e.l.f. Discovery

How to Choose the Right Mascara for You

Mascara is one of those cosmetics that can make or break your look. Whether thick and lush, long and spidery, or soft and fluttery, whatever lash look you are going after, you need the right mascara to achieve it. But how do you choose the right one? There’s so many to choose, from curling, lengthening, volumizing, waterproof and more.

What Does Mascara Do?

Mascara can be a crucial element in completing a makeup look as it enhances and defines the eyes, which are sometimes considered the focal point of the face. Mascara is designed to darken, lengthen, thicken, and separate eyelashes, creating a more dramatic and eye-catching appearance.

By applying mascara, you can instantly make your eyes appear larger, more awake, and more expressive. It adds depth and dimension to your overall makeup look, framing the eyes and tying together other eye makeup elements such as eyeshadow and eyeliner. Using mascara as the finishing touch to your makeup routine can elevate your entire look from ordinary to polished and put-together, making it an essential step in achieving a complete and cohesive makeup appearance.

Curling Mascara

Curling mascara is designed to lift and curl your lashes. It typically features a curved brush and a formula that helps hold the curl in place throughout the day. The e.l.f. Lash 'N Roll Mascara is a holy grail product for achieving e.l.f.ing amazing curled lashes! Here's why it's so obsession-worthy:

  • <span> </span><span>Its unique roller brush design helps lift and curl lashes from root to tip</span>

  • <span>The formula is buildable, allowing you to create your desired level of curl and volume</span>

  • <span>It's vegan and cruelty-free</span>

PRO TIP: Once you’ve put on your mascara, gently nestle the wand on the tips of your lashes and press upward. It will help your curl be even bolder as well as help hold the curl longer.

Best Mascara for Length

Lengthening mascara is designed to elongate and define your lashes, creating the illusion of longer, more dramatic eyelashes. This type of mascara is excellent for those who want fluttery looking, long and elegant lashes.

These mascaras typically use a slim wand with silicone bristles to help elongate the lashes. The e.l.f. cosmetics Lash Beats Mascara is a holy grail product for delivering e.l.f.ing amazing length:

  • Its unique brush design helps separate and coat each lash from root to tip

  • The formula is buildable, allowing you to create your desired level of length

  • It's vegan and cruelty-free

PRO TIP: To get the most defined and fluttery lashes, try combing your lashes in between each coat (while it’s still wet). This will help you get truly defined and separated lashes.

Volumizing Mascara

Volumizing mascara is designed to add thickness and fullness to your lashes, helping to create a bold and dramatic eye look. It typically contains ingredients that coat and plump up each lash, making them appear thicker and more voluminous. The e.l.f. Big Mood Mascara is a holy grail product for achieving e.l.f.ing amazing volume and here’s why:

  • Its unique oversized brush design helps coat each lash for maximum volume

  • Smudge-resistant and flake-resistant long-lasting formula

  • It's vegan and cruelty-free

With Big Mood, you'll be serving next-level lash looks that are here to slay

PRO TIP: To plump your lashes even more, nestle the wand at the base of your lashes and jiggle it back and forth. This will deposit more mascara at the base of your lashes making them look thicker and more lush.

Best Waterproof Mascara

If you are an athlete, gym-goer, have watery eyes because of allergies, or have oilier skin around your eyes, you might want to get a waterproof mascara. The nice thing about a waterproof mascara is that they come in all types of formulas and wands. Here's why the e.l.f. waterproof Big Mood mascara is so obsession-worthy:

  • The waterproof formula helps your lashes stay fabulous through tears, sweat, or rain

  • It's buildable, allowing you to create your desired level of boldness without clumping

  • It's vegan and cruelty-free

With Waterproof Big Mood, you'll be serving next-level lash looks that are here to slay, come rain or shine. Your lashes will thank you!

PRO TIP: We recommend using an eye makeup remover when taking off any waterproof eye makeup. When taking off your mascara, put the makeup remover on the lashes and hold it there while counting to 30. Holding it there allows the makeup remover to start to break up the waterproof mascara before you start to wipe and rub it away.

Tubing Mascara

If you’re looking to really amp up the drama and take your lashes to new lengths, try a tubing mascara—aka, lash extensions in a bottle!

These buildable, long-lasting mascaras have peaked in popularity this past year. Formulated with a tubing technology, they wrap each lash with lightweight tubes to build and extend lashes beyond their natural length. This also makes the formulas smudge-resistant and less messy than traditional mascaras.

Tube mascaras often come with a tapered silicone brush, which helps drop and separate each lash for next-level length and impact. They are arguably the best mascaras for length and achieving a clump- and flake-resistant look.

Pro Tip: When applying tubing mascara, apply your second coat before the first coat dries to prevent the little tubes from clumping.

Mascara Cocktail

Mascara layering is a game-changing technique that allows you to customize your lash look and achieve both volume and length in one go. If you're aiming for lashes that are both full and elongated, don't be afraid to mix and match different mascaras! Start with a volumizing mascara like e.l.f.'s Big Mood Mascara to build up thickness and fullness at the base of your lashes. Once that's dry, follow up with a lengthening formula like e.l.f.'s Lash Beats to extend those lashes to new heights.

The key is to let each layer dry before applying the next to avoid clumping. This e.l.f.ing amazing combo will give you the best of both worlds – voluminous, lengthy lashes that are ready to slay. Remember, layering is all about experimentation, so don't be afraid to try different combinations to find your perfect mascara cocktail.

Still unsure which mascara is best for you? Take our mascara guide quiz here.

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