majority of people choose to save their lashes first.
But, while most volumizing, curling, and defining formulas claim to do so, which ones actually deliver? Who better to ask for guidance than the pros: celebrities who have put their favorite mascaras to the test on numerous red carpet appearances, as well as professional makeup artists who keep the winning tubes in their kits year after year.
Your Fuzion guide to the best mascaras, includes Hailey Bieber’s must-have selection and Khloe Kardashian’s infallible formula.
Juice Beauty Phyto-Pigments Ultra-Natural Mascara
Gwyneth Paltrow uses this lengthening solution produced without parabens or harsh chemicals to finish her day-to-night clean makeup regimen. ” It’s a clean mascara that works beautifully,” she says of Juice Beauty’s best-selling item, ” which is really hard to do.”
Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara
Michael Ashton, Adele’s makeup artist, says, ” I like a product that creates full and fluttery lashes in just one coat. My absolute go-to is Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara; I love that it gives both volume and lift to the lashes, as well as a rich carbon-black colour payoff.”
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
Andrea Tiller, the makeup artist behind some of Olivia Palermo’s and Amy Schumer’s most eye-catching looks, says, ” I love it because it’s an intensely black mascara that does it all! With only two coats you can get a dreamy false lash effect. It’s a staple in my kit that I can’t live without.”
Pat McGrath Labs FetishEyes Mascara
Model Stella Maxwell brushing on more than one coat of Pat McGrath’s model-approved formula adds, ” I like to do a couple layers of mascara. The clumps are kinda badass.”
Lancôme Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara
Khloé Kardashian says, ” This is the one thing I will not leave the house without. I go to the gym with mascara.” What’s her tried-and-true method? Hypnôse Doll Lashes by Lancôme. ” Lancôme, you did something there,” she says.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
Magenta-haired pop artist Doja Cat uses Maybelline’s product (“which is fire”) for a doe-eyed set to get her e-girl, Harajuku-inspired style. ” I always kind of wanted that cartoon-esque look,” she says as she applies two coats of mascara to her top and bottom lashes.
L’Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof Mascara
Patrick Ta, who has worked with Kendall Jenner and Camila Alves, says, ” I love this L’Oréal waterproof [formula] because it’s one of the blackest mascaras on the market! The applicator really elevates your lashes to give that extra drama that everyone wants in their eyes.”
MAC Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara
No makeup look is complete for model Candice Swanepoel without a sweep of mascara. ” This one has a really fine brush so it gets quite wispy,” she adds of her favorite MAC product. ” I like to get really to the root and fan them out.”
IT Cosmetics Tightline 3-in-1 Black Primer-Eyeliner-Mascara
Pati Dubroff, who works with Margot Robbie, Dakota Johnson, and Priyanka Chopra, says, ” IT Cosmetics is my go-to for under-eye and inner lashes—when you want a no-mascara look.” She adds, ” Also, Benefit’s mascara builds a really good fill and gives a long-lasting look. The ball at the end is great for building more product at the base”
Giorgio Armani Beauty Eyes to Kill Mascara
” Eyes to Kill is beautiful—it’s not too much, it’s just enough,” Mary Phillips, the woman behind the Kardashians and Jennifer Lopez’s excellent looks, adds. ” Because sometimes it’s 7:00 a.m. and you aren’t looking for a full-blown lash after your workout, just an effect that’s way better than your own bare lashes.”
Benefit They’re Real Mascara
Tracee Ellis Ross uses Benefit’s They’re Real for a super-lifted set after applying lash prep. ” Even when I get my makeup done, I do my own mascara,” she admits. ” It’s so funny, by the time you get to this age—I’m 46—you’ve got the things you do.”
MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara
” If I had to choose two things to take to a desert island, for sure it would be lip balm and mascara,” Hailey Bieber adds, flaunting her natural California glow.
Dior Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Volume HD Mascara
Model and actor Kiko Mizuhara says of her favorite mascara, ” I always wipe it once, cause I don’t want it to be too thick.” The Japanese beauty uses Dior’s Pump N’Volume mascara on her top and bottom lashes to produce the ideal cat eye.
Maybelline New York Volum’ Express The Rocket Washable Mascara
“I always use two mascaras,” Halsey admits of her tried-and-true technique. ” One to darken and one to lengthen.” The singer starts with a swipe of MAC’s black formula (“it’s super goopy, super awesome”) and finishes with a swipe of Maybelline’s sweat-proof tube.
L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray uses her favourite lengthening method to polish off her pageant look after applying two pairs of artificial lashes to re-create her pageant look. ” I feel the giveaway for fake lashes is the inner corner,” she explains. ” I always make sure the inner lashes are nice and lifted.”
When you’re short on time, reaching for the best mascara you have on hand is often easier and faster than, say, applying lipstick. Not to mention that it’s even more practical now that we’re all wearing face masks when we leave the house.
