No make-up bag is complete without a tube of mascara. Whether you’re after length, drama or volume, there’s so much choice on the market that it’s hard to separate hard-working formulas from their marketing claims.
Even as a beauty editor who tests hundreds of products every month, my search for the holy grail has been long and arduous. I rarely leave the house without a swipe of the stuff, so the best mascara has to deliver on every front – formula, staying power and wow factor – to earn a place in my daily rotation.
But alongside the iconic mascaras we know and love, there’s also been plenty of innovation in the category. The shelves of Sephora, Space NK, Boots et al, are stocked with exciting new formulations, from lash-care ingredients to tubing mascaras that make removal a doddle.
Best mascaras at a glance
Best overall – Benefit They’re Real Lengthening Mascara: £20.95, Sephora.co.uk
Best budget buy – Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara: £12.67, Lookfantastic.com
Best mascara for lash separation – Merit Clean Volume Mascara: £24, Meritbeauty.com
Best for volumising – Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: £28, Lookfantastic.com
Best for lengthening – Maybelline Mascara Lash Sensational Sky High: £7.95, Amazon.co.uk
How I tested
So, I've made it my mission to find out which formulas truly live up to the hype. To do this, I tested more than 30 mascaras over the course of two months, judging each on efficacy, ease of application and how well they wore throughout the day. Now, without further ado, from cult favourites to new launches, these are the very best mascaras available in 2026.
Benefit They’re Real Lengthening Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Mascara overall
What we love: Great for everyday drama, buildable formula, long-wearing
Take Note: Limited shade range
If you don’t want to do the research and just want a mascara that delivers on all fronts (volume, length, curl, separation and lift), you can’t go wrong with Benefit’s They’re Real: it’s cult for a reason. I find it delivers just the right amount of drama to take you from a 9am meeting to after-work drinks, and if you want more impact, you can build it up without any clumping. It’s dependable, too: it doesn’t smudge or flake, and it comes off easily enough with a dedicated eye make-up remover.
Plus, I love the slim, bendy plastic wand, which comes with a domed tip packed with small bristles that you can use to catch the tiniest of lashes. There’s no waterproof version, as the brand claims that this formula is water-resistant and sweatproof. I have worn it in the pool, and I can confidently say that it didn’t transfer at all.
Buy now £27.95, Sephora.co.uk
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Budget mascara
What we love: Excellent price point for the formula, and long-wearing
Take Note: Dries out quickly
I’ve had this mascara in my arsenal since I was a pre-teen, and for good reason. Even now, in my 30s, it holds its own against some of the more premium products on the market. With just one coat, it lengthens and separates beautifully. It’s buildable, too.
While the first coat doesn’t provide heaps of volume, that’s easily fixed with a few more swipes. It’s long-wearing and has never transferred or smudged on me. It’s just a really solid mascara that consistently over-delivers on its claims, and at under £15, you can’t go wrong.
Buy now £9.09, Lookfantastic.com
Merit Clean Volume Mascara
★★★★☆
Best: Mascara for lash separation
What we love: Easily removable tubing formula, buildable, flexible synthetic brush
Take note: Doesn’t give intense length, lift or curl
Hate it when your mascara clumps? Well, makeup brand of the moment, Merit, has the solution. As with all of the brand’s products, their new mascara is also on the minimalist side of things. It’s more “clean-girl” than full beat, but it does exactly what it says on the tin. If you love long, fluttery lashes, which are fanned out and look professionally applied, then you get that here.
The synthetic brush has hundreds of tiny bristles that grip onto even the smallest hairs, defining them beautifully. It does deliver sculpted thickness and volume, but never in a way that looks “overdone”. Clean Volume is also a tubing mascara, so it washes away like a dream.
Buy now £24.00, Meritbeauty.com
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Volumising mascara
What we love: Easily coats lashes from root to tip, innovative brush shape, and lash-loving ingredients
Take Note: On the pricier end
Another icon, Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara very much holds up today. The formula is infused with collagen and peptides to condition and nourish, an acacia Senegal tree extract for lift, and film-forming polymers to lock lashes in place all day long. Its hourglass-shaped brush is great at catching every last hair, and lashes really do look incredibly volumised after just one coat, with impressive length and curl too. I wear this mascara when I want bold lashes, with a sweeping flutter.
Buy now £28.00, LookFantastic
Maybelline Mascara Lash Sensational Sky High
★★★★★
Best: Lengthening mascara
What we love: Super flexible brush and lightweight formula
Take Note: Comes in 13 shades, including colour options, and an excellent price point
Maybelline’s mascaras are some of the best in the drugstore, and its Lash Sensational Sky High is the pick for length. What really stands out here is the unique flexible, spiral brush wand, which bends to meet the curve of your lash line.
And while many lengthening formulas can weigh down the lashes, this bamboo-infused one is incredibly lightweight. You’re left with a super fluttery result that stays lifted all day long; they don’t drop throughout the day, and there’s no transferring either.
Buy now £8.31, Amazon.co.uk
L'Oréal Paris Mascara, Telescopic Extensionist Mascara
★★★★☆
Best: Lifting mascara
What we love: Safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
Take Note: Doesn’t deliver the most volume
L'Oréal Paris’ new Telescopic Extensionist Mascara claims to lift lashes to +5mm, and I can confirm it delivers: my lashes were left touching my brow bone. The formula is infused with magnetic pigments and lengthening fibres that grip onto lashes, and I particularly love the brush, too.
With over 300 bristles, it precisely separates each hair, leaving a long, wispy look. Don’t expect tonnes of volume or drama, though– this one is all about lift, length and curl. It wears well too; I didn’t notice any crumbling or smudging after a long day out in the heat.
Buy now £13.99, Lookfantastic.com
Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Mascara for a false-lash effect
What we love: Instant drama and easy removal
Take Note: On the pricier side
My holy grail mascara, this is the product I reach for when I want big, bold lashes without the faff of applying fake ones. It’s a tubing formulation, which means it slides off easily come removal, but what I really love about it is how much drama you get with one slick; it instantly volumises, lengthens and lifts, and you can keep layering for more drama, without any clumpiness.
The featherweight formula really does stretch the look of lashes, and you’re left with a gorgeous wide-eyed effect that mimics the look of falsies. It looks freshly applied even after a long day, too, so in my book, it’s worth the more luxury price point.
Buy now £34.00, Sephora
Ilia Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Everyday mascara
What we love: Lash-loving ingredients and incredibly easy to remove
Take note: Very subtle
Everyone needs an everyday mascara in their arsenal, and Ilia’s Limitless Lash is dependable on all fronts. Perfect for a “barely there” or “no make-up make-up look”, this formula adds gentle definition around the eyes, with wearable volume and length that doesn’t flake, smudge or crumble.
Don’t expect bags of drama; this gives more of a “clean girl”-esque look, with a unique dual-sided wand that works akin to a brush and lash comb. It’s also infused with ethically sourced beeswax, arginine, biotin, and organic shea butter to nourish, condition, fortify and soften lashes over time. Plus, you can remove it with just warm water; no remover needed.
Buy now £29.00, Iliabeauty.com
Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Mascara for drama
What we love: Intense drama, volume and length, long-wearing
Take note: Can dry out quickly and clump easily
A true compliment magnet, Charlotte Tilbury’s Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara delivers XL lashes. Featuring the brand’s lash vinyl-black wrap technology, which includes plumping polymers, it delivers an incredibly voluminous, fanned-out look that gives a double-lash effect. The curved brush includes soft and sharper bristles to separate and lengthen each hair.
The formula is a standout too: it’s smudge-, flake-, sweat-, clump- and humidity-proof, and includes jojoba waxes to nourish the lashes. Finally, I don’t know who needs to wear mascara for 28 hours, but this claims to last that long– while I’ve never worn it for that amount of time, I can attest to the fact that once I’ve applied it, it doesn’t budge. Just be sure not to layer it too much, as it can go clumpy, particularly once the formula starts to dry out.
Buy now £28.00, Charlottetilbury.com
UKLASH Tubing Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Tubing mascara
What we love: Intense drama and volume, long-lasting, and great price point
Take note: Can dry out quickly
UKLASH has really earned its accolades, and its tubing mascara is one of the best on the market. The formula is infused with lash-wrapping polymers, while the pine-cone-shaped wand allows for precise application. It’s a great formula, too, enriched with arginine and shea butter to condition and strengthen lashes with every wear.
Best of all, it washes away effortlessly with just warm water, meaning there’s no need for the vigorous rubbing that can leave lashes feeling fragile over time.
Buy now £16.00, Lookfantastic.com
Lancôme Idole Curl Goddess Mascara
★★★★★
Best: Mascara for curl
What we love: Long-lasting curl and lift, and lightweight formula
Take note: Not the most lengthening formula
While many mascaras claim to deliver curl, it’s lasting power that inevitably becomes the issue. To date, Lancôme’s new Idole Curl Goddess mascara is the best mascara I’ve used for straight lashes, and the lightweight, fast-setting formula means that they really do stay up all day long.
The 40-degree twisted brush is designed with dual micro-reservoirs to coat seamlessly and make it easy to fan out each lash from the inner to outer corner. Again, it claims to provide up to 30 hours of wear, and while I’ve never worn it for this long, I can say that it stayed flake- and smudge-free from early morning to late at night.
Buy now £22.40, LookFantastic
Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash in Cocoa
★★★★☆
Best: Brown mascara
What we love: Easy to remove, clever micro-brush, lash-loving ingredients
Take note: On the pricier end, not the most dramatic mascara
While brands are getting better about providing brown options when it comes to mascara, it’s hard to find one that doesn't run too warm-toned. This one from Victoria Beckham Beauty is perfect; it’s a rich, expensive-looking matte brown that is on the cooler-end, meaning it suits all skin tones and hair colours.
It’s dark enough to define the lashes, but is much softer than a true black. As to how the mascara performs, it offers great lift, separation and length, with a decent amount of volume, so you can expect more of a defined “flutter”. It’s also enriched with Tahitian Sea microalgae, panthenol for hydration and protection against breakage, and niacinamide for growth.
Buy now £33.00, Victoriabeckhambeauty.com
Westman Atelier Eye Want You Mascara
★★★★☆
Best: Mascara for sensitive eyes
What we love: Super buildable and lightweight, lash-loving ingredients
Take note: Very expensive
I’ve always maintained that you don’t need to spend much on mascara, and this list is a testament to that. But if you’re willing to push the boat out, makeup artist Gucci Westman’s first foray into mascara really does deliver. It’s supremely buildable, allowing you to tailor your lash look exactly to how you want it, every time.
It’s also impressive from an ingredients perspective, with no PEGs, phthalates or parabens, making it a great option for those with sensitive eyes or contact lens wearers. There are plenty of thoughtful additions, too, chiefly a creamy, plant-based wax blend that doesn’t flake or crumble, alongside shea butter to gently nourish lashes.
Buy now £42.00, Selfridges.com
What is the best mascara?
With so many mascaras on the market, it can be hard to choose just one. But if you’re looking for a mascara that does it all, you can’t go wrong with Benefit’s They’re Real, which lengthens, volumises and separates in just one coat. When it comes to the best budget buy, Maybelline Mascara Lash Sensational Sky High provides enviable length, lift and curl for under £8, and it’s long-wearing to boot.
If you’re looking to splash out and make an investment, Hourglass’ Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara gives a fluttery false-lash effect, and can be built up without clumping to create even more drama.
Why trust me?
As a mascara-obsessed beauty editor, Nessa Humayun has tested hundreds of formulas across both luxury and commercial categories, as well as worked closely with leading brands, to ensure every guide is well-researched and inclusive.
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