7 of the greatest mascaras your lashes will ever meet

A water-resistant winner that amps lashes up without weighing them down, this jet-black volumiser is another one with a fancy hourglass wand (they're renowned for good reason). You can count on it for a covetable level of curl and colour that won't budge post-application.

"With naturally dead-straight lashes (lucky me), I may not have been blessed in the lash department, but with wonders like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Mascara, I can cheat the look! With a voluminous, water-resistant formula, this mascara helps to create full-bodied lashes, without clumping or smudging. After using my eyelash curler, I apply two coats and I find it holds all day, which is a winner in my book," – Aja Walter, BEAUTYDIRECTORY's Editor

$43 at Anastasia Beverly Hills

Built to bless eyes with 'big' lashes (but not the clumpy kind), this flake-free formula devotes its talents to coating and combing each individual lash from root to tip. Its general goal? To deliver the covetable effect of false lashes sans the sticky and super annoying glue.

"I hate to be this person but it’s got to be the OG and the OG only of the False Lash mascara. There have been new versions but it’s the brush of this specific one that gives the best lift, separation and curl. If you like fluttery lashes over chunky lashes, it’s my ride or die. I even use it after applying other mascaras because it’s the only one that seems to be able to comb through and give the finish I like," – Samantha McMeekin, BEAUTYcrew's Editor

$25.16 at Amazon

One of the Internet's fave mascaras (and a bargain to boot), this lash-lengthening buy gained a global following thanks to its flexible brush, bamboo-infused lash-strengthening formula and gravity-defying lift.

"Yes, all the TikTok hype is to be believed; this stuff is utter magic. As a falsie and extension obsessive who generally has pretty pathetic natural lashes with or without mascara, this formula has taken me as close to 'spider-lashed' as I'll ever get. It lifts and lengthens every bit as intensely as the name would suggest," – Delaney Loane, BEAUTYcrew's Beauty Editor

Was $25.99, now $21.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Got an affinity for tubing formulas? We've got you. This glossy-finish tubular mascara binds to lashes, refusing to run, smudge or flake even through something as strenuous as a tear-prompting showing of Titanic. It creates incredible volume and length, and removes effortlessly at the end of the day with a little warm water and gentle pressure.

"Until I discovered the MCobeauty Xtendlash, I’d come to accept that I was never going to find a tubing mascara that also curled and lifted my lashes. However, this skinny white tube which I stumbled across in Woolies blew that out of the water. No matter if you sweat, swim or cry (or do all three at once) this formula will not budge," – Ruby Cotton, BEAUTYcrew's Content Producer

Was $28, now $20.72 at Oz Hair & Beauty

Did someone say cult classic? You bet we did. A mascara more famous than half of Hollywood, this buildable, blackest-black option is beloved for both its brush (which comes in a clever lash-curling hourglass shape) and its formula (one that heroes peptides and prioritises doe-eyed volume).

"I become genuinely aggravated when a mascara doesn’t magically give me Disney princess lashes in a few swipes or less. This stuff minimises my stress by easily coating my eyelashes in jet black mascara and stretching them to new heights. I’ve even abandoned the spoolie I used to use to comb clumpy mascara through my lashes because it’s not necessary anymore. #tooblessedtobestressed," – Briar Clark, BEAUTYcrew's Content Producer

$42.95 at Amazon

If you want a mascara that nourishes while you wear (and really, who doesn't?), give this wand a whirl. Packed with a plant-based blend of waxes from olive and sunflower oils, a coat of it will create fluffy, full volume while also treating lashes to a little strengthening action.

"The KVD Beauty Go Big Or Go Home Volumizing Mascara has been a long-time staple of mine for the perfect lash look. Not only is it waterproof, but it lasts all day long and never smudges or clumps together. Volume and length are the most important things to me when it comes to my lashes, which is exactly what this mascara promises and delivers. It applies super smooth and very black, also things I highly value," – Tiarne Blackwell, BEAUTYDIRECTORY's Listings Producer

$36 at Sephora

Not only will this mascara douse lashes in jet-black pigment, fan them out perfectly and turn up their overall volume level, but its formula also features a strengthening hair care serum (because yes, lashes are hair) to help them grow longer and stronger beneath the rich black pigment too.

"I’ve been cursed with sensitive eyes, which means I’m very picky when it comes to mascara. But I stumbled across Kosas’ The Big Clean mascara a few years ago and have never looked back. I am yet to try a gentle mascara that performs as well as this product and without any irritation. It’s a mascara-lash care hybrid, formulated with castor oil and vitamins that nourish the lashes whilst providing maximum length and volume. I have heard mixed reviews about this product — especially when it comes to smudging. However, for me, it wears like a dream without any smudge action and leaves me with the most gorgeous fluffy lashes all day (and night) long." – Georgia Nelson, BEAUTYcrew's Beauty & Social Editor

$42 at MECCA