The Best Mascara's

For length, fullness, or separation, mascara is the beauty buy to accentuate your smallest assets, says editor Trudi Brewer. So, what mascara’s do we rate? Here are our favourites worth considering.

Image Glossier

If my obsession with the brand Glossier has taught me anything, it's that glowing skin, and full glossy lashes are always on-trend. So to share my favourite desert island mascara's, read on.

NEW Jane Iredale Beyond Lash Volumizing Mascara, $66

One of the most complex clean beauty buys to make is mascara, but JI has cracked it with this new wonder wand. The formula is 98 per cent naturally-derived with bamboo stem powder, a natural alternative to traditional nylon fibres, basil root extract that helps the lashes feel fuller. Finally, rice bran wax, the vegan alternative to beeswax, offers a flexible coating of black glossy colour. The finish, polished black lashes from a weightless, buildable formula with an hourglass-shaped brush. This Teflon, paraben, mineral oil, and carbon-free formulation for anyone with sensitive eyes, will be your new BFF.

Perfect Your Technique

According to Kelli J. Bartlett, New Yorks' Glamsquad artistic director, the ultimate technique is to 'bump and grind' your lashes. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Bump your mascara wand into the top lashes, making sure the brush separates the lashes when you lock it in at the base.

Step 2: Roll it forward (much like a hairstylist would when blow-drying your hair with a round brush) to capture each lash.

Step 3: Grind it back and forth while pulling up.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof, $24.

We are fans of the cult classic, Better Than Sex Mascara (in the pink metallic tube), but for summer, if you want a waterproof option, this wand has all the elements needed to get your lashes looking fluffy, long, and separated. The buildable formula (although one coat covers every lash) doesn’t clump as you add additional coats because the hourglass-shaped brush wraps around every, leaving them glossy-looking, and fanned out.

Know When To Toss Your Mascara

A mascara's shelf life starts ticking the second you open it, so make sure you keep an eye on how long you've had that tube rolling around your bag- get a new mascara every six months - and it's one makeup item you shouldn't share.

Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes - Doll Lash Effect Mascara, $67

Recently reminded, when this mascara landed on my desk last week, just how good this mascara is for giving your lashes that wide-eyed, fanned-out look - even when you’re feeling exhausted. A ‘fibershine’ formula that contains nylon powders doubles your lashes in length and thickness while coating them in the glossy black formula. While the cone-shaped brush helps you so capture every lash, even those tiny ones in the inner corner of the eye - no surprises, it’s a cult beauty buy.

Don't Pump Your Mascara

An oldie, but a goodie, don't pump your mascara wand in and out of the tube; twirl it before taking it out; this will ensure you get an even coating of product on your mascara wand.

Stila Magnum XXX Mascara, $37.

The curve of this brush is ideal for creating length and thickness, while a styling resin in the formula helps hold the curl, and a diamond powder boosts colour and shine. In this mascara, you have what makeup artists describe as a 'wonder wand that catches every single lash to make the very most of what you’ve got.'

TILT YOUR HEAD

Next comes the top application tips. First, tilt your head back slightly when applying mascara; this helps you get the brush at the root of the lashes, wiggle the wand at the base of the lashes and then sweep upward, curling the lashes at the same time. If you wear glasses, look down into a magnifying mirror, apply mascara from the roots with the same wiggle technique, and then lift and sweep up as you brush the mascara through your lashes.

Glossier Lash Slick, $24.

For anyone with thin, short lashes, this mascara is a god-send. Why? The tiny fibres loaded onto the precise, cone-shaped brush, with its film-forming formulation, coat each lash in the volume and length-giving formula. You can build up to faux-looking lashes with three coats, or just one coat leaves lashes looking naturally glossy. The water-resistant formula stays in place without smudging or flaking for hours, then removes warm water. The best news is that the formulation contains biotin vitamin B and pro-vitamin B5, and tripeptide-1 (a synthetic fatty acid) to promote shine and growth while you wear it. You can ship Glossier to NZ via YouShop.

WHAT'S MAKES MASCARA SO GOOD AND BAD?

The good ingredients include iron oxide pigments that tint lashes, natural and synthetic polymers that coat and separate each lash. Thickening waxes or oils such as lanolin, castor oil, carnauba wax, and candelilla wax. However, the not so good ingredients often found in waterproof mascaras include Isododecane (synthetic hydrocarbon), solvents and isoparaffins (derived from refined crude mineral oils) if you have sensitive eyes, avoid these.

Shiseido ControlledChaos MascaraInk, $60

The hourglass-shaped brush was designed to hug every lash, while the smudge-proof and the flake-proof formula stays put for hours. In fact, through the rain, humidity, a decent sweat, an entire day at the beach, and even a crying session, it will stay put for hours. There are four shades, including a pop-bright blue, lilac, and deep forest green, pictured here 01 Black Bolt.