Thick, bold, and definitely dramatic — the best volumizing mascaras throw the "falsie-lash application" dilemma out of the window as they thicken and plumpen your lashes like no other. Volumizing mascaras comprise buildable formulas packed with enriched lacquer and little to no flaking results when worn throughout the day. Furthermore, some brands also add lengthening and curling benefits to their well-established products. As per our contributor Anna Misztela, who is a Board-licensed esthetician, “Natural ingredients are always better (in mascara formulations), so look for candelilla wax, carnauba wax, or beeswax in a mascara to have great volumizing effects. Beeswax, however, is not vegan, so if you subscribe to this lifestyle you will want to opt for mascaras with the former two ingredients (just make sure there has been no added beeswax to them and that they are pure). “

Furthermore, with our favorite picks, you won't have to worry about your eye makeup smearing or smudging, whether you're sweating, intending to take a skinny dip, or shedding tears of joy at a blissful wedding.

For those no-makeup makeup days, a coat or two of mascara may quickly make you seem put-together, even if you're feeling disorganized. We've assembled a list of the most volume-inducing products for every type of lash and circumstance so you can look your best.

Scroll down for refined bristles to waterproof formulas that help you get dreamy princess-like eyelashes worth investing in.

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  Editor’s Pick

  Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

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The Lash Sensational mascara by Maybelline comprises an impactful formula that is a total steal for its volumizing and lash-lengthening ability. Its curved fanning brush eliminates the possibility of clumping around the lashes and creates clean strokes in every wear. After trying the product, we found the mascara could stand the tests of water and time as it didn't smudge at all and stayed for almost 8 hours. Moreover, this same product is also available in a washable counterpart for lighter eyelash-coating.

2

Best for Everyday Wear

L'Oreal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara

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Crafted by one of the best makeup brands in the world, the Lash Paradise mascara by L'Oreal Paris holds every lash to provide a voluminous, feathery appearance with strong volume. This mascara glides on effortlessly owing to its buttery, silky texture and fragrant floral oil infusion. What we find interesting about this lovely product are the 200+ wavy bristles that evenly coat the impactful pigment on each lash without clumping or flaking. If looking for a cost-effective mascara that provides the results of a high-end product, then opt for this ravishing pick!

3

Drugstore Favorite

Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

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The LashBlast Volume mascara has won not one but three Best of Beauty Awards for providing 10x more volume. While beauty gurus often mention this product as an exceptional dupe for high-end products, its formula proves them wrong by beautifully fanning out your lashes to spruce your eye makeup. When we tried the product,  we did experience a little product residue on the eyelid region while applying, but it can be removed with a bit of micellar water. Lastly, when we checked the reviews, we found reviewers mentioning the flat brush makes it easier to apply on bare lashes.

4

Best Clinically-tested

Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

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Get bold, black, and voluminous eyelashes with the lash mascara by Stila. This lightweight mascara effectively builds color to create dramatic eye makeup looks. It has a long-wearing and smudge-proof formula that glides smoothly on the lashes, giving you soft and dense-looking lashes. It comes with a curved wand and crimped brush bristles that make the application a hassle-free experience. Don’t wait anymore, and grab the mascara now to get beautiful lashes and accentuate your features. 

5

Best Cruelty-free

theBalm Cosmetics Mad Lash Mascara

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Elevate your eye makeup game and take it to new heights with the volumizing lash mascara by theBalm Cosmetics. It comes with an injection-molded wand that defines the lashes and gives fuller, thicker, and more intense lashes in no time. Just one to two coats of this intense mascara can define the lashes effectively, making you look all glammed up. Create magic in your eyes and slay every eye makeup look you create with this cruelty-free mascara.  

6

essence Lash Princess Curl & Volume Mascara

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This alcohol-free mascara by Essence is the perfect pick for sensitive skin. Beauty professionals appreciate this mascara because it lifts and lengthens lashes for a tenth of the price of the competitors. The ergonomic brush makes it simple to apply without forming clumps or globs around the eyes. Additionally, we noticed the formula hugs each lash from root to tip and curls lashes for an extension effect. Lastly, the brush has a non-clumping formula that doesn't weigh down the lashes, making it the perfect fit for petite eyelids.

7

Honest Beauty 2-in-1 Extreme Length Clean Mascara + Lash Primer

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With clean formulation on one hand and lash-priming abilities on the other, this mascara by Honest Beauty is a perfectly-balanced product for volumizing your lashes. The 2-in-1 double-sided mascara consists of the richly-pigmented formula that makes your eyes seductively ravishing while the primer coating is present on the other, enhancing performance and wear. The nourishing formula comprises jojoba esters (natural fatty acids) that soften the lashes. Our honest opinion on the product after testing the product, would be that the molded bristles could be improved for an even and non-clumpy application.

8

Best Nourishing Formula

IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara

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It's a bird? It's a plane? It's Superhero Mascara with lengthening and conditioning benefits that are befitting for bare lashes. The formula is infused with conditioning ingredients like collagen, biotin, and peptides which deliver a dose of black pigment as you coat in each swipe. After putting it to the test, we found that this mascara's super-buildable formula elevates your lashes to new heights. And we cleaned the product off and left our eyelashes soft. We recommend this product for its overall nourishing composition which makes its value worthwhile!

9

Best Transfer-proof

Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara

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The BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics will amp up your lash game. It has a unique curling brush head that wraps lashes in a lightweight, vitamin B5-infused product from root to tip. We determined through our tests that the product makes the lashes longer, fuller, and more voluminous. The jet-black pigment is tough to beat as it stayed in place for hours without smearing or transferring. It's the perfect pick for wearing at events or luncheons with family.

10

Best for Thickening

Revlon So Fierce Big Bad Lash Mascara

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Megan Thee Stallion swears by this highly pigmented mascara by Revlon for thick lashes. It's made from paraffin, oils of castor, soybean and sunflower  and rice bran waxes to nourish the lashes. The clump-free formula is ideal for building up a bold look that will last from morning to night. With 252 individual bristles on the product, it evenly coats from the roots to the tips without missing a spot. Moreover, we liked how this unique product features a double-sided brush where the curving 'large' edge volumizes the lashes, while the flat side provides a flirtatious, fanned-out impression.

11

Best Spurlge-worthy

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Volumizing Mascara

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This "brag-worthy" mascara has bested several beauty brands and bagged several prestigious awards for its over-the-top volumizing abilities. Designed with a thick hourglass-shaped mascara wand, it separately coats each lash with its lush, full-pigment formula. However, rather than weighing down lashes (as falsies tend to do), this product felt super light as we weren't using any mascara altogether. Overall, it's an excellent volumizing choice that works particularly well with bright eyeshadow for extra definition.

12

Best Mineral Formulation

Mineral Fusion Volumizing Mascara

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Give your lashes the wow factor (without wearing false lashes) with the volumizing mascara by Mineral Fusion. The formulation includes luxurious botanicals like white tea and aloe extracts that nourish and condition the hair for healthy, eye-catching lashes. Free of gluten and harsh chemicals, the mascara is a must-have for delicate eyes. Moreover, in addition to defining and thickening the lashes, the mascara is made of natural waxes and oils that leave the lashes soft and nourished after wearing it for a long time.

13

e.l.f. Lash It Loud Mascara

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This super-affordable pick offers the texture and quality of a luxe-end product and delivers desirable volume to your lashes. The creamy formula will make your lashes turn heads for up to 24 hours. It features a sleek silicone brush with vertical and horizontal bristles that coats the lashes individually, and with regular use, a couple of layers of this formula will take your lashes up about ten notches. Get ready to have thickened and flutter-worthy eyelashes in seconds with this lash-amplifying mascara.

14

PrimePrometics PrimeLash Mascara

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PrimePrometics is a clean beauty brand designed specifically for women over 50, and as a leader in the pro-age movement provides skin-safe ingredients. Packaged in a classy blue bottle, the volumizing mascara for mature skin consists of a pH-balanced formulation with bioactive nutrients that help the lashes to grow over time. What we love about this product, is the vertical declined brush with equally spaced bristles that separates thin and tiny lashes, and coats them evenly without bruising your eyes. Lastly, it comes in three colors (black, brown, and blue), all of which are highly pigmented.

15

AL’IVER 4D Mascara Black

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Whether you're feeling subtle or sassy, the Silk Fiber Lash Mascara will help you go wherever your mood takes you. Infused with the goodness of squalane and candelilla wax, the lightweight mascara nourishes, hydrates, and moisturizes your lashes as your swipe your brush. And with a super-defined brush, it promises zero clumps and smudging when applying the creamy formula. After testing the product, we noticed that it stayed put throughout the day and didn't smudge even when we cried through a tragic movie.

16

ILIA Fullest Volumizing Mascara

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At times, applying mascara can bother those who use contacts or have sensitive eyes. Luckily, we found Ilia's volumizing mascara that provides both a nourishing formula and a lash-thickening solution — all in one. It fortifies the lashes with arginine, natural wax, and pro-vitamin B5 (a.k.a panthenol) for healthier-looking lashes. Interestingly, it features a violin-shaped brush that evenly coats the lashes with a deep-pigmented formula. Lastly, it has been examined by ophthalmologists as well as contact wearers to guarantee that users enjoy a comfortable experience.

17

CLIO Kill Lash Superproof Mascara

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Skip looking like a cute yet tired raccoon at the end of the day with this smudge-proof volumizing mascara. The Kill Lash Superproof Mascara is the ultimate mascara to create a full-size flutter that turns heads. It features a gentle formula and peanut-shaped brush that uplifts and stretches every difficult-to-reach lash for a dramatic and stunning appearance. Our tests showed that the buildable formula allows you to reapply as many times as you want without forming clumps on your lashes.

Now that we have explored the best picks for volumizing mascaras, why don’t we also take a look at the aspects you must consider before choosing the best mascara?

Below we have mentioned a few factors on how to pick the best mascara for thicker lashes

• Formula: To yield greater volume results, we suggest using mascaras with buildable formulations. As it layers and it won't clump or flake hence letting you amp up the drama with ease. Our contributor Anna Misztela states the benefits of using liquid and solid mascaras. She says, “A cream-based mascara can provide volume to thin and sparse eyelashes and add depth to the eyes. However, it can smudge easily. On the other hand, liquid mascaras are often the mascara of choice to enhance and sharpen slightly curled lashes.” Keeping the above in mind, it is also recommended to avoid mascaras with liquid formulations as they tend to clump and smudge more than creamy and viscose ones. Hence, ensure you’re sticking with the classics!
• Resistance: It's also important to choose mascaras that stand the test of time and water to see if they are long-lasting or not. No matter how buildable the formula is of volumizing mascara, being waterproof and smudge-proof is key to the best wearable results. Also, keep an eye out for fast-drying mascaras as they tend to be smudge or smear less than oil-based mascaras. 
• The Wand: When choosing your ideal mascara, be sure to examine the wand as well. If looking for a definition, opt for comb-styled wands that separate the thin hair. Addedly, a tightly packed brush will aid in lengthening the lashes. However, for volume, you want a flat brush that applies a substantial quantity of mascara and spreads it up the length of your lashes while keeping everything separated.

Maintaining a good lash can help sustain their health and appearance with the help of the best volumizing mascaras that don't shy away from including healthy ingredients. We recommend opting for a volumizing mascara that harnesses the goodness of natural formulas and fabulous makeup standards for thicker and denser lashes. Furthermore, the above-mentioned products are chosen based on volume, definition, formula, and long-lasting wear to see how these picks are fair against each other. Lastly, one tip we would like to pass on is dont forget to coat your bottom lashes, as it enhances the overall doe-eye look!

Contributor: Anna Misztela, Board licensed Esthetician, Founder of Brand Beauty&Cutie