3 of The Best Lash Lengthening Mascaras

If your lashes are naturally fluttery and long, please look away now: you don’t need to hear about the new crop of lash lengthening mascaras – and frankly, you’re giving us lash envy. What you want is volume, and that’s a whole other day’s work. ?Of all of the hundreds and thousands of mascaras on the market, there are only really two basic types: those that give length and curl, and those that provide ?fat lashes?.

What works best for you will depend, entirely, on what Mother Nature gave you; in this writer’s case, that’s nothing to write home about, so I’m all over lengthening mascara like white on rice.

Puzzlingly, it’s not always easy to identify which camp a mascara falls in to; take Maybelline’s latest, Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara, as a case in point. ?Lashes look visibly multiplied and fuller?, says the tube. Volumising, right? Nu-uh.

The clue is in the wand: brushes that add volume and fullness have a larger distance between the bristles. (The mascara itself will also be thicker in texture, but that’s trickier to work out before you buy.) The Maybelline rubber brush has lots of spikey bristles, packed in tight: tiny ones along one side, with a curve of longer, fanned out bristles on the other. ?For €11.99, it does a marvellous job of grabbing every single eyelash and giving lift, curl, length and definition. We like a lot.

Max Factor’s Masterpiece Glamour Extensions 3-in-1 mascara, €13.99, is less confusingly named; this does actually mimic the look of lash extensions, creating a longer, fluttery and more defined finish that won’t clump, flake or smudge.

Finally, Benefit’s Roller Lash, €26, is another great offering that delivers on its promise: lengthened, curly lashes, with no lash curler required. It won’t run, clog or clump, layers beautifully and the curl lasts all day.

Emma Henderson @fluffyblog