I was having a conversation with the make-up artist Ruby Hammer recently, a deep dive into the subject of mascara, as you do. It is a topic we both take very seriously. Ruby was telling me that there is not one single woman who doesn’t look a bit better with a curl of the lashes and a few coats of mascara.
The humble mascara really is the unsung hero of the make-up bag, so please indulge me in singing its praises in this column, especially as there are so many excellent new ones on the market.
First up is a budget beauty hero from Maybelline, a brand that excels in the mascara category (it was a rite of passage owning one of its pink and green tubes of Great Lash in the ’90s). Its latest mascara is the best yet. Colossal Curl Bounce lengthens and defines lashes with a curl that holds for hours.
Another favourite is The Mascara by Jones Road – the beauty range by legendary make-up artist Bobbi Brown. It’s so good I’m already on my second tube, and I know Ruby is a fan, too.
The curved wand results in a proper lift at the lash line, and the formula is so flexible you can keep adding layers for a more voluminous look, without it going crunchy. It is a bit pricey, but worth it in my opinion.
And you probably don’t need a reminder, but just in case: to make your lashes look their best, eyelash curlers are near-essential. My technique is to clamp, hold for five seconds, release, and clamp again. I love Tweezerman’s curlers (from £16).
But if the thought of curlers make your toes curl, as I know it does for quite a few people, Bobbi Brown suggests that after applying mascara, you use your index finger to push lashes upwards and hold for a few seconds. Genius.
