Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Funmi Fetto

On the lash: mascaras that create volume and length

Woman having makeup applied to her face
All of a flutter: tubing mascaras are smudge proof and easy to remove. Photograph: Luisa Lanza/Launchmetrics.com

If your lashes are thinning, try a lash-growth product – the results are increasingly impressive – and a tubing mascara. It’s what Sarah Creal told me. Creal is the former CEO of Victoria Beckham Beauty and one of the world’s most revered product formulators – Estée Lauder, Tom Ford, Prada Beauty, etc. If you are Stateside, pick up her excellent eponymous brand. Tubing mascaras are smudge proof, create volume and length and are easily removed with warm water – which is sensible if you want to keep hold of the few lashes you do have.

1. Beauty Pie Wrap Star Tubing Mascara £10, beautypie.com
2. Merit Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara £28, meritbeauty.com
3. Glossier Lash Slick Lift and Lengthening Mascara £20, sephora.co.uk
4. Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara £31, spacenk.com
5. Glow For It Lash Growth Serum £29.99, glowforitshop.com

I can’t do without… a protective ‘skinfluencer’ serum that’s also the real deal

I get lots of questions around beauty brands created by influencers. For many, Caroline Hirons, the woman behind Skin Rocks, is considered a social media/skin/beauty influencer. And they’re not wrong. Hundreds of thousands of people follow her life, work, advice, etc. But it’s important to understand that while, yes, there are many ‘skinfluencers’ with a large TikTok and Instagram presence who launch a beauty line, Hirons really is a skincare expert. She was doing this for years before TikTok became a thing. She is an aesthetician, her knowledge about ingredients and formulations is incredible and she has always been refreshingly honest (sometimes brutally so) about skincare products. Bottom line, Hirons has skin in the game, which is why I trust her products. Her latest is this antioxidant serum. It has a light, sublime texture and is an all-singing, all-dancing multitasking product, which does lots of things effectively (a hardworking, efficacious polymathic beauty product is my favourite). It protects against environmental and UV-induced damage, reduces fine lines, hyperpigmentation – thanks to its vitamin complex – leaves you with a smoother, brighter complexion. Also suitable for sensitive skin, you’ll see a difference in four weeks. So, just in case you wondered, this is not simply social media hype. It’s the real deal. Skin Rocks The Antioxidant, £70, libertylondon.com

On my radar… K-Beauty leads the way with plenty of soul

Plant power A minimalist approach – five plant oils – was used to create this antioxidant-rich brightening cleanser that gently removes SPF and makeup. Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Cleansing Oil, £19.80, pure seoul.co.uk

After eight Super hydrating with eight types of hyaluronic acid, this SPF evens out skin tone and protects from environmental damage. Hence Korean SPF brands are best in class. Innisfree Daily UV Defence Mineral Sunscreen, £24, cultbeauty.co.uk

Summer loving This water-infused tinted gel is for those looking for a light, subtle love child of a moisturiser meets makeup. Perfect for summer. Erborian CC Water Fresh Complexion Gel, from £15, lookfantastic.com

Follow Funmi on X @FunmiFetto

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.