Types of Mascara Wands: Which Wand is Best for your Lashes?
Discover the different types of mascara wands and learn the ways that they can transform the look of your eyelashes.
- 27th August 2024
- By Charlotte Tilbury
7 minute read
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Discover the Different Types of Mascara Wands
Curved mascara wands
The look: Accentuated volume and curl
Mascara wands that have a deep curve are designed to mimic the natural contour of the lash line. Curved mascara wands have a distinctive C-shape that nestles effortlessly along the bed of the lashes, gripping each individual hair and delivering volume from root to tip. Their curvature also manoeuvres lashes into a fanned-out flutter and helps to accentuate their natural curl, making them a perfect mascara wand choice for easy volume and curl.
Charlotte’s Choice: Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara – the Ultra-Curved Lash Styler Brush is like a personal stylist for your lashes!
Dense mascara wands
The look: Thick, volumised lashes
The denser a mascara’s bristles, the more dramatic the mascara application. Using a dense, bushy mascara wand is the fastest way to coat your lashes with lashings of mascara and creates instant lash drama and dimension. Dense mascara wands are designed to pick up heaps of product and are the secret to your biggest, boldest, most gravity-defying lash look! Thanks to their layers and layers of bristles, you can use a dense mascara wand to quickly coat your lashes with mascara and unlock the bigger, thicker, more voluminous lash look that you love.
Charlotte’s Choice: Legendary Lashes Volume 2 for Hollywood lashes.
Plastic mascara wands
The look: Even, lifted-looking lashes
You can identify a plastic mascara wand by looking at its bristles – if the applicator is stiff and spiky, it’s likely your mascara wand is plastic rather than made with natural or synthetic fibres. One of the benefits to using a plastic mascara wand is the precision that they provide when applying mascara; plastic wands are less flexible and are less prone to smudging which helps to achieve an intentional, even mascara application. The spiky, plastic bristles also act as a lash comb to define and separate the look of each lash, unlocking even, lifted-looking lashes without clumping.
Charlotte’s Choice: Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! with LOAD, COMB + LIFT application.
Tapered mascara wands
The look: Piecey, separated lashes
One of the most versatile mascara wand shapes is a tapered mascara wand. Tapered wands are fuller at the bottom and narrow into a precise tip which allows them to fully coat lashes when tilted horizontally while offering more precision when positioned vertically. With tapered mascara wands, you can achieve fuller, more voluminous lashes then neaten up with the tip of your wand to create a piecey, natural-looking lash look with effortless definition and separation.
Charlotte’s Choice: Full Fat Lashes for glossy, natural-looking lashes.
Micro mascara wands
The look: Natural-looking, ‘no mascara’ effect
A micro mascara wand is the smallest type of mascara wand and naturally has a more delicate mascara application than a denser, larger wand type. These dainty, ultra-slim brushes are perfect for giving the lashes an understated tint and are a good choice for anyone that wants to create a ‘no mascara’ natural makeup look. The tiny bristles are particularly useful for applying mascara to bottom lashes; they capture the small lash hairs along the bottom lash line without overwhelming them or smudging onto the under-eye area and create an elegant, naturally enhanced mascara look.
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EXAGGER-EYES VOLUME MASCARA – ULTRA-CURVED LASH STYLER BRUSH
Charlotte’s Best Mascara Wand for Exaggerated Fast Volume and Curl
I created my Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara with an Ultra-Curved Lash Styler Brush that hugs, grips, and separates every lash to create fast, exaggerated volume from root to tip! The dynamic mascara wand has a defined curvature that mirrors the natural shape of your eyeline, spanning your lashes and creating an effortless 2x curl effect* even without a lash curler! Use the ultra-fine, laser-cut fibre bristles to fan out your lashes; the soft side is perfect for coating lashes with one-coat, instant lash drama, and the sharp side makes it easy to comb out and define the look of your lashes. The Ultra-Curved Lash Styler Brush is like a stylist for your lashes – it’s the secret to Exagger-Eyes before your eyes!
PILLOW TALK PUSH UP LASHES! – PRO-PRECISION PADDLE BRUSH
Charlotte’s Pillow Talk Mascara Wand
My Pillow Talk mascara wand is an innovative, diamond-shaped mascara wand that’s uniquely designed to give lashes a 24-hour vertical lift effect! I designed Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! to be like a push-up bra for your lashes! It has an injection-moulded paddle brush with diamond-shaped bristles that are designed to intuitively follow the shape of your lashes. Use my LOAD, COMB + LIFT application technique to magnify and amplify the look of your lashes and create a lifting, eye-opening effect! It’s the PILLOW TALK EFFECT for your LASHES!
LEGENDARY LASHES VOLUME 2 – VOLUMISING FIBRE BRUSH
Charlotte’s Best Mascara Wand for Hollywood Volume
Legendary Lashes Volume 2 is my lash-amplifying mascara that unlocks instant Hollywood eyes. The dense, bushy brush is perfect for coating lashes in jet-black, vinyl-effect mascara for maximised volume and drama. Its densely packed bristles are cut at different lengths to help capture every lash from short corner lashes to long, fluttery lashes, helping your lash line to look fuller and thicker.
FULL FAT LASHES – 5-GROOVED TAPERED BRUSH
Charlotte’s Best Mascara Wand for an Everyday Lash Look
Full Fat Lashes is my natural-looking lash enhancer for creating effortless, everyday lashes. The 5-grooved, tapered mascara wand is designed to capture and coat every lash hair – no matter how short or fine – to deliver glossy, eye-enhancing colour. The brush has fine-tipped bristles that are designed to deposit the optimal amount of mascara along the lash line and its tapered shape allows for full-coverage and precision mascara application modes. It’s a perfect choice for building up coat after coat of mascara and pulling lashes upwards and outwards for a wispy, natural-looking lashes.
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How To Clean Your Mascara Wand
Mascara wands can become messy and develop clumps if they are left to collect excess product. Here are my magic tips for keeping your mascara wand clean and clump-free:
1. Scrape excess mascara back into your mascara tube
Before you apply mascara, make sure the brush isn’t overloaded with product. Each of my mascara wands is designed to pick up the optimal amount of product, but if there is too much mascara on your wand, this can result in a messy mascara application. Gently swipe the bristles onto the inside of your mascara tube until your wand is coated with the optimal amount of product.
2. Wipe your mascara wand onto a clean tissue
After you have perfected the look of your lashes with mascara, wipe your mascara wand onto a clean tissue to remove any leftover mascara. Excess mascara can dry on your wand and result in clumping, so before you place your wand back into the tube, softly wipe it into a tissue to remove any potential clumps.
3. Cleanse your mascara wand with alcohol
For a deeper clean, douse your mascara wand with rubbing alcohol then wrap it in a clean tissue. Gently massage the bristles into the tissue to reach every bristle and the alcohol will remove any leftover mascara. Once your mascara wand is clean, leave it out to dry fully.
Tilbury Tip: You should replace your mascara wand every 3 months to help protect your eye health.
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BROW CHEATNATURAL BROWN
€31.00
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EASY EYE WANDDATE NIGHT
€19.00
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BROW LIFTNATURAL BROWN
€31.00
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THE CLASSICBLACK
€25.00
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THE FELINE FLICKPANTHER
€30.00
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LUXURY PALETTETHE REBEL
€55.00
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THE CLASSICCLASSIC BROWN
€25.00
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TAKE IT ALL OFF120 ML
€32.00
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EASY EYE WANDSUN KISSED
€19.00
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Author Details
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
