The 19 Best Mascaras of 2024 to Add to Your Collection

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Finding the perfect mascara is like dating. You expect a lot from your pick, and you never want to settle for less than what you need. When it comes to your lashes, you want the best mascara out there. One that does it all: lengthens, volumizes, curls, and thickens, all while avoiding clumps and the dreaded makeup goop in the corner of the eye that Chandler Bing complained about.

But the list of qualities you want in a mascara might not stop there. Some people need a waterproof mascara they can wear to a wedding or at the beach without fear of smudging. Others need something that will hold a curl, even on the straightest eyelashes. And some people are on the hunt for a drugstore mascara that fits into a tight budget — or arrives in just two days from Amazon. No matter what your qualifications are, mascara puts the finishing touch on any makeup look, so it's important to get right.

Thankfully, POPSUGAR editors have dated around for you and tried out dozens of wands, formulas, and innovative tubes, picking the very best mascaras of 2024. Keep scrolling for the best — among these all-star picks, you're sure to find "the one."

Additional reporting by Sarah Siegel

Best Lengthening Mascara
sephora.com

Best Lengthening Mascara

Glossier Lash Slick Mascara ($18)

If super-long, wispy lashes are your goal, reach for this Glossier mascara. The stick-thin brush builds on formula for maximum length. Read our full Glossier Lash Slick Mascara review.

Best Mascara For Zero Clumps
sephora.com

Best Mascara For Zero Clumps

Pat McGrath Labs FetishEyes Mascara ($34)

This mascara will. Not. Clump. We put the formula to the test, adding layer after layer throughout the day, and experienced no clusters — no kidding. Read our full Pat McGrath Labs FetishEyes Mascara review.

Best Drugstore Masara
ulta.com

Best Drugstore Masara

L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise ($13)

You'll be shocked by how well the L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise works compared to more expensive options. Despite its affordable price, this little pink tube is your secret weapon for the longest, thickest lashes of your life.

Best Tubing Mascara For Sensitive Eyes
thrivecausemetics.com

Best Tubing Mascara For Sensitive Eyes

Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara ($25)

This sensitive, eye-friendly mascara from Thrive Causemetics will deliver lengthening results that mimic the look of lash extensions. It's a best-selling tubing mascara that wraps each lash hair with fibrous tubes that make your natural lashes look fuller and extend its length. The formula is flake, smudge, and clump-proof and it's water resistant, making it a product that can handle it all. "Whether you're looking for length or volume, it will have you covered and will even open the eye a bit more with the slight curl it provides, giving a more fresh-faced and youthful appearance overall," says one of our editors. Read her complete review of the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara here.

Best Lengthening Mascara For Short Lashes
ulta.com

Best Lengthening Mascara For Short Lashes

NYX Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Mascara ($9)

Even the name of NYX Professional Makeup Worth The Hype Mascara is a testament to its effectiveness. This tube will make even the puniest lashes look full in just a few coats. It's ideal for those looking for volume, especially with its buildable formula.

Best Mascara For Holding a Curl
sephora.com

Best Mascara For Holding a Curl

Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara ($25)

You can skip the lash curler when you use the Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes Mascara. The wand's pointed tip and tight bristles hug each lash and give you major length and volume. It's longwearing with a smudge-proof formula.

Best Black Mascara
ulta.com

Best Black Mascara

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara's ($28)

You'll love how black the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara's pigment is. It makes your lashes look miles long and adds just the right amount of volume without being clumpy.

Best Mascara For Fluffy Lashes
sephora.com

Best Mascara For Fluffy Lashes

Dior Diorshow Mascara ($32)

Dior Diorshow Mascara is infused with silk proteins that strengthen the lashes, giving the illusion of extensions. It delivers a fanned out voluminous look, perfect for those who want something fluttery and flirty. It comes in black, brown, and navy blue.

Best Mascara For Bottom Lashes
ulta.com

Best Mascara For Bottom Lashes

Lancôme High Definition Mascara ($33)

The Lancôme High Definition Mascara lengthens the lashes while still giving them a natural look. The mascara wand is skinny enough to define and separate the bottom lashes.

Best Mascara For Zero Clumps
sephora.com

Best Mascara For Zero Clumps

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara ($29)

This uniquely-shaped flat brush is made of silicone, allowing you to get a completely clump-free look. Read our full Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara review.

Best Amplifying Mascara
ulta.com

Best Amplifying Mascara

Exa Ten18 Lash Amplifying Mascara ($24)

The vegan formula of the Exa Ten18 Lash Amplifying Mascara boasts ingredients you traditionally would find in your skin-care products. It gets its jet-black pigment from bamboo charcoal powder, rice-bran wax helps lengthen and lift your lashes, and orange-peel fibers up the volume. Even the brush is made from castor-bean bioplastic. The result is a flake-free, smudge-proof volumizing mascara. This mascara is a POPSUGAR 2023 Beauty Award winner.

Best Mascara For Sensitive Eyes
sephora.com

Best Mascara For Sensitive Eyes

Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara ($20)

This formula goes on as smooth as butter, it doesn't flake throughout the day, and it's easy to remove. Plus, the curved wand and plastic bristles act like a built-in lash curler. Read our full Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara review for more info. This mascara is a POPSUGAR 2023 Beauty Award winner.

Best Mascara For Fake-Looking Lashes
target.com

Best Mascara For Fake-Looking Lashes

Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Washable Mascara ($10)

Applying fake lashes every day isn't realistic for many people, but luckily, with a tube of this mascara on hand, it's not needed. You can achieve mega volume and next-level length with just a few swipes — and it doesn't clump. Read our full Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Washable Mascara review.

Best Viral Mascara
ulta.com

Best Viral Mascara

Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes! Tubing Mascara ($5)

This affordable mascara went viral on TikTok, and for good reason. One swipe will double the length of your lashes, and two coats will make them look ultra thick, too. Read our full Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes! Tubing Mascara review.

Best Drugstore Lengthening Mascara
amazon.com

Best Drugstore Lengthening Mascara

L'Oréal Paris Makeup Telescopic Original Lengthening Mascara ($11, originally $13)

The L'Oréal Paris Makeup Telescopic Original Lengthening Mascara is praised for its ultra-skinny brush and ability to length your lashes beyond compare. Since launching, it's gone viral on TikTok, and for good reason.

Best Volumizing Mascara
sephora.com

Best Volumizing Mascara

Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara ($20)

This gives you voluminous, long lashes in just a few coats. The ultra-black formula makes it easy to get bold, statement-making eyelashes. Read our full Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara review.

Best Drugstore Volumizing Mascara
target.com

Best Drugstore Volumizing Mascara

E.l.f. Big Mood Mega Volume & Lifting Mascara ($8)

Think of the biggest, best lash day you've ever had, then multiply that by 10, and that's the look the E.l.f. Big Mood Mega Volume & Lifting Mascara gives you. Check out our full review of the Big Mood Mega Volume & Lifting Mascara here.

Best Waterproof Mascara
amazon.com

Best Waterproof Mascara

Maybelline New York Volum' Express Colossal Curl Bounce Waterproof Mascara ($9, originally $11)

The Maybelline New York Volum' Express Colossal Curl Bounce Waterproof Mascara has a plastic brush with tiny, densely packed bristles that grab each lash and lift it for a wide-eyed look. Use it with or without a lash curler, and you'll have perfectly curled, fluffy lashes all day thanks to the waterproof, long-wearing formula. Read our full review of the Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal Curl Bounce Waterproof Mascara here.