Tried and True: The Best Mascaras for Length and Volume

Tried and True Mascara

Mascara is a simple yet powerful step in a makeup routine. I’ve found that, if I don’t feel like doing a lot of makeup, as long as I fill in my eyebrows and put on mascara, I feel polished and ready to go. It can be hard to find the best options, though, and the choice of what one finds to be the best mascara is often quite personal. For me, the best mascaras are low-maintenance options. That is, mascaras that are durable but also easy to remove. Read on for my top mascara choices:

Shop The Top Mascaras

The Best Mascaras for Length and Volume

My eyelashes are naturally pretty long, so I’m not looking for volume so much as definition. I also tear up from laughing a lot, so I prefer something that won’t streak. I’ve narrowed down my mascara collection to a few tried and true formulas.

My Top Mascara Choices

In no particular order, my top three favorite mascaras are from Trish McEvoy, Wander Beauty, and Milk Makeup. The three mascara formulas from these brands in this section are all great for lash curling, and are long lasting while also being easy to remove. As someone with glasses, I find that these are some of the best mascaras for glasses as smudges are easy to clean off the lenses.

Lately, I’ve been reaching for the Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara the most. Overall, I think it is probably the best deal cost-wise, and it’s pretty widely available. I definitely think it, along with the Milk Makeup Kush Mascara, is one of the best mascaras Sephora stocks.

Read my in-depth review of the Wander Beauty mascara options featured in this post here!

The Milk Makeup Kush High Volumizing Mascara doesn’t provide a ton of volume, in my opinion, but I’m not looking for a dedicated volume-boosting mascara. This option is, however, a great all-around mascara for it’s density, color, and longevity. It’s easy to build up for a more dramatic look, too.

Trish McEvoy Lash Curling Tubular Mascara: Available at Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Blue Mercury, and Nordstrom
Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume and Curl Mascara: Available at Amazon, Sephora, and Wander Beauty’s website
Milk Makeup Kush High Volumizing Mascara: Available at Sephora

The Trish McEvoy Lash Curling Tubular Mascara was the first formula that I tried that didn’t require oily makeup remover to take off. Since then, I’ve never gone back to a formula that was so difficult to remove. If you are looking more for volume rather than curling, I would definitely recommend the High Volume option from the same brand. While this may be a pricier option, this tip on how to fix dry mascara disabuses me of concerns about not getting my money’s worth of the formulas.

Honorable Mentions for the Best Mascaras

There are a few other mascara options I want to recommend, even though they are not my all time favorites. These are all great options that have features that are not priorities for me.

Best Mascara No Clumping Or Flaking

Ilia Fullest Volumizing Mascara: Available at Amazon, the Ilia website, Nordstrom, and Sephora
Trish McEvoy High Volume Tubular Mascara: Available at Amazon, Bloomingdale’s, Blue Mercury, and Nordstrom
Milk Makeup Kush Waterproof Mascara: Available at Sephora (mini version here)

Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume & Curl Mascara: Available at Amazon, Sephora, and the Wander Beauty website

As I mentioned, I have longer lashes, so formulas focusing solely on volume (the Trish McEvoy option here and the Wander Beauty option) are not what I am drawn to. Similarly, I find that the Milk Makeup Kush Mascara featured above is a good all-around option and has long lasting power; as such, the waterproof formula doesn’t do much for me.

What do you look for in a mascara? Do you prefer formulas
focused on volume or mascaras for length or curl?


*This post was originally published on November 10, 2019. It was most recently updated on October 9, 2023.

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