Best Mascaras for Every Eye: A London MUA's Tried-and-Tested Edit

Mascara is the product I’m most particular about, and I think you should be too. It sits closer to the eye than anything else in your bag, it’s the thing most likely to end up smudged under your eyes by lunchtime, and on a wedding morning it’s very often the product a bride cries in. Getting it right isn’t vanity — it’s the difference between a face that holds and one that quietly falls apart in the photographs.

Over fifteen years I’ve worked through a great many of them, and the truth is that most drugstore mascaras are perfectly good now. The real skill is matching the formula to the eye and the day. So this is the edit I actually re-buy, sorted by what you need rather than by hype, with a proper note on the one distinction almost nobody explains: tubing versus waterproof.

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How I choose a mascara for a client’s eye

Before I ever reach for a wand I’m looking at the eye itself — how long and how straight the natural lashes are, whether the lid is hooded, whether the eyes water at the faintest provocation. Two people can suit two completely different mascaras, and the packaging almost never tells you which is which.

Wand shape matters more than the formula

People obsess over the formula and ignore the wand, when the wand is doing most of the visible work. A big, fluffy bristle brush deposits a lot of product and builds drama and volume, but it can overwhelm short or sparse lashes and clump. A slim, tapered or rubber-comb wand grips each individual lash, separates cleanly and reaches the little ones in the inner corner — which is exactly what you want on short, straight or fine lashes. If your lashes always look clumped, it’s usually the brush that’s wrong for you, not your technique.

Tubing vs waterproof — the bit no one explains

Here is the distinction that changes how you shop. Ordinary and waterproof mascaras coat the lash in pigment that, when it fails, smudges and travels — hence panda eyes. A tubing mascara works completely differently: it forms tiny flexible polymer tubes around each individual lash that stay put through water, sweat and tears, then slide off cleanly with nothing more than warm water and gentle pressure. No oily remover, no rubbing, no lashes left on the cotton pad.

That’s why, for a teary occasion, I reach for tubing over waterproof almost every time. Waterproof holds a curl brilliantly and survives a downpour, but it’s stubborn to remove and that removal is where people lose their natural lashes. Tubing gives you the same tearproof security with a far kinder end to the night. Keep both in mind as you read on — the right choice depends entirely on your day.

The best mascaras I keep re-buying

Best all-rounder — Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High

If you want one mascara for almost any eye, this is it, and it’s the one I keep several of on my kit. The flexible, bamboo-extract formula and slim wand lift and lengthen even short, straight lashes without clumping, and it builds from a natural day look to something fuller without turning spidery. That it costs under a tenner and outperforms things three times the price is, frankly, a small miracle. When a client asks me what to buy for everyday, this is my first answer nine times out of ten.

Best tubing mascara for teary bridal mornings — Clinique Lash Power

This is my quiet hero on wedding days. It’s a proper tubing formula, so it forms those little tubes around each lash that hold firm through the ceremony, the speeches and the inevitable happy tears — and then slide away with warm water at the end of the night, no panda eyes, no scrubbing. On a bride who I know is going to cry the moment she sees her father, this is what goes on. If you only own one ‘occasion’ mascara, make it a tubing one, and make it this.

Best for sensitive eyes — Clinique High Impact

Some clients’ eyes water the instant a wand comes near them, and contact-lens wearers often struggle with flaking formulas that shed into the eye. This is the one I reach for then. It’s ophthalmologist-tested, genuinely gentle on reactive eyes, and gives real volume and length without the irritation — proof that kind-to-the-eye needn’t mean dull. If ordinary mascara leaves your eyes red, streaming or itchy by mid-morning, switch to something formulated like this before you blame yourself.

Best lengthening mascara for short, straight lashes — L’Oréal Telescopic

Short, poker-straight lashes that refuse to hold a curl are the most common thing I’m asked to fix, and this is my answer. The precise, slim bristle-free wand reaches and coats even the tiniest lashes and stretches them out to a length that genuinely surprises people. Paired with a good lash curler beforehand, it opens up the eye beautifully. It’s a lengthener rather than a volumiser, so if drama is what you’re after, look to the all-rounder above — but for sheer length on stubborn lashes, few things beat it.

Best water-resistant mascara for a long day — Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof

For a beach wedding, a marquee in August or the very British risk of rain, this waterproof version holds a curl all day and won’t run when things get warm or wet. It’s the same well-behaved wand as the all-rounder, just locked down for the long haul. My one honest caveat: because it’s a true waterproof rather than a tubing formula, it needs a proper oil-based remover at the end of the night — so be gentle taking it off, and don’t rub.

Best budget volumiser — Rimmel Extra 3D Lash

Proof that you needn’t spend to get volume. At under four pounds this is a reliable, buildable everyday mascara that fans lashes out and adds fullness without fuss — the one I happily recommend to clients watching their budget, and a sensible spare to keep in a handbag. It’s not going to survive a tearful ceremony the way a tubing formula will, but for ordinary days and ordinary weather it does exactly what it promises for the price of a coffee.

How to apply mascara like an artist

The wiggle-and-pull that adds length without clumps

Most people simply sweep the wand upwards, which deposits all the product at the roots and clumps the tips. Instead, start at the very base of the lashes and wiggle the wand gently side to side as you slowly pull it up and through to the tips. The wiggle deposits product evenly and separates each lash; the pull draws it out to full length. One good coat applied this way beats three hurried ones. Let the first coat dry for a few seconds before a second, and always do a second coat while the first is still slightly tacky, never bone dry.

My trick for lifting a hooded or downturned lash

For hooded or downturned eyes, the secret is direction. Rather than coating everything straight up, angle the wand and sweep the outer lashes up and outwards, towards the tail of the brow. This creates a subtle lift that opens the eye and counteracts the downward droop. Concentrate the product on the outer two-thirds of the lashes and keep the inner corner light. A gentle push of the wand at the root, held for a second, sets a little lift in too. For more on flattering different eye shapes, my makeup techniques guide goes further.

Removing tubing and waterproof mascara without losing lashes

How you take mascara off matters as much as how you put it on, because rough removal is the fastest way to lose your natural lashes. Tubing mascara is the gentlest by far: press a warm, damp cloth over closed eyes for ten seconds, then wipe softly, and the tubes simply slide away. Waterproof needs more: saturate a cotton pad with a proper oil-based or bi-phase remover, hold it over the lashes for a slow count of twenty to dissolve the formula, then wipe downwards without scrubbing. Never drag, never rush. If you find yourself rubbing, the product hasn’t dissolved yet — hold the pad on for longer.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the actual difference between tubing and waterproof mascara?

Waterproof mascara resists water by coating the lash in a water-repellent pigment, but it smudges if it does eventually fail and needs an oil-based remover. Tubing mascara wraps each lash in tiny flexible polymer tubes that hold firm through tears and sweat, then slide off with just warm water. For weepy occasions I almost always choose tubing, because it’s just as tearproof but far kinder to your lashes when it comes off.

Which mascara is best for sensitive or watery eyes?

Look for an ophthalmologist-tested formula designed for sensitive eyes and contact-lens wearers, like Clinique High Impact, and lean towards tubing formulas, which don’t shed flakes into the eye. Avoid heavy fibre-based volumising mascaras if your eyes water easily, as the fibres are what tend to irritate. If your eyes stream or itch by mid-morning, the formula is almost always the culprit.

How often should I replace my mascara?

Every three months, without exception. Mascara is the highest-risk product in your bag for bacteria because the wand travels in and out of a warm, damp tube next to your eye all day. If it starts to smell, dries out, or goes clumpy before three months, bin it sooner — and never add water or add saliva to revive a drying tube, which is a fast route to an eye infection.

Can I layer two different mascaras?

Yes, and I do it often on jobs. A classic pairing is a lengthening mascara first to stretch the lashes out, then a volumising one over the top to thicken them — the best of both. Apply the first coat, let it almost dry, then the second. Just don’t overload; two thin, purposeful coats look far better than four heavy ones, and layering is where clumping creeps in if you’re heavy-handed.

The right mascara, applied well, is one of the quiet upgrades that makes a whole face look considered — and on the day that matters most, it’s the last thing you want to be worrying about. If you’d rather have your lashes done properly and know they’ll survive the ceremony, that’s exactly what I do for brides every weekend; you can see how I work on the bridal makeup page. For a wider look at how the eye has evolved as a canvas, you might also enjoy my piece on the evolution of eye makeup.

Prices and availability were correct when I checked in July 2026 and change often — the live price is always on Amazon. Certain content on this page comes from Amazon and is provided "as is". As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.