Luxuriant, obscene, impossible lashes with the right mascara

Mascara is the product I am most often asked about, and for good reason. A decent mascara can reorient a face, and make even a fatigued, moleish set of eyes look brighter, larger and less beleaguered.

The wrong one can return you instantly to your early adolescence – clumped, crusty, and looking as though you’ve been crying for weeks because Timmy O’ Brien suddenly dumped you at summer camp. Now, if you are looking for a lovely, subtle mascara, I entreat you to come back another time. This column won’t be for you. However, if you want drama – luxuriant, obscene or impossible lashes, you’d best read to the end. I have one here for every wearer – the smudgy people, the glasses wearers, and the people for whom mascara is never voluminous enough. It has been one excellent mascara launch after the other recently – this is certainly the time to invest in a new one.

1. Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara

Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara (€32 at Arnotts) has been garnering incredible reviews since its recent launch, and I was heartened to find them completely justified. A tubing mascara, this forms a water-resistant coating around each lash which washes off easily with just water but is also quite resistant to movement and smudging. The lashes it creates are lifted, separated and impressively lengthened. Preferring an old-fashioned brush, I don’t love the rubber spoolie, but I’ll get over myself given how good it is.

2. Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star Volumising Mascara

Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star Volumising Mascara (€29 at Selfridges.co.uk) and Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push-Up Lashes (€29 from charlottetilbury.com) are both for those who want a buildable false lash effect. The Charlotte Tilbury has a rubber brush that is flat on one side, which you use to load the product on to the lashes before distributing it with the bristled edge. The length it gives is immense, and the pigment is true to the shade name – super black. It is weightless on the lashes and removes easily with an oil cleanser.

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3. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push-Up Lashes Mascara

Dark Star gives an equally lengthened but slightly fluffier finish (I’m very fond of fluffy eyelashes) which is universally flattering. It may be very slightly less dramatic than the Charlotte Tilbury offering, but I love it just as much.

4. NARS Climax Extreme Mascara

For a hybrid between the two finishes which focuses more on volume and doesn’t need to be built up, try NARS Climax Extreme Mascara (€25 at Brown Thomas). The downside is that layering it beyond a couple of coats won’t improve the results very much, but it very charmingly gives you everything it’s got on the first pass, making it a time-friendly route to dramatic, non-crispy, richly black lashes.

5. Maybelline: The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara

Maybelline’s The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara (€11.99 at Boots) is not new, though there is a newer waterproof version if you’re inclined. With its prodigious, bristled brush, it grips and lengthens the lashes beautifully and without clumping. I like it when I’m wearing glasses as I find it gives the lashes upward lift as well as length, which prevents them brushing the lenses, and doesn’t transfer around the eye.