Mascara can be infuriating. But the right one is out there somewhere
Despite mascara being the one product most makeup wearers consider to be indispensable, I find it the most infuriating. My dismay at the vast majority of them is due to their smudginess – the speed with which I can transform blackened, fluttery lashes into greystained undereyes is alarming.
Your own annoyances will vary, from clumping to crumbling, itching to flaking. Which is why reviewing mascaras is so tricky: what is too big a brush for me is too spindly for another; what I think dramatic is too subtle for some. A perfect mascara is like a favourite writing pen – it may feel scratchy and unwieldy in unfamiliar hands.
So I admire Vieve founder Jamie Genevieve’s honesty in saying, at the recent launch of her Modern Mascara (£23), that just one mascara can’t fulfil every wish – for that, she’d need a veritable portfolio of them. Nonetheless, she’s made a very good fist of trying. Modern Mascara’s cello-shaped, densely bristled brush hugs each lash – even my shortest, sparsest strands – and separates them with zero sticky clumping.
Many editors, TikTokers and influencers have since declared it smudge-proof, and I believe them – it fought a good battle on my behalf, lasting nine hours straight, only smudging lightly when I fell asleep for a full two hours in front of Euphoria. And the black is black, which you’d think obvious, but is never guaranteed.
Victoria Beckham has added to her “smudge-proof” mascara lineup with Vast Lash (£30), a more dramatic offering for those underwhelmed by the (undeniably very low-key) original, Future Lash. It delivers extremely well on the promise. In one coat, my very fine lashes inflate noticeably, but look fluffy and fluttery, rather than like a drenched spider. I adore how it applies and looks, but would call it smudge-resistant rather than smudgeproof, with a similarly good staying power to the Vieve.
People routinely credit Maybelline and L’Oréal Paris (both owned by L’Oréal) with making the best mascaras, and while they’re arguably right, it’s also a numbers game – L’Oréal makes more mascara consumers happy because it has dozens of different mascaras, ensuring everyone can find one they love.
My pick is Maybelline’s terrific Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara (£11.99). It took me a while to fall for the bendy silicone brush (I favour the bristly type in all areas of life), but perseverance paid off. Expect long, separated lashes that hold tight, if not quite indelibly.
In one coat, my very fine lashes inflate, but look fluffy and fluttery rather than like a drenched spider