The Best Volumizing Mascaras Convinced Me to Cancel My Lash Lift
Take it from a girl who didn't win the lash lottery.
I feel lucky in many ways, but I wasn't blessed with gorgeous eyelashes. They're fine. Good enough! But they are also the eyelashes that once prompted my lash tech to say to her coworker, "I can't wait to see how that one weird blonde side is going to look." (Sigh.) They're pretty straight, not super long, and yes, half blonde. Lucky for me, one of this winter's biggest makeup trends is soft statement lashes that can be brought to life with the best volumizing mascaras.
Instead of high drama, we're going for lift and lightness, with what celebrity makeup artist Nick Barose says are "longer, more feathery lashes" that look dramatic but not fake. Allan Avendaño, a L'Oréal Paris Celebrity Makeup Artist, also says that volumizing mascara goes a long way in making your eyes the focal point of your face. "Adding volume and length to lashes immediately makes your eyes come alive. The lashes become denser, creating a bolder, fuller look that frames the eyes," he adds.
Read through the marketing for most mascaras, and you'll probably see claims like "dramatic length," "amplifies volume," and even "lash extensions in a bottle." When it comes to "volumizing" labels, makeup artist Ashley Rebecca explains that it means "your lashes will appear much thicker, more lush, and full."
Sounds good to me (and my flat lashes). Ahead, discover the best volumizing mascaras on the market, plus experts' tips to help you shop for your perfect tube.
The Best Volumizing Mascaras
- The Best Volumizing Mascara Overall: Lancôme Lash Idôle Lengthening Volumizing Mascara
- The Best Tubing Volumizing Mascara: Sarah Creal Beauty Back of the Cab Volumizing Tubing Mascara
- The Best Volumizing Mascara and Primer Duo: DIBS Double Standard Primer Mascara Duo
- The Best Volumizing Mascara for Major Drama: Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Volumizing and Curling Mascara
- The Best Lash-Supporting Volumizing Mascara: Victoria Beckham Vast Lash Mascara
My grandma used Lancôme, so, naturally, I use Lancôme. I have the best memories of sweeping Lancôme's iconic Cils Booster XL lash primer over my lashes pre-mascara. Still, I don't need a primer with this modern-day Lancôme formula. This mascara features a curved wand with 360-degree micro-bristles that help "push up and fan out" each and every lash for an open-eye effect. It lasts up to 24 hours, and the lightweight gel formula leaves your lashes feeling majorly soft without flaking or smudging.
Shades: Black; Brown
Key Ingredients: White tea extract (conditioning and antioxidant-rich)
Wand Shape: Curved
What I Love: Available in both black and brown; Doesn't flake or smudge; Lightweight formula; Brush makes sure every lash is taken care of
What I Don't: Nothing
Review for MC: "Lancôme, my eyes will never love another like they love you. Every time I wiggle this rubber brush through my lashes, each one seems to offer a sigh of relief that actually makes them look longer, and heftier, and prettier in general. Super lightweight and comfy, this mascara stays on all day long despite my ever-watery eyes. I even trust it on my bottom lashes, which is saying something." — Sophia Vilensky, Contributing Beauty Writer
Sophia Vilensky is a major fan of Lancôme's Lash Idôle. Unsurprisingly, it came out on top in her testing.
Sarah Creal calls her Back of the Cab mascara a "one-coat-wonder, two-coat-wow" product. It's great copy that couldn't be more accurate. This is a buildable tubing mascara (Marie Claire's favorite tubing mascara overall, in fact) that offers immediate volume and smudge-proof, all-day staying power. When it's time to take it off, bring out the warm water and watch those tiny tubes wash away quickly and easily.
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: Shea butter (softening and conditioning)
Wand Shape: Hourglass
What I Love: Doesn't smudge; Easy to remove; Chic silver tube
What I Don't: More expensive than other options
Review for MC: "I have incredibly straight lashes that struggle to hold a curl and disturbingly watery eyes. With two coats of this mascara (and a quick pump of my lash curler), my lashes are completely transformed. I’ve never received so many compliments on my ‘long’ lashes in my entire life. I suppose that’s why I’m already on my third bottle.” — Samantha Holender, Senior Beauty Editor
Sarah Creal's Back of the Cab Volumizing Tubing Mascara might win "chicest tube," too.
On one side of DIBS Beauty's Double Standard Primer Mascara, you'll find a brown tubing primer that lengthens and defines lashes. On the other? A black mascara that's made to thicken and volumize. Both formulas are infused with shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin B5 to nourish and plump your precious lashes.
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid (hydrating); Shea butter (conditioning); Vitamin B5 (promotes growth)
Wand Shape: Hourglass
What I Love: Also includes primer; Easy to remove with warm water; You can choose black or brown (or both!)
What I Don't: Primer itself isn't particularly volumizing
Review for MC: "Besides the simple fact that I would wear this lengthening primer on its own, sans mascara (I am a brown mascara girl, but still!), this duo is impressive. It's touted as smudge-proof and designed to last up to 12 hours, so I decided to try it on the day of my first-ever Botox appointment. Needles were going into my forehead, and my eyes always water when I'm in pain, but I stepped out of the appointment with nary a smudge. It's volumizing, too, obviously—even more so with the addition of the actual black volumizing mascara. It wouldn't be here if it weren't." — Sophia Vilensky, Contributing Beauty Writer
Dibs' dual-ended mascara and primer makes sure each lash is well taken care of.
Charlotte Tilbury always knows the beauty secrets, darling. And *this* sexy mascara is the secret to bigger, brighter eyes. Suitable for all lash types, Exagger-Eyes is infused with lash-plumping polymers and equipped with an extra-curved brush to amplify lashes for intense volume and curl.
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: Jojoba waxes (conditioning); Polymers (plumping)
Wand Shape: Curved
What I Love: Buildable for an ultra-glam look (at the same time, you really only need one coat); Glass tube is nice to hold; Withstands watery eyes
What I Don't: It stays on, but that also means it's harder to get off
Review for MC: "I was so, so impressed with this mascara. But it's Charlotte Tilbury, so of course I was. Though I played around with a few coats, a single coat (that I applied on the street) gave my lashes impressive natural flutter, even though I didn't have a curler on hand. The black pigments are hardcore, which my blonde lashes also appreciate." — Sophia Vilensky, Contributing Beauty Writer
Sophia Vilensky's testing proved that if you want volume, you want Charlotte Tilbury, darling.
“The look is not polite, it’s major! It’s dramatic, it’s directional. When I was testing Vast Lash Mascara, people quite often thought I was wearing eyelash extensions. It’s that good. It’s really going to elevate your look," shared Victoria Beckham in a blurb for (one of) her beauty brand's excellent mascaras. The icon dubbed this one "Miami proof" (also known as humidity proof) and designed it with a nourishing ingredient profile to create stronger, denser lashes with each wear.
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: Tahitian sea microalgae (fortifying); Panthenol (hydrating); Niacinamide (supports keratin production); Tocopherol (conditioning)
Wand Shape: Curved
What I Love: No smudging or flakiness; Removes easily with warm water; Lash-loving ingredients; Luxe packaging
What I Don't: Doesn't feel like it lasts as long as other options
Review for MC: "Every time I apply a Victoria Beckham Beauty product, I feel like I'm doing something nice for myself. And for good reason—I really am. This mascara is infused with a range of lovely ingredients that support my lashes' health while keeping them lifted. And lush, posh, all the good things." — Sophia Vilensky, Contributing Beauty Writer
Victoria Beckham Beauty's Vast Lash mascara feels as good to hold as it is good for your eyelashes.
A lot of these mascaras have interesting clinical studies to look at, but I love this result the most: This mascara gave "lashes so curled and extended they get 5MM closer to your brows." Talk about volume. "The comb brush is very user-friendly, making it too easy to stroke through each lash hair to create a lengthened dramatic look from root to tip," explains Avendaño of the new release, which features both magnetic pigments and lengthening fibers that "adhere to each other for an extreme lash-extension look" on first swipe. "Giving a second coat will really build up each lash to give you more drama and impact. This brush will also help to lift the lashes as you swipe through! It gives you everything you want in a mascara."
Shades: Black; Blackest Black; True Brown
Key Ingredients: None listed
Wand Shape: Curved
What I Love: Innovative formula; Great price; 300-bristle brush tackles every individual lash
What I Don't: Can be clumpy—apply it in thin layers to remedy
Review for MC: "Another silver-tubed wonder, L'Oreal's new Extensionist mascara is a star among stars (their original Voluminous Mascara is a classic, obviously, and Lash Paradise also rocks). This baby has a thin, rubbery wand that makes wiggling a breeze and is so pleasing to rake through your lashes. Stick with thin coats, and it will reward you." — Sophia Vilensky, Contributing Beauty Writer.
Sophia Vilensky loves Lash Extensionist's sleek silver tube and thin wand.
"For my budget-conscious friends, one of Maybelline’s newest mascaras, Lash Sensational Body Mascara, is fantastic for volumizing the lashes," says Spickard. "It’s super buildable without getting heavy." Another curved-brush moment: this one has a double-helix bristle pattern that the brand says "allows the brush to stretch every lash, delivering high-impact volume and an all-day lift that won't quit."
Shades: Blackest Black, Brownish Black, Very Black
Key Ingredients: None listed
Wand Shape: Double helix
What I Love: Expert-approved; Designed to keep you from needing touch-ups; Innovative brush; Great price
What I Don't: I hate to be picky, but the tube isn't as chic as others
Customer Review: "I am loving the new Lash Sensational Body Mascara from Maybelline, it makes my lashes look so full and thick. It lengthens and darkens, too. The silicone wand makes it so easy to apply, and I haven’t smudged it once. It lasts all day and is easy to remove. I will definitely buy this again!" — Maybelline
Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara is iconic, and now it comes in burgundy. The hourglass-shaped brush separates and coats each lash to what the brand calls "voluptuous perfection," and the formula conditions your lashes so they keep feeling amazing.
Shades: Burgundy; Black; Brown
Key Ingredients: Peptides (conditioning); Film-forming polymers (lock curls into place and adds fullness)
Wand Shape: Hourglass
What I Love: Flattering shade; A long-beloved formula; Lasts forever
What I Don't: The burgundy color is apparently limited-edition, and it shouldn't be
Review for MC: "I am going to have to stock up because I love it and it's a limited-time product! It's beautiful, the color is perfect, and it's super long-wearing yet washes off effortlessly in the shower. I will cry when this product disappears from the shelves! I have bought and tried every burgundy mascara out there, and this is by far the best." — Ulta
Grande Cosmetics's GrandeDRAMA is one of Rebecca's favorite volumizing mascaras—she's been using it for years. "The brush is thick and really makes my lashes stand out, while giving them a curl," explains the artist. "The thickening component makes my lashes look incredibly voluminous, and I appreciate the inclusion of castor oil."
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: Castor oil (strengthening); Natural wax blend (for a buildable formula)
Wand Shape: Subtle hourglass
What I Love: Expert-approved; Equal parts thickening and volumizing; Infused with castor oil
What I Don't: A little flakiness has been reported
Customer Review: "Hands down one of the best mascaras I've used! It's really easy to wash off at night, and there is very little lash fallout. I ALWAYS get compliments on my lashes with this mascara!" — Ulta
Here's a classic volumizing mascara, and a gorgeous one at that. This intensely pigmented Dior option was designed to deliver your lashes with immediate, extreme volume while defining them for a fanned-out look. Your lashes are left coated in a deep-black shade, like that gorgeous tube exterior.
Shades: Black
Key Ingredients: D-Panthenol (revitalizing and strengthening)
Wand Shape: Hourglass
What I Love: Gorgeous packaging; Fills in every lash; Lashes feel soft after use
What I Don't: The wand sometimes feels overloaded with product—scrape some off if you need to
Customer Review: "I love this mascara so much because of the amazing volume it delivers. My lashes naturally have length but lack thickness, and Dior Over Volume fills in every lash, making them look denser, longer, and perfectly separated. I also appreciate that it gives a lifted, wide-eyed effect, making my eyes appear brighter and more open. Even after multiple layers, the mascara never flakes, smudges, or creates spider lashes—just full, soft, voluminous lashes that look effortlessly beautiful." — Sephora
What to Look For In a Volumizing Mascara
- Performance
Avendaño says a good volumizing mascara should be "lightweight, mousse-like, and buildable." At the same time, it'll dry or set quickly enough so the curl in your lash will hold.
- Wand
As you'll see above, most volumizing mascaras feature either a curved or hourglass-shaped brush. "Besides the actual product, the mascara wand plays a huge role in the process. You need a brush that will grab and coat each lash properly!" says Avendaño. "The denser the brush, the better doesn’t always apply. Sometimes it can be a clumpy mess. I like mascara brushes that let you see the bristles (dense or thin) as the lash hairs get coated and combed out." This way you can do a couple of coats to thicken and lengthen evenly.
- Ingredients
Most volumizing mascaras contain polymers and waxes that bind to the lash for some necessary "grip," ultimately creating major structure and fullness. When the product builds up on the lashes, you'll see volume.
How Do I Apply Volumizing Mascara?
Before you apply your volumizing mascara, Avendaño says that giving your lashes a curl "is a must." If your lashes don't like to hold a curl, a heated lash curler might be helpful.
"I curl one eye first and then apply mascara," says the expert. "Then move on to the next eye to curl and then apply mascara. This helps maintain the curl you just put in. I also make sure to apply mascara in a side-to-side vibrating motion while combing upwards to get as much product onto each individual eyelash."
How We Tested
To find the best volumizing mascaras, Contributing Beauty Writer Sophia Vilensky started by chatting with makeup artists to learn what to look for in a volumizing mascara and who it's best for. After testing numerous volumizing mascaras, she (and her watery eyes and half-blonde, flat eyelashes) put them through lengthy testing, evaluating each product on volume, ingredients, ease of application, and lasting power. In the end, she chose the 10 best volumizing mascaras based on her own results and the opinions of makeup artists and the Marie Claire beauty team.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Meet the Experts
Kasey Spickard is a celebrity makeup artist based in New York City.
Ashley Rebecca lives and works in New York City, specializing currently in makeup for editorial, print, commercial, and lifestyle advertising, as well as television and celebrity.
At an early age, Allan Avendaño was captivated by the glamor of old Hollywood. Initially pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Communications and working in television production, he soon discovered his true passion lay in the world of beauty and fashion. Upon this realization Allan switched careers and took on a job for a local fashion magazine and found himself working as the makeup artist for an editorial shoot that would forever change his career.
Avendaño honed in on developing his skills through studying facial symmetry and extensive product research, quickly establishing himself as a talented and meticulous makeup artist.
