How to Choose the Best Mascara for Your Lashes & Desired Look

For many, mascara is their number one makeup must-have and without it, they feel naked. In fact, a 2022 consumer report found that mascara is the most used makeup product of all. One of the top reasons for this: mascara has the power to make you look wide awake despite how little sleep you may have actually gotten. Plus, with a range from inky blacks to radiant blues, mascara provides the perfect way to emphasize your eyes and tie your entire look together with its rich pigments. So, to say it’s impactful would be an understatement, but it’s not as simple as just grabbing any old tube and swiping away. There are a lot of mascaras to choose from and each has a different benefit, whether that’s length, volume, drama, or maybe you need a waterproof version or one that’s well-suited for sensitive eyes. To find out which one is your mascara match, Maybelline New York is here to help. 

If you know how you want your lashes to look– longer, fuller, curled, more dramatic, etc.–this will help guide you to your perfect mascara match. Many formulas will have these exact words on the label, helping you to simplify your search and get one step closer to the lashes of your dreams. 

Are length and volume of the utmost importance? You’re probably a Lash Sensational Sky High girly. But, if you want even more out of your formula– lets say a false lash effect sans glue or actual falsies– we have Falsies Surreal, which packs Hybrid Fiber technology for extra long length. These formulas are great if you’re already working with nice, healthy lashes, but if yours need a little extra oomph, might we suggest priming with our Lash Sensational Sky High Tinted Primer first? Because it’s tinted, you don’t have to worry about covering up any white cast. Bonus: the end result isn’t just longer lashes instantly, you’ll also notice they’re stronger over time thanks to its nourishing vitamin B5-infused formula.

Most mascaras will come in a universal-ish black shade, but others come in a variety of colors, allowing you to get creative, play up your eye color, or just try something outside of your usual look. Lash Sensational Sky High, Great Lash, and the Falsies Surreal among other Maybelline mascaras, come in several shades, allowing you to choose which is best for you. Your decision might be based on personal preference or determined by the look you’re going for. If you’re planning on wearing a super intense eye shadow look with a full face of makeup. it would make sense to go with the darkest black. But, if you're aiming for a more natural, 'I woke up like this' makeup look, opting for a lighter black or even brown mascara could be the ideal choice

In addition to the neutral shades, plenty of mascaras come in more daring colors, too, like burgundy, purple, blue, and even pink or green. Similarly to choosing an eye shadow shade that best flatters your coloring, you can use those same indicators to determine your best mascara color. If you have green or brown eyes, a purple or burgundy shade can really make them pop while blue eyes pair well with brown or blue mascaras.

Now that you know the kind of mascara you’re looking for, it’s time to level up. Although the formula is super important, the brush is just as important and the two go hand in hand in creating the desired outcome. Warning: there are lots of different brush types out there, so here’s a bit of a crash course. 

• Curved: If you have relatively straight lashes, you’ll want to look for a mascara wand that’s curved like Colossal Curl Bounce to encourage all day lift and hold. 

• Skinny + Flexible: Sometimes it can be tough to get every last lash, especially if you have some that are shorter than others. That’s where the Flex Tower mascara brush comes in. The wand of our Lash Sensational Sky High formula “bends to volumize and extend every single lash from root to tip.”

• Fluffy: Typically, the bigger and fluffier the mascara wand, the better it is for thickening as seen in our Colossal formula with its Mega Brush that imparts instant drama. Mega Plush is another formula that has a fatter brush. The brush in our Falsies Surreal mascara features a unique twisted shape (referred to as an extended helix brush) that allows you to load each lash with mascara for that thick, fake lash look.

• Hourglass: This type of wand is great for lifting and volumizing and is utilized in our Falsies Lash Lift formula. The wider part of the brush volumizes while the tapered shape separates and defines each lash hair.

• Flared: Our Falsies Push Up Angel has a wand that we call a push-up wing brush. It somewhat resembles a comb with bristles on just one side and its purpose is to sweep lashes to the side while lifting and plumping for a dramatic cat eye effect.

For some of our all-time favorite mascaras that meet all of your lash needs, keep scrolling.

For days you want surreal length and volume, you'll love the Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara. The formula includes a mix of fibers to load lashes from root to tip without clumping, smudging, flaking, or smearing, so it's a great mascara for those with short lashes.

Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara's brush is uniquely bendable and built to extend every single lash from root to tip. The formula is powered by bamboo extract and teeny-tiny fibers which physically extend the tips of lashes with every coat.

You know how when you get a great salon blowout, you feel like a million bucks? That's what this mascara does for eyelashes. Lashes go from ordinary to energetic, and you don't have to fiddle around with a lash curler to achieve it. Fans also praise the way it adds easy, natural-looking fullness.

If you want length that lasts, you’ve come to the right place. The Falsies Surreal Extensions Waterproof Mascara features an extended brush with long, twisted bristles that deliver inky black fibers from root to tip for mega length and volume. The best part: the vegan formula is waterproof and promises up to 24 hours of wear.

Fans of this iconic yellow tube know that it's the secret to transforming lightweight, barely-there lashes to be impossibly full, fast. The extra oversized brush means one coat is all you need to see results, but the real secret is the formula—it's infused with plumping collagen!

Sometimes you want super-thick lashes. Sometimes you want super-long lashes. And sometimes you want both—without looking too over-the-top and "made up". That's where this amazing option comes in. The formula is kera-fiber-infused to make lashes longer, and it gets perfectly delivered by the unique flexible, "spoon" shaped brush.

A "fan effect" is when eyelashes look like they reach out beyond the outer corners of the eyes– not just out in front– giving the illusion of wider eyes and more lashes. Makeup artists will often add individual false lashes at the corners of the eyes to create this flirty look, but you can get it with this cult-favorite mascara. The secret is all in the brush—it's a unique fanning brush with ten layers of bristles to define and separate lashes.

Are straight, lifeless lashes ruining your look? Not anymore. The Colossal Curl Bounce Washable Mascara has a memory curl technology that not only reminds your lashes to stay curled all day, but it does so sans clumping. The result: a lightweight, bouncy effect with major va-va-volume.

For 50 years, this pink and green tube has been a best-selling beauty icon, and with good reason. The just-right-sized brush gets right into the corners of the eyes to reach every last lash, and the formula is ultra-conditioning. The result is nice, thick lashes, but in an easygoing, everyday kind of way.

It’s one thing to want lengthy lashes, but it’s a tall order to ask for definition and separation, too. The unique design of Define-a-Lash has a built-in wiper and brush to remove excess formula, so that you’re not left with clumps or spider lashes. Instead, just enough of the inky black formula is deposited on each lash hair for perfect precision.

Some mascaras are great at lengthening while others make an impact by curling even the most stubborn lashes, but why should you have to choose? The Lash Sensational Curvitude mascara gives you the best of both worlds thanks to its innovative brush design that features fanned-out bristles and a curved shape for longer, perfectly curled lashes.

All lashes are beautiful, but short ones can put a serious damper on your glam. To enhance your lashes and give them some height (like stilettos do for legs), the brush of the Lash Stiletto Ultimate Length was literally designed to grip and extend your lash hairs. What’s more, the Pro-Vitamin B-5 formula conditions and smooths so that you get a shiny, patent leather effect on your new lengthy lashes.

If you have sensitive eyes, we understand what a headache it can be to find a non-irritating formula. Rest assured, though, this one is ophthalmologist tested, hypoallergenic tested, and it’s suitable for contact wearers. But, that’s not all. To keep irritation at bay– even when it comes time to remove your makeup– this thickening formula dissolves quickly and has Vitamin E to nourish lashes and prevent lash loss.

The days of rubbing and tugging at lashes just to get your mascara to barely budge are long gone. This one-of-a-kind formula was designed to come off in a “snap,” hence its name. It’s wax-free and glides on easily, ensuring all-day wear, but once you want it gone, just say adios with some warm water and a cotton pad.