Magic Wands—The Best in Mascara

Improve your batting average with these magic wands. Here are the best in mascara.

I really wish I had never tried Sisley’s Phyto-Mascara Ultra Stretch, $65 at Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco. It seems as though I’ve discovered a new way to spend money. Honestly, what can I say about this outstanding mascara, which is tar-free and infused with precious conditioning mink oil? It’s worth every cent.

Once you try it, you will see what I mean. I loooove it. This mascara brushes on so creamily and dreamily, leaving your lashes soft and pliable. It has great workability and builds sans clumping. I am seriously impressed by its performance and flexible hold, plus it’s formulated to work for sensitive eyes.

My talented friend, makeup artist Robert Williams at Saks Fifth Avenue, San Francisco, turned me on to this mascara. Once again, another fabulous product from the French cosmetic company Sisley.

Maybelline makes great mascaras, and their Colossal Volume Express, $7.79 at drug stores, builds and builds, but can be somewhat sticky and difficult to remove. I try to avoid any eye-area tugging, so with regard to inexpensive mascaras, I prefer Maybelline’s classic Great Lash, below.

A thinner formula–and a thinner brush–allow for multiple coats of this makeup artist favorite, which easily melts off when you cleanse your eyes at night. It’s a good basic daily mascara if you cannot afford a luxury brand.

Eugenia Weston, founder of Senna Cosmetics, just released her long-anticipated mascara, Voluptulash, $22. A top-selling product from Eugenia’s beautiful results-driven cosmetic line which is favored by celebrities such as Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Bette Midler and of course Angelina Jolie, this mascara really delivers thickness and fullness, and at a moderate price point.

“It took us almost two years to develop this mascara and its unique brush,” said Alison MacDonald, manager of product development at Senna Cosmetics. The helix-shaped brush, equipped with soft yet dense fibers, grabs the lashes with ease and coats each hair with a rich black, building volume and density through multiple coats. I really like this formula, as well as the brush shape.

Guerlain’s Noir G Exceptional Complete Mascara, $49 at Neiman Marcus, is the first refillable mascara. That’s right, refillable. Genius. The mirrored case was designed by Lorenz Baumer, a virtuoso of fine stones and ingots who has crafted jewelry for couture houses. It slips elegantly into your purse for touch-ups or travel, and the formula contains Artemia Salina to regenerate lashes by stimulating keratin for fortification and lash growth. Refills, which are completely sanitary units that pop into the beautifully-designed case, cost $26.

Another brilliant creation by Guerlain is their Guerlain Le 2 mascara, $36 at Neiman Marcus. The formula is an innovation in itself, having replaced most of the waxes (which are the culprits of clumping and stickiness) with two polymers that build and lengthen.

I absolutely love the packaging created by graphic and industrial designer Helle Damkjaer. It’s futuristic in its vision, elevating mascara tubes to a new standard of luxury and innovation because it ingeniously houses two wands. On one side, there is the basic wand for the center lashes, but at the other end is a little tiny wand crimped at a seven-degree angle for corners, bottom lashes and detail work, making this mascara the first of its kind.

“Before Le 2 de Guerlain came along, I used two mascaras when I was doing make-up,” stated Olivier Echaudemaison, Creative Director for Guerlain. First, “a rich one for the upper lashes, the ones which can never be too long or too thick, and then another more minimalist, for the lower lashes, to avoid that caked look that can spoil the whole effect,” he said. More genius from Guerlain.

Revitalash continues to amaze with their thickening mascara and brilliant blue primer, both $24. The mascara-primer combo delivers a big punch for volume and length, all while conditioning and strengthening your lashes with a proprietary blend of peptides and botanicals. This is the future of cosmetics, where therapeutic ingredients are integrated with makeup.

Kate Middleton used Revitalash primer and mascara on her wedding day. If it is good enough for the Duchess of Cambridge, it is good enough for me.

These are the lash resorts in mascara. Enjoy.