This gallery originally appeared on PeopleStyle.
Colleen Kratofil, Style Writer-Reporter: I’ve been using this Clinique mascara for so many years I can’t actually remember when I first discovered it. But what I was looking for something that was waterproof and wouldn’t smear through tough workouts. This delivers on all fronts, while lengthening and filling out my lashes. What I like most though is how easy it is to remove. It comes off with eye makeup remover — no scrubbing required!
Buy It! Clinique High Impact waterproof mascara, $17.50; macys.com
Jillian Ruffo, Associate Beauty Editor: To put it simply, If I could marry a beauty product, it would be this one. And that’s saying a lot. What I look for in a mascara can be a bit demanding: a formula that lengthens and volumizes, gives me a perfectly doll-like look, and definitely doesn’t clump — or even worse — flake. So when Charlotte Tilbury’s Legendary Lashes first graced my vanity, it was as if the stars had aligned. So much so that I’m not sure if I’ll ever find a love quite like it.
Buy It: Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes, $32; nordstrom.com
Alex Apatoff, Deputy Style Director: I generally won’t pay more than $10 for mascara on principle, but a while back I got to try Eyeko’s now-discontinued bespoke lash bar at Saks (where they created a custom tube for you, from formula to wand, based on your own lashes and your hopes and dreams for them) and I was hooked. Very occasionally I’ll splurge on their superblack, rocker-glam formulas – and this is a good one.
Buy It! Eyeko Rock Out & Lash Out mascara, $28; saks.com
Lindy Segal, Style Social Editor: For everyday use, I’m a CoverGirl Super Sizer devotee (guys, it’s so good), but anytime I need a little somethin’ somethin’ I swipe on this magical potion from Benefit. You only need a coat or two for perfectly defined, curled, movie-star lashes. So yes, they’re real — and they’re spectacular.
Brittany Talarico, Senior Style Editor: This mascara is a triple threat thanks to its lengthening, curling and volumizing effects. Plus, it’s the one waterproof formula I’ve found that doesn’t leave your lashes feeling dry or brittle. It also washes away easily with a face wipe or gentle cleanser, which is why its become my hero beauty product.
Kaitlyn Frey, Style & Beauty Assistant: The first time I tried this mascara, I hated it. I typically stick to volumizing formulas to achieve dramatic lush lashes, and admittedly, this lengthening one took some getting used to. I continued using it over and over, and soon realized how obsessed I had become with the way it made my lashes look so long and separated (never clumpy!). So long – in fact – that my friends would even ask if I was wearing falsies. The tiny wand also makes it super easy to reach the tiny lower lashes without glopping product everywhere. Now, although new mascaras come in and out of my life on the regular, this one’s always my tried and true.
Jackie Fields, Beauty Editor: I have the shortest, straightest, least likely to wow anyone looking at me lashes on the planet. Therefore I gave up on all those big-a** wands ages ago in favor of ones that would grab every single lash with a stroke or two. Clinique’s Bottom Lash Mascara is my current go-to for both the top and bottom lash line. I apply two coats on my upper and lower lashes, alternating between the two to give them a second to dry. Then I pull out the big guns — er, wands — to make the top lashes pop.
Emily Kirkpatrick, Associate Style News Editor: I honestly know nothing about mascara, I just know what I like and I like this. Other mascaras either leave my already thick lashes too piecy or too clumpy or are smeared all over my face before noon. But this one manages to strike a perfect balance and never budges an inch.
