MASCARA
V-e-r-y interesting. Most of the winning entries here are from brands which may not be on your radar – but really OUGHT to be on the strength of these comments. And if you’re anything like us, you’re always on the hunt for a great mascara. (We’ve a hunch women spend more ‘kissing frogs’ on the mascara front than on any other category).
It’s partly because mascara is such a personal thing. Lash types vary as much as hair types do. As a former employee of L’Oréal (who’d worked in mascara research) once revealed to us, there exist no less than seven different lash types. As a result, scores here were more mixed than for many other products.
Mostly, whether or not a mascara will work for you depends on how the specific wand design grips your own lashes – and of course, how volumised/lengthened/curled the effect you’re seeking. (In the write-ups, we tell you whether the wand is rubber/silicone or bristle – most of us tend to prefer one or other.)
GOLD AWARD Eyeko Limitless Mascara
First off: silicone brush, slightly conical in shape ‘for definition and separation of the lashes,’ say Eyeko, who (if you don’t know) are a British brand that sits under the umbrella of The Hut Group. Vegan-certified, cruelty-free, we’re told this is formulated with 80% natural ingredients, including açai oil (for nourishment) and oat-derived fibres, for length. You take it off with warm water – a ‘tube’ mascara, then – rather than traditional eye make-up remover. We generally ask for mascara submissions in black only, but Eyeko sent this in a deep brown – and testers were surprised how they liked it.
£19 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘I have never before found a mascara that I like. I jump from brand to brand in search of a mascara, but I have at last found one I love. I will be buying this mascara again and again; a single coat provides a really good effect, while a second coat provides a stronger effect (but really isn’t necessary)’ • ‘I never would have picked a brown shade, but it looks so beautiful and natural that I am going to switch; on the lashes, you can't even tell it's brown - it just looks natural, glossy and perfect. It was easy to remove too; thank you so much for introducing me to this product – honestly, I will not be without it from now on’ • ‘It goes on like a dream, dries quickly, no smudging or flaking. I cannot recommend it enough! This makes my lashes look as I WISH they did –just amazing stuff. I love the packaging, with the squeezy tube to help get as much of the product out as possible, I love the wand, I love the formula. I just love it!’ • ‘The lasting power of this mascara is perfect – all day long with no flaking, smudging or running; I have oily skin and eyelids and it didn't budge at all’ • ‘A great mascara that doesn't clog and really enhances your lashes without being over the top. I also liked the soft tube as it will be a lot easier to get it all used when it gets near the end.’
£19 - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD Urban Retreat Skyscraper Mascara
Available from Urban Retreat’s website, as well as via Urban Retreat’s network of beauty consultants, this is buildable for a false lash ‘fibre effect’ – as they put it, ‘Long and wispy, or big and bold! The choice is yours!’ The formulation, meanwhile, aims to ‘feed’ lashes with conditioning ingredients including an algae – Himanthalia Elongata extract – to promote growth, Cucurbita pepo seed extract (from cucumbers, said to offer 100 nutrients), with vitamins A, C and E. A multi-tasker of a mascara, it’s designed to lift, lengthen and volumise in one.
£13.50 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘I loved using this brilliant mascara; it was very easy to use without clumping and produced great results on each application. It was great to see that as well as being animal cruelty-free, it also offered vitamins and mineral acids to enhance and protect my own lashes’ • ‘I haven’t tried this brand of mascara previously and probably would have thought its name a bold claim, but it is actually very aptly named’ • ‘Highly recommend this mascara. It was noticeable that on the first few uses, friends commented that they thought I was actually wearing false lashes’ • ‘This mascara produced a glossy finish with my lashes enhanced both in length and thickness; it lengthened without any feeling of weight’ • ‘A good mascara that leaves full lashes without looking false, and it lasted well on my lashes. No irritation, either’ • ‘A great all-rounder mascara. If you want something for everyday that you can then push into the evening, this could be what you are looking for!’ • ‘Finish is semi glossy. Lashes don’t look cakey, or dry, but don’t look overly shiny and false. There was a nice lift to the lashes, and the wand delivered a small curl as part of the application’ • ‘All the positives of a big brand mascara, but much more natural ingredients’ • ‘Although this product didn’t make any claims to be waterproof, I found that it didn’t smudge or run when exposed to water (a few tears, or rain in my face) and it didn’t flake or crumble either, even when I went to bed without removing it! (Oops!)’
£13.50 - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL Collection Next Level Lash Surge
An unusual wand design for this affordable winner: a long, straight bristle brush with… kind of a wider bristle tip, almost like the tip of an arrow. So, we thought we’d share the how-to from this high street brand, for getting the most out of this wand: ‘Want Next Level volume and length? Use the extra-long bristles at the tip of the brush, to comb an extra coat of mascara through your outer lashes, and the very ends of your lashes, fanning them out as you go. The flatter, straighter side is for separating, defining, lifting and volumising.
£6.49 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘Really good at lash-lengthening. The brush was very good – easy to get to all the lashes, making them look longer and thicker’ • ‘Brilliant brush, coats all the lashes equally. The texture was just right; glides on really smoothly to make lashes look longer and thicker; also, it lasted ages. I felt this conditioned my lashes. Some mascaras feel horrible on the lashes, but this was amazing’ • ‘I used my normal mascara on one eye and this product on the other; I then asked a few different friends which they thought looked best and they all picked the Collection product’ • ‘This was the dark horse! I really did not expect this to make such a massive difference to my lashes. For best effect, you need to wipe the very tip of the wand, as this has so many fibres which work like a dream to create the almost false-look lashes. It outperformed many high-end mascaras that I have bought’ • ‘Lasts all day. Didn’t flake and I didn’t get fibres in my eyes; it stayed through rainy walks and you get a LOT of bang for your buck!’ • ‘I liked the brush of this mascara and was surprised at the quality for a budget brand. Overall, I would definitely buy this in preference to some more expensive alternatives as I thought it gave a similar result’ • ‘I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the finish of this mascara and would buy again; it was good at lash thickening and comparable to more expensive brands.’
£6.49 - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD Arbonne Speak Volumes Mascara
Another ‘all-in-one’, from another brand which has a network of beauty consultants up and down the country – but we want to make it clear that you can also buy direct from Arbonne’s website. What we have here is a tapered bristle brush, which ‘helps catch every lash to lengthen, define, curl, and volumise,’ sweeping on a smudge-resistant, buildable formula that is enriched with green tea and vitamins. Good even for sensitive eyes, Arbonne promise.
£38 - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘This has an excellent brush, whose size meant that you could reach your smallest lashes, in either corner of the eye. It was easy to apply smoothly and overall, fab’ • ‘My lashes are not particularly short or sparse, but when I wore this mascara, it did look as though I had either curled them or was wearing false lashes – in fact, I had a few comments, asking if I was wearing those’ • ‘Fabulous mascara. It did not flake, smudge or run and although I didn’t go swimming with it, I did go on a couple of bike rides while wearing this, and there was no problem. It also removed very easily with my eye make-up remover at the end of the day’ • ‘Used this product daily for two months and there’s still plenty in tube’ • ‘No clumping, with this; I also love the way the wand defines the lashes – I can pick up all the tiny lashes in the inner eye, all the way out to those longer outer lashes. Definition was excellent’ • ‘Even after applying more than one coat, the lashes didn’t clump and I’m delighted to say that I didn’t end up with panda eyes – which I experience with lots of mascaras, as my eyes do tend to be light-sensitive and water a lot’ • ‘I would definitely buy again (especially if they did this in brown); it’s great everyday mascara’ • ‘This was completely new to me, but I loved it and will be repurchasing when this tube runs out. Someone complimented me while I was wearing it and noticed that my lashes looked nice and long – which I was pleased about.’
£38 - click to buy