Magic wands
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Woman applying mascara
Mascara is an indisputable makeup bag essential. Whether you are after length, curl or the illusion of thick, fluttering lashes, finding a mascara that delivers is to find a friend for life. We have tested a range of the best around to recommend some truly magic wands for you.
Read on to see the results or find out what we thought of the latest blushers on the market
Flutter-by
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Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting mascara from Estee Lauder
If you like your lashes to look defined, with noticeably more volume, then this is the mascara for you. Application is easy with no clogging, and the specially shaped brush makes it easy to apply the mascara evenly. I liked the coverage and lightweight feel of this mascara and would definitely buy it again. The finished look is not too heavy, yet lashes do look thicker.
5/5
Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting mascara,
£17.50
www.esteelauder.co.uk
Sweep and define
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The Ultimate Expression mascara from Shu Uemura
Calling all mascara aficionados this could well be the mascara that does it all! With its angled brush this beautiful, creamy black seperated and defined each lash and added an amazing amount of curl and length without smudging or clupping. The effect was so noticeable I took great pride in having to tell people that I wasn\'t in fact wearing false lashes! They don\'t call this the ultimate for nothing.
5/5
The Ultimate Expression mascara,
£18.50
Shu Uemura
0207 240 7635
Lash fantastic
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Everlong lengthening mascara from YSL
Having resigned myself to the fact that my lashes will never be super long, discovering this lengthening mascara has been a revelation. I couldn\'t believe how with only one swipe, my lashes were evenly coated, delicately seperated and my eyes looked instantly brighter and more open. I can\'t be without this mascara now and its worth every penny.
5/5
YSL Everlong lengthening mascara,
£20
Debenhams
Two in one
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Guerlain\'s Le 2 mascara
Wearing glasses all the time tends to effect my choice of mascara as I like my lashes to be defined enough to be seen behind the frames, and Guerlain\'s Le 2 is perfect for this. My lashes were defined and lengthened beautifully and the small wand made reaching the smaller lashes towards the outside and inner eye so simple. A real find.
4/5
Le 2 mascara,
£21
Guerlain
Classic black
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Everything mascara from Bobbi Brown
The wand was lovely to use, a great shape, and my lashes looked full of volume. I loved the light, natural coverage the mascara gave, it\'s perfect for every day use but I did find that I needed to reapply during the day.
4/5
Everything mascara,
£15
www.bobbibrown.co.uk
Wonder wand
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Clarins Wonder Length mascara
Its tapered red tube is elegant and easily visible in the depths of my big black makeup bag. The long, slender wand with short bristles on the brush makes for precise application, even on those hard-to-reach lashes at the outer corner of the eye (and even on the train!). There\'s no clogging or clumping and depth of colour builds as you stroke on more. My mascara usually migrates to under my eye as the day wears on but this seems to stay put.
4/5
Clarins Wonder Length mascara,
£16.50
www.clarins.co.uk
Luscious lashes
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Diorshow Backstage Makeup mascara
Am not a huge fan of mascara but this one is quite easy to use as it doesn\'t clump the eyelashes together (and no matter what they say about application techniques, cheap mascaras do!) It also gives good coverage on the minimum amount of applications. I was less impressed with the actual wand itself however, it\'s quite chunky and while it may be great in a hectic \'backstage\' environment, I found it a bit unwieldly and awkward to hold.
3/5
Diorshow Backstage Makeup mascara,
£18.50
Debenhams
Hypnotic eyes
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Hypnose mascara from Lancome
A gorgeous creamy and rich mascara that gave good colour and was perfect for day wear. It created good volume with the chunky brush but because it is so creamy if you apply to the ends of lashes first by mistake it\'s hard to go back and work it into the roots. But easily avoided if you apply your mascara like the experts tell you to. All in all a great day mascara.
4/5
Hypnose mascara,
£19.50
www.lancome.co.uk
It\'s all in the eyes
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Givenchy\'s Eye Fly mascara
For me a mascara is all about creating volume and a good curl to your lashes and the Givenchy Eye Fly does just that. The creamy, yet light as a feather texture, coats the lashes evenly and the curl is fixed in place thanks to the alternating sized bristles. Easy to use and smudge-proof to boot, I couldn\'t fault this one.
4/5
Givenchy Eye Fly mascra,
£18.50
Debenhams
Power up your lashes
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Lash Power mascara from Clinique
I am so impressed with this masacara, it\'s a god send if like me you don\'t have thick lashes but wish that you did. The small wand allows you to pick out even the most hard to reach lashes which automatically gives the overall look more volume. There was no clumping and the mascara stayed put all day, this is a must buy for those with aspiring lashes everywhere.
4/5
Lash Power mascara,
£12.50
www.clinique.co.uk
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