Aisling McDermott on beauty: five days, five mascaras

Maybelline the Falsies Push Up Drama, €9.99

I don’t like Mondays and I don’t like this mascara much either. The packaging looks flashy and exciting but I found it

a bit fur coat and no underwear. I hated the plastic wand because it did not deliver as much mascara as it should, even after about 10 coats. It defines well but that’s about it.

Bare Minerals Lash Domination, €19

Despite being mystified by the weirdly wavy wand I found this all right. After a few coats your lashes are deeply black and well-defined, but there is not much curl and lift, despite the promises. Don’t overdo it; it smudges if you are not careful and it is easy to end up with four fat eyelashes instead of lots of luscious ones.

Smashbox Indecent Exposure €23

My only real niggle was the velvety screw top, which instantly became covered in lint and fluff. But never mind that because this mascara is great in the uplifting and curling stakes. It does not offer much volume but it curls lashes and defines them perfectly. No flaking after a 12-hour day, either.

L’Oréal False Lash Superstar, €15.99

This mascara immediately revealed itself to be a class act. It lifted lashes, coated them beautifully without clumping and was fabulously black and dramatic. My lashes looked longer and fuller. One for your shopping list.

Mac Mineralize Multi Effect Lash Charged Black, €27

On Friday I’m in love. Now we’re sucking diesel, I thought as soon as the first coat went on. It is blacker than coal, delivers fullness and drama with only a couple of coats and wears well all day long. This is a very wet mascara, so you need to wipe the wand well to avoid blobbing, but apart from that it is definitely my favourite.

• amcdermott@irishtimes.com
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