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Benefits: defining, lengthening, thickening | Waterproof: no | Who it’s for:
Best for Dramatic Lashes: Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara in Brown
Why it’s worth it: The original black Tarte Maneater Mascara scored an Allure Best of Beauty Award back in 2020, and its Brown shade is just as praise-worthy. This tubing mascara has the same long-lasting, drama-inducing formula that we’ve known and loved, but in a defining true-brown hue that makes your lashes look, well, like your lashes. It’s also worth mentioning that the 500-bristle mascara wand pushes your lashes up, creating an intense curl that could rival your eyelash curlers.
Tester feedback: “I was a brown mascara skeptic for a long time because if I’m going to spend precious morning time putting mascara on, I want drama,” says commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann. “What’s dramatic about a natural brown shade? Well, I’m mature enough to admit when I’m wrong because Tarte’s Tartelette Mascara has officially converted me to the slightly lighter side. The shade is a nice, true brown—not too warm-toned—and the stiff wand evenly distributes the product throughout for long, fluffy, and natural-looking lashes.”
Benefits: curling, long-wearing, lengthening | Waterproof: no | Who it’s for: all lash types
Best for Sensitive Eyes: Glossier Lash Slick in Brown
Why it’s worth it: Glossier’s Lash Slick is one of its first—and best-selling—products, intended to give a natural, no-makeup-makeup look that enhances what you’ve already got going on. Its nourishing formula (hello, vegan biotin and vitamin B5) wraps around, lengthens, and lifts each lash, for an extension-like effect. Ophthalmologists tested this formula to ensure it won’t irritate sensitive eyes or anyone who wears contact lenses.
Tester feedback: “I feel totally naked without mascara, but I don’t always want the full-throttle look of your standard black shade,” senior news editor Nicola Dall’Asen says. “Glossier’s Lash Slick in Brown provides lengthening yet whisper-light coats in a warm brown tone—probably similar to your natural lashes if you’re brunette—for that ‘wait, are those real?’ kind of look.”
Benefits: lengthening, volumizing, and conditioning | Waterproof: water-resistant | Who it’s for: sensitive eyes, fuller lashes
Best Drugstore: Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara in Brown
Why it’s worth it: Here’s a $5 choice that feels—and looks—a lot more expensive. Essence’s Lash Princess False Lash Effect mascara has a fluffy, large wand to lift and separate each one of your eyelashes. The formula is meant to lengthen, making this a great option for anyone with short lashes.
Tester feedback: “When applying mascara, my main priority is natural-looking lashes that look as if they’re my real lashes,” Talia Gutierrez, former associate manager of special projects, says. “The conically-shaped fiber bristles from Essence Lash Princess make coating my inner corners mess-free, brushing through any clumps of product that are often a dead giveaway I’m wearing mascara. I specifically gravitate towards the brown-black mascara shade, which gives my lashes extra volume and length with a touch of definition with just two coats.”
