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20 mascaras that will give you seriously sky-high lashes

If you aren’t able to drop the cash for lash extensions or a lash lift and you don’t have the time to apply false lashes every day (who does, tbh?), your best option is a lengthening mascara. These innovative mascara formulas will give you the look of lush lashes without you having to go to extreme lengths to get them (pun intended).

Since not all mascaras are created equally, we’ve come up with a handy list of the very best lengthening mascaras that will give you the doll-like lashes of your dreams. These picks vary in both price and formula, so you can find the perfect lengthening mascara, no matter your need or budget.

Shop the best lengthening mascaras:

1Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

Sephora
Sephora

Swipe on just one coat of this jet-black mascara and you’ll see noticeably longer, bolder lashes instantly. It’s made with a blend of soft, malleable waxes so your lashes will be perfectly fluttery, not clumpy, and the flexible brush works to pull up lashes to the highest heights.

2Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Sephora
Sephora

According to our senior fashion and beauty editor, “This mascara gives me sky-high lashes every time, to the point where I’ve been stopped on the street several times (yes, really) by women asking me what I’m using to make them look so good. In my many years of working in beauty, this is my favorite mascara, hands down.”

3Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara

Sephora
Sephora


This mascara is formulated with aero-particles–one of the lightest materials from space technology–which lengthen lashes without weighing them down. Talk about long, luscious lashes that truly are out of this world.

4Dior Diorshow Mascara

Dior
Dior

There’s a reason this item is on every list of best lengthening mascaras, and that’s because its formula includes revolutionary microfibers that help give you luxuriously longer lashes. Just one coat will do the trick.

5Pat McGrath FetishEyes Mascara

Sephora
Sephora

“Most people have probably had a mascara that makes their lashes look long and luscious in the morning but somehow loses its volume throughout the day, which makes you want to reapply and clunk on more, which makes them look chunky,” says our senior fashion and beauty editor. “Well, you won’t need to go through that with this product. With Pat McGrath’s mascara, all you have to do is apply a layer or two (or three or four, if, like me, you’re a little extra), and by the end of the night, your lashes will look just as great as they did in the morning. When it first came out I’d wear it to an early yoga class, work, and grad school at night, and by the time I got home my lashes would still look killer. 10/10 in my books.”

6Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara

Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury


This best-selling mascara features a brush with fine-tipped bristles that catch and coat every lash for a separated but volumized look. The lengthening formula gives your lashes a little extra drama.

7Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara

Sephora
Sephora


Our social media manager swears by this lengthening mascara. “The thing that does it for me the pigment—it’s black hole-level black—and it gives my lashes enough base and length to feel dramatic even on days that I skip eyeliner. It’s a mascara that’s more for people who are going for a Kate Moss in the ’90s/’I’m definitely wearing makeup’ makeup look—but I like that and find that I don’t have to reapply it if I’m going out after work.”

8L’Oréal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara

Amazon
Amazon

“As a drugstore mascara kind of gal, I average around 3 to 4 different products to give my short, straight lashes the length and effect I want,” reports one of our writers. “But a few wiggles of this ultra-black formula is a one-product solution to my mascara woes. The hourglass shape of the brush allows the product to really get in there and coat all my lashes, and I love that it’s both lengthening and volumizing, giving my lashline the added ‘oomph’ I desire.”

9 Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara

Target
Target

There’s a reason one of these is sold every three seconds in the U.S.: It works. The defining spooly brush glides on and grabs lashes for a smooth, lash-building application, resulting in longer-looking lashes and more open-eyed look. Plus, it comes in several colors (including a cool blue!) so you can tailor the look for you.

10Lancôme Hypnose Buildable Volume Mascara

Macy's
Macy's

Get six times the volume and length with this powerful, vitamin-enriched mascara that provides your lashes volume and separation without pesky clumping. The brush has 1000 sensor bristles to wrap each lash with this emollient formula.

11Lune+Aster Formidable Lengthening Mascara

Blue Mercury
Blue Mercury

You can feel good about using this vegan, gluten-free and paraben-free mascara that’s both lengthening and long-lasting. Wiggle the wand through your lashes for a head-turning, intensely black finish and long-looking lashes.

12Hourglass Cosmetics Caution Extreme Lash Mascara

Sephora
Sephora

This lengthening mascara works with a double-action brush, densely packed bristles, and smooth, jet-black formula to deliver major definition and intense volume to your lashes. We love how the tapered end reaches even the smallest lashes in the corners of the eyes for a fanned-out effect.

13CoverGirl Total Tease Mascara

Target
Target

Want an affordable mascara that can make the tiniest lashes look full and long? This lash-teasing comb keeps clumps at bay while building up extra length and volume through it’s polymer-enriched thickening complex.

14Glossier Lash Slick Mascara

Glossier
Glossier

Quickly becoming a cult-favorite among beauty lovers, Glossier Lash Slick enhances the look of you natural lashes by sculpting and elongating them, without smudging or flaking. Teeny-tiny fibers coat lashes from root to tip, while the small brush defines each one.

15Tarte Maneater Mascara

Tarte
Tarte

Get the biggest, fullest, and longest lashes of your life, thanks to this unique brush. It has over 500 flexible bristles that curl and coat lashes with even and intense pigment.

16Kevyn Aucoin Beauty The Volume Mascara

Sephora
Sephora

A tubing mascara like this one is ideal for adding length to otherwise short lashes, since the formula envelops them and adds extra length, definition, and volume. The cult-favorite also has jojoba oil, which nourishes lashes and makes sure they’re shiny from root to tip.

17Milk Makeup Kush High Volume Mascara

Milk Makeup
Milk Makeup

Into the CBD beauty trend? Then you’ll love this hydrating, hemp-derived cannabis seed oil-infused mascara. Not only will it give your lashes major volume, but this mascara also slays the length game.

18Serge Lutens Mascara

Barneys
Barneys

This elegant mascara formula special comb-like brush coats each individual lash with this vitamin E formula that lengthens, separates, and defines. For the price, it’s definitely an investment for those who really want to love their lashes, but its simplicity of use and refined effect is worth it.

19Maybelline Lash Sensational Lucious Mascara

Target
Target

Made with rose, safflower, and argan oils, this enriching formula keeps your lashes from becoming brittle, while adding major length. We love the feathery, washable formula.

20L’Oréal Paris Double Extend Mascara

Ulta
Ulta

If you’re willing to give your lashes added drama in two steps instead of one, we love this dual-ended mascara that uses innovative tubing technology to coat your lashes and give them an almost lash extension-level length. The best part? The tubes slide off with water or makeup remover, so there’s no need to scrub your precious lashes.