If there’s one step in your makeup that instantly transforms your look, it has to be the mascara. Enhancing the lashes with length frames the eyes beautifully and adds extra drama to your look, all at once! But finding the perfect lengthening mascara is no piece of cake. You have to take the wand into account, look at the main result it provides, while checking if it is long-lasting, waterproof, or compatible with sensitive eyes and contact lenses. Whatever your preferences regarding specific features may be, we managed to simplify it as much as possible and present you with the finest selection of lengthening mascaras, from affordable to luxury brands.
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What is lengthening mascara?
A lengthening mascara is a makeup product that, through a formula that contains pigments and fibers or polymers attached to the ends of your lashes to create a long lash effect. Used alone or as the last step of your eye makeup look, a lengthening mascara makes your lashes look long and doll-like.
Who should use a lengthening mascara?
Lengthening mascaras are ideal for those with short lashes, as well as for those who love some lash action without the weight and drama of volumizing mascaras. Lengthening mascaras make each lash look longer, and these formulations often favour lash separation, for a result that never looks heavy.
Here are our favorite lengthening mascaras
We love how mascaras transform eye makeup looks in seconds. With these formulas, you’ll be working on a lengthening effect that makes your lashes look long and fuller, separate, and very black. Check our suggestions and pick your own favorites.
essence Lash Without Limits Extreme Lengthening & Volume Mascara 01 Ultra Black
The perfect budget mascara for long lashes
essence Lash Without Limits Extreme Lengthening & Volume Mascara 01 Ultra Black
A lengthening mascara is ideal to set any look to success, especially if you’re using some eyelid makeup. It adds color depth to each individual hair, intensifying your eyes with an extra black punch. In order to perform all these wonders, it features a synthetic bristle brush that does all the work for you! This mascara coats the lashes with a long-lasting formulation that cares for the lashes just as much as it cares for your looks.
J.Cat Love Live Lash Lengthening Mascara
Faux-looking eyelashes
J.Cat Love Live Lash Lengthening Mascara
If the intense lengthening action isn’t enough for you, then you need to go for the big guns. This mascara intensifies the volume and length of your lashes at the same time, so you don’t have to compromise on intensity. It is not only ideal to achieve big and bold lashes but also to care for them with nourishing and moisturizing ingredients. Achieve a fearless look with the drama of false lashes and without all the fuss.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara 01 Very Black
The best drugstore mascara to boost length
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara 01 Very Black
This mascara sculpts your lashes in the most elegant way there is. Ideal for short lashes, it provides immediate definition and elongates them. Even if you apply more than one coat, the brush manages to deliver the perfect amount of product for a clump-free application that lasts. Besides the length-boosting result, it also adds extra thickness for an intense gaze that never lacks definition. Launched at the end of 2020, this formula is a cult product and recognized by multiple beauty awards as one of the best mascaras.
Dr. Hauschka Long Lasting Mascara 01 Black
Elongates the lashes with long-lasting results
Dr. Hauschka Long Lasting Mascara 01 Black
Featuring a narrow, tapered brush, this mascara is tailor-made for those with sensitive eyes as well as for contact lens wearers. Containing extra black pigments, the mascara delivers not only a graceful lash but also intense black impact that will wonderfully improve your eye look. Featuring high-quality ingredients, this mascara grants a lengthening effect that lasts all day, along with strengthening care ingredients that promote healthy lashes in the long run. While applying the mascara, press the wand in the very root of the lashes to enhance the lengthening result.
Lâncome Définicils High Definition Mascara 01 Noir Infini
Beautiful and separated lashes
Lâncome Définicils High Definition Mascara 01 Noir Infini
Fan of a fan lash look? Then here you have the perfect formula and wand for you. This iconic mascara contains film formers that lengthen lashes, creating the results you’ve been looking for. The applicator features a fine, comb-like bristle brush that coats each lash individually and creates the million lashes effect you love. It delivers just the right amount of product, allowing an individual lash-by-lash separation. Combine it with a thin and elegant eyeliner for a charming fanned-out effect.
SENSAI 38ºC (Separating & Lengthening) Mascara MSL-1 Black
The best waterproof mascara
SENSAI 38ºC (Separating & Lengthening) Mascara MSL-1 Black
Get long and separated lashes with waterproof* resistance in no time! All you need to do is apply this extraordinary mascara as generously as you wish. The wand is unpretentious and easy to use, ideal even for an inexperienced user. It delivers an intense result without losing definition and curve. Apply it for a long day of work or partying, for a look that won’t ever smudge or budge. And why do we put the asterisk after waterproof? Because this formula melts with water over 38ºC. You don’t even need makeup remover to take it off, only lukewarm water.
Sisley Paris So Stretch Mascara Lengthening Fortifying 1 Deep Black
The best mascara for short lashes
Sisley Paris So Stretch Mascara Lengthening Fortifying 1 Deep Black
The most important thing when looking for the best mascara for short lashes is to find a very precise wand that won’t smudge the product all across the lid as you apply it. In addition to having a perfect applicator, this mascara presents nourishing ingredients that enhance your lashes. Damask rose extract and castor oil work together with peptides and arginine to strengthen your lashes as you make them look good. Add this lengthening mascara to your kit for healthy and good-looking lashes!
Flormar Big’N Bold 003 Lengthening Mascara
The best for sensitive eyes
Flormar Big’N Bold 003 Lengthening Mascara
Presenting an alluring packaging and a precise applicator, this mascara is already in the good graces of the crowd. In addition to an appealing look, this mascara offers incredible length, curvature, and volume. To provide instant volume without the clumps, the formula combines just the right amount of pigments and lash conditioning ingredients. It is buildable and long-wearing, allowing a made-to-measure eye look that lasts without flaking or smudging.
Bonus tips for wonderfully long lashes
Maybe you feel like doing more than applying mascara to make your lashes look longer. Maybe you want to boost your makeup routine, or you’re up for going a step further for longer lashes. Check our suggestions and see which of these tips would better fit your routines:
Use a lash primer
Lash primers set a base on your lashes that provides care and promotes a beautiful result once you add your favorite tinted mascara. It deeply hydrates and moisturizes your lashes for healthier and voluminous lashes over time. In addition, it allows an easy mascara application and removal.
Use a lash serum
Lash serums are the golden standard for eyelash care. They’re designed to enhance the health and strength of your lashes, boosting growth and promoting longer, healthier lashes. As a bonus, most of these formulas are also suitable for brows!
Use an eye makeup remover
Speaking about mascara removal, we can’t possibly stress enough how important it is to be gentle while doing it. In order to achieve the best results with the minimum pulling, we recommend you use a product specifically formulated for the eye area. The best would be to choose a biphasic or an eye makeup remover with an oil or balm texture. All you need to do is be as careful removing your makeup as you are to apply it.
You can use mascara alone or combine it with a few more makeup steps to create a beautiful look. If you feel like you should learn a bit more about basic makeup steps to further enhance the result of your mascara, we got you!
