The 10 best mascaras for straight lashes to persuade them to lift and curl

Finding the best mascara for straight lashes is more complicated than you’d think.

My lashes are absolutely poker-straight. So much so, that if you look at me straight-on, it’s impossible to tell if I have upper lashes at all. There’s no lift (and absolutely no curl) to allow the hairs to make themselves known above the lash line. When it comes to mascara then, what I’m looking for is something that’s going to make them more visible. I want length, yes, but mainly I’m after lift, curl, volume, and anything that’s going to give my lashes the oomph they’re naturally lacking. 

So, what should I be looking for? “For straight lashes, it’s really the combination of formula and wand that makes the best mascara,” explains pro makeup artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis. “You want something that’s wet yet not so heavy that it will weigh the lashes down, but a product you can layer and build so there is more control. Having a curved, medium-sized wand will help lift from the root and give the extra curl boost because it can grab individual lashes. Tubing mascara holds longer and doesn’t flake, so is great for building an even layer.”

The application technique matters too, as straight lashes don’t play ball quite as nicely as ones with a natural curl. “Straight lashes can be quite stubborn depending on the type of hair, so an eyelash curler will give a head start in getting some lift,” continues Nguyen-Grealis. “If there’s no time for that, then simply apply middle to tip wiggling the wand left to right to get instant curl, then from the root all the way through to the tips. A few coats are needed for maximum results.”

How we tested the best mascaras for straight lashes 

To bring you a reliable list of the best mascara for straight lashes, we tested each mascara for at least a full day, judging them on the basis of:

• Mascara brush type, shape and style
• How easy they were to apply
• How the formula looked on the lashes
• How the formula felt on the lashes 
• Whether they added long-lasting lift to the lashes 
• Whether they were smudge-proof
• How easy they were to remove

The best mascara for straight lashes, chosen by our beauty team 

Forgive me, but when I first heard about the L’Oreal Paris Pro XXL Lift Mascara I thought it might be a bit of a gimmick. It reminded me a little of the now-discontinued Maybelline Intense XXL Mascara (the one with the white primer that you topped with black mascara) which I loved as a teen, but with hindsight,  made my lashes pretty spidery looking. 

L’Oreal Paris Pro XXL Lift Mascara is essentially the grown-up version. The first end has a straight brush and is packed with a priming formula that’s designed to lengthen your lashes, which it does very nicely and without clumps. If you have had an LVL treatment, or are looking for a more no-makeup makeup look, then you could stop there. But if you have very straight lashes like mine, this is where the real magic happens. The second end has a curved brush, which allows you to get close to the roots to draw the lashes upwards, and is packed with tiny fibres that add volume and length. The lift is the most impressive and long-lasting of any mascara I’ve tried without the help of eyelash curlers. As you are layering two formulas on top of each other, there is a risk of a bobbly finish, but I’ve found that as long as you move swiftly between coats (I do both ends on one eye before moving on) then it’s avoidable. The end result is high-impact, which I love for an evening out. 

Is mascara bad for your eyelashes? Generally, no, but if formulas are drying and difficult to remove, then they can take their toll on your natural lashes. Lucky for us,  Iconic Enrich & Elevate Mascara avoids both of these pitfalls and goes even further to care for your natural lashes. It’s infused with a patented lash growth agent called Symlash, which helps to strengthen and lengthen. A nice touch if, like me, you’re too forgetful to regularly apply an overnight lash serum.

The wand is plastic, curved, and a little bit bendy (as well as narrow) which makes it easy to get right into those shorter lashes in the inner corner (top tip – catching and coating those will make your eyes look wider). It’s easy to apply this mascara and build, with the formula brushing through the lashes like silk. The Iconic Enrich & Elevate Mascara doesn’t add a huge amount of length to the lashes, but it does lift, for a soft and natural-looking mascara finish. I really liked that the formula stays flexible all day, so I didn’t get that crispy, heavy feeling on my lashes.

Huda Beauty Legit Lashes Mascara is very similar to the L’Oreal Paris Pro XXL Lift Mascara in that it has two ends – one that’s a volumizing mascara and one that curls and lengthens. What’s slightly different, is that both of these are mascaras in their own right, so you can layer them, or you can pick and choose depending on the look you’re going for. 

This mascara impressed me straight away. The volumizing end gave my lashes extra volume and length, with a fanned-out effect that made it look like I had loads more lashes than I actually do. The brand recommends that you move on from the volumizing end to the curling one straight away, but even if you leave it to dry slightly (I got distracted mid-way through one eye) then the flexibility of the wand and the lightweight nature of the formula means you can still layer it without clumps. It’s a big claim, but by the time I finished applying, it genuinely looked like I could have been wearing false lashes at the edges. Using two wands is a bit fiddly, but worth the extra time in my opinion. The only downside is that the tube is quite chunky to slot in your makeup bag, but the long-lasting results mean you shouldn’t need to top up. 

Lancôme mascaras are pretty iconic. The brand's Hynose range has gained a cult following, and Lash Idole, its lash-lifting sibling, seems to be following closely in its footsteps with thousands of positive reviews online. 

Let’s start by chatting about the brush. It’s curved and angled, which means you naturally hold it with the narrow part facing downwards, and the wider part fans the outer lashes as you go. I was worried this brush shape would be a bit fiddly (I am all fingers and thumbs) but actually, it was really easy and intuitive to use. Every edge of the brush is peppered with teeny tiny bristles, which managed to capture even my smallest and stubbiest lashes and persuade them skywards. The formula is quite waxy and builds nicely. It’s not super wet, which I personally liked (as I feel very wet formulas weigh my lashes down) but not everyone will be a fan. I’d say one to two coats will give you a very natural look, but you can add more than that for the evening or if you wanted more intensity. 

I will forever associate Eyeko with Alexa Chung and her seemingly effortless (and very cool) cat-eye makeup flicks. Outside of eyeliner, I haven’t tried much from the brand, so was keen to see if the Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara Curl & Lift Mascara would be just as good at making me feel like I was living my late 00s IT girl dreams. 

Unlike some of the other best mascaras for straight lashes on this list, Eyeko has focused on both the ingredients and the performance. Within the formula, you’ll find caffeine as well as biotin, castor oil, and arginine to condition and nourish. Any beauty product that can multi-task gets my vote, but the performance stacks up too. I was a tad underwhelmed to begin with, as the first coat definitely lengthened my lashes, but didn’t lift them much. But I found that if I waited for it to become tacky, and then applied a second coat, I could get more of a curl – and that did hold for a days wear. It’s not at all clumpy, for a very convincing finish. 

Rihanna’s Fenty drew us all in with the inclusive shade range of their best foundations, but the rest of the brand is well worth exploring too. The Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara caught my interest mainly as the wand doesn’t immediately look like it would be brilliant at adding lift to straight lashes – even though it says it does. It’s oval-shaped, with a pointed end and flat sides. . Fenty recommends that you use the “fat” side (which holds the majority of the product) to lift lashes, and then the “flat” side to define and curl. The pointed tip was designed this way to catch every lash on the bottom lash line. 

Once I’d made sure I was using the right side at the right time (and after going slightly cross-eyed in the process) I used the fat side first, followed by the flat one. The flat one is brilliant at elongating the lashes – I used two coats and combed both through without clumps. I’m an eye-rubber and suffer from hayfever, so really enjoyed the fact that this is water resistant, so I didn’t have to worry about allergy-induced smudging during the day. 

I’m always excited to find brands that are new (or new to me), especially if they’re trying to break the mold when it comes to sustainability. The first thing you’ll notice about Pacifica Beauty Vegan Collagen Fluffy Lash Mascara is that instead of being in a traditional plastic tube, it’s in a glass one. This does make it heavier (which is a consideration if you like to lug your makeup bag around) but it’s probably worth the extra gram or so for the planet. 

As for ingredients, clean beauty brand Pacifica is keen to tell you what they don’t use (animal products, talc, parabens. Phthalates and mineral oil) cementing their place as an ethical brand. What the formula does contain is vegan collagen, which is there to hydrate the lashes and plant fibers for volume. Because of the Fluffy Lash name, I was expecting something super thick and volumizing, but actually, I’d say this did its best work lengthening my lashes as opposed to making them look thicker. It separated my lashes nicely, added a little oomph and left them looking glossy and healthy. 

I always like it when a brand knows its niche, and Bella only currently does one product – their Wanderlash Mascara. It’s amassed a few makeup artist fans already, including Hannah Martin (who is Princess Eugenine’s MUA) and Nicola Chapman. I’m also a sucker for fancy packaging, so the fact that this comes in a neat little sliding presentation box earned it brownie points early on. 

The aim of this mascara is to deliver the look of the best false eyelashes or a lash lift, but without the fiddly application or potential damage to your natural lashes. It’s formulated with hemp extract to condition, jojoba oil to promote lash growth and blackcurrant for thickness. The formula is very dark and quite thick, which I expected would result in a clumpy or spidery finish – but the interesting shaped wand (it’s concave in the middle, a bit like a side-aways egg timer) allows you to comb through any bobbly bits for a sleek, lifted result. It did feel a little heavy on my lashes, but I think that’s a fair trade for the added curl and conditioning benefits. 

Mascara is one of my least favorite beauty products to apply. There’s not the satisfaction of blending that you get when you apply foundation, and I find the process of making sure you’ve coated all the lashes quite tedious. If you’re as lazy as I am, then you’re going to love Stila HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara as much as I do.

Just one swipe (with a little wiggle as you pull the wand up) is enough to deliver intense black color, volume, lift and length to your lashes. If you want to go even further, it’s buildable too, but try and do so when it’s still wet to avoid creating unnatural-looking clumps. This is a mascara for people who like it to look like they’re wearing mascara, so if you prefer a more natural look, it’s not going to be for you. It doesn’t flake, but I did find it smudged ever so slightly during the day, so keep an eye on that if you have long bottom lashes. 

Personally, mascara is one of my least favorite beauty products to apply. There’s not the satisfaction of blending that you get when you apply foundation, and I find the process of making sure you’ve coated all the lashes quite tedious. If you’re as lazy as I am, then you’re going to love Stila HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara as much as I do.

Just one swipe (with a little wiggle as you pull the wand up) is enough to deliver intense black color, volume, lift and length to your lashes. If you want to go even further, it’s buildable too, but try and do so when it’s still wet to avoid creating unnatural-looking clumps. This is a mascara for people who like it to look like they’re wearing mascara, so if you prefer a more natural look, it’s not going to be for you. It doesn’t flake, but I did find it smudged ever so slightly during the day, so keep an eye on that if you have long bottom lashes. 

How to choose the best mascara for straight lashes

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing the best mascara for short lashes:

Wand: Curved, medium-sized wands will help lift your lashes from the root, giving your eyelashes immediate lift and curl.

Formula: For straight lashes, you want a formula that's light and buildable - like tubing mascara. Many of the best formulas are waterproof too, to keep your lashes in shape.

Your make up routine: Some of the best mascaras for straight lashes work well by layering several coats. If you're a little less meticulous or like to get ready in a flash, consider buying a mascara that delivers with one swipe (like Stila's HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara). If you're willing to dedicate a bit more time to the process, some of the two-wand products like L’Oreal Paris Pro XXL Lift Mascara can provide stellar results.