If you’ve gone to buy a new mascara only to be dumbfounded by the array of mascara brush shapes available, you’ll know that the search for the perfect mascara can be a long and arduous one. Especially when there is seemingly a new mascara brush shape every second month. How’s a girl to know what they all do? Well, we’ve put together your guide to choosing the right mascara for your lashes and look.
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I was recently sent the new Rimmel Scandaleyes Wow Wings Mascara to test out and it’s intriguing two-sided wand made me want to delve into the world of mascara brush shapes and make it a little clearer for everyone.2-in-1 curved and winged
If volume is what you’re after without the fear of clumps and flakes, then you want to choose a mascara with a two-sided wand. The new Rimmel Scandaleyes Wow Wings Mascara is the perfect example. Firstly, you load up the volume by applying the mascara with the winged side and then flare out and define your lashes with the curved side.
Best for: volume, curling and a dramatic look
Try: Rimmel Scandaleyes Wow Wings Mascara
Pointed
A pointed mascara brush allows you to really get to the shorter lashes while also fanning out the longer ones to lengthen and coat each individual lash. Just be careful not to overcoat the lashes and weigh them down.
Best for: definition, lengthening and an everyday look
Try: Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Luscious Full Fan Effect Mascara
Plastic comb
The more traditional plastic comb mascara wand is perfect for those with shorter, thinner lashes as this brush will coat and separate every lash.
Best for: short lashes to add length, volume and an everyday look
Try: Benefit They’re Real Mascara
Hourglass
It’s fitting that a voluptuous hourglass mascara brush shape would give you a fuller lash look. This brush shape lifts, separates and curls your lashes while making sure every lash gets a generous coating of mascara.
Best for: volume, lift, and a dramatic look
Try: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Ball-tipped
A ball-tipped brush ensures that no lash is ever left behind. It gets into all the hard to reach places to add length and definition to your lashes.
Best for: volume, length, definition and an everyday look
Try: Natio Dramatic Lashes Mascara
Bristles
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one and while your standard bristle mascara brush doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some of the later iterations, you will get volume and fullness in spades. This means you may get some slight clumping but if you’re after a dramatic look for a night out you can totally pull it off.
Best for: fullness, volume, a night out
Try: Maybelline New York Total Temptation Mascara
Cone with grooved bristles
A cone-shaped mascara brush is great for reaching your corner lashes while the grooved bristles ensure your lashes are gradually coated for an even finish that doesn’t weigh down your lashes.
Best for: long, defined lashes, and an everyday look
Rectangle
Don’t overlook the power of the rectangle shaped mascara brush. It might not be able to get to your shorter, corner lashes but it the full, shorter brush really lifts your lashes to give you a fuller, longer look.
Best for: fuller, longer lashes and an intense look
Try: Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
Jumbo
If you’ve been blessed with the kind of long lashes most girls need falsies to achieve then a jumbo mascara brush shape will be your best friend. It will coat those lashes and give you next level thickness and volume.
Best for: long lashes, volume, thickness
Try: Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara
Spiral
If you want to strike a balance between volume and curl then this is the mascara brush shape for you. As you spiral the brush along your lashes it coats and curls to perfection.
Best for: curl and volume for an everyday look
Try: L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll Mascara
Curved
Curls get the girls … and this mascara brush shape gets all the girls. A curved brush will lift, curl and coat your lashes to perfection.
Best for: Curling straight lashes and an everyday look
Try: Nutrimetics nc Extreme Volume Mascara
I just tend to buy a mascara at random, TBH.