New mascaras you NEED in your makeup bag

If you’re a makeup addict like me, then you’ve probably noticed there have been a ton of new launches lately. Surprisingly, many of these launches have included mascaras.

I have decent length to my lashes (thanks to Grandelash and Lashfood), but they are stick straight before I curl them. Even after curling, most non-waterproof mascaras make my eyelashes fall flat after a matter of minutes to an hour. Long, voluminous, and curled eyelashes do wonders to make you look more awake, so I’m always on the hunt for a good mascara that will keep mine lifted and curled.

I love a voluminous lash, but hate when mascaras clump. For that reason, I’m not on the Too Faced Better Than Sex or L’Oreal Lash Paradise bandwagon (they clump far too much on me). My holy grail for the last few years has been Glossier Lash Slick because of its drier formula, near waterproof wear, and its ability to keep my lashes relatively curled. Bonus points for its ease of removal. That mascara will always hold a special place in my heart, and even if I don’t use it as my mascara of choice, I almost always use it as a second coat to help separate the lashes.

Hourglass recently launched their Unlocked Instant Extensions Lengthening Mascara, and I ordered it the day it dropped. The brush resembles that of Glossier Lash Slick, but Hourglass’s packaging is so luxe. The tube is gold and has a lot of weight to it. The formula itself is a true tubing formula, meaning the mascara doesn’t smudge or flake and yet can still be removed with just warm water. If you’ve never tried a tubing mascara, get this. It’s almost fun to take off at night – when warm water is applied, the mascara falls off in lash-shaped clumps. I love the brush on this mascara, and it does a great job of lengthening and separating lashes, as well as adding natural volume. It doesn’t, however, do an amazing job of keeping my lashes curled, but that’s something I can look past when I want to wear a mascara that’s easy to remove.

Kosas, a clean beauty brand that I love (it even got a mention in my 2019 favorites!), just launched their first mascara: The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care mascara. This mascara contains castor oil, an oil many people use to aid in lash growth, vitamins and special waxes to keep lashes healthy. It’s a drier formula, which I like – often times fluffy, natural bristled brushes like these can mean clumpy application, but since it’s not too wet I don’t have that issue. This applies beautifully and leaves my lashes super voluminous. Again, it doesn’t do wonders for keeping my lashes curled, but I’ve been reaching for it nonetheless. The packaging is also rather heavy, which I like.

So far, the new Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara has been the one disappointment of the bunch. There’s nothing wrong with it per se, but there’s nothing great about it either. The wand is strange – it’s very similar to the Fenty Beauty mascara in that it’s flat on one side, but the Fenty mascara definitely worked better for me. It left my lashes long but the curl dropped almost instantly. I’ve only used it once so I plan on playing around with it a bit more, but I’m not going to get my hopes up. At $29 it’s not quite as expensive as so many of the brand’s other products, but it’s still pricey for something that falls a bit flat. It reminds me of the Gucci mascara in that it leaves the lashes bold and black but without any noticeable volume or curl.

One of my favorite new brands, Em Cosmetics, just released their Pick Me Up mascara. This is another tubing mascara, and looks similar to the aforementioned Hourglass or Glossier mascaras. I love the few products I have from Em Cosmetics, as do most people I’ve seen review them. This is a much wetter formula than Glossier’s and it doesn’t hold a curl quite as well, but its tubing properties are great. It defines the lashes and is super easy to remove. Plus, that lilac packaging is just too cute. I love their lip gloss and new lip pencils too.

The final verdict: Glossier Lash Slick still reigns supreme. I’ve just ordered another tube. However, if you’re looking for clean definition, Hourglass and Em Cosmetics will give that to you. For a mix of definition, length, and volume, Charlotte Tilbury’s Push Up Lashes is great, but I prefer Fenty’s wand. Kosas is an all around great volumizer and I love that it’s clean. None of these were able to hold a curl for me the way Glossier does, but they’re all great nonetheless.

For more mascara recommendations, check out this post all about clump-free mascaras.

Xo,

Meg