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Pick up any ol’ tube of mascara, lift up the wand, and what else would you expect to see besides inky-black product?

Classic black mascara lets us create everything from thick, chunky falsie-like lashes to minimalist clean, crisp curls (though, only with a precise hand, ultra-fine brush, and an expert choice of product) – all to frame the eyes and finish our style.

But there’s another type of tube in town and it’s broken all the rules of a dark, tacky black mascara. Clear mascaras are back, and they’re revamping the way we accentuate our lashes.

What is clear mascara?

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Photo source: elf (left), Perfect Diary (right)

Sounding suspiciously like an oxymoron (how could a clear product darken the lashes?), clear mascaras yet work mightily to transform the lashes into lifted, perky, oh-so-natural curls.

Similar to clear eyebrow gel, a clear mascara coats the lash strands and dries to hold them in place. As usual, you should first pump down on your lashes with an eyelash curler to create an uplifted curl. Then, simply shimmy the clear gel, from root to tip, over the strands to keep them perky throughout the day.

This time, it won’t take as much precision, skill, or expertise (compared to a black mascara) to achieve a minimalist no-makeup makeup, “clean girl” lash look. Smear-free, lightweight, and easy to wipe clean, clear mascaras help you achieve naturally lifted lashes with ease.

How to wear clear mascara?

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Clear mascaras create boundless possibilities when it comes to style too: besides using them to hold your lashes clean curls on their own, you can also pair them with your regular ink-black mascaras (as primer or top-coat) for extra volume, length, and hold.

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Make use of them to sculpt your eyebrows and tame baby hairs for a trendy, slicked-back Y2K hairstyle. Even mix them in with chromatic eyeshadows for a brilliant pop of colour over your eyes (bam, you’ve got yourself a coloured mascara too).

Some of these clear mascaras are also formulated with strand-strengthening ingredients like peptides, vitamin E, vitamin B5, and biotin, so they – let us count – sextuple as a nourishing lash serum for a healthier, stronger flutter too.

So, an oxymoron? We think not. We’ve rounded up the 13 best clear mascaras that’ll let you flaunt natural, lifted lashes.

Best clear mascaras in Singapore

E.L.F. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara

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If you’re thinking you can skip buying a new product for your lashes by using your clear brow gel instead, don’t!

The eyes are more sensitive than the rest of your face, which means that you should apply a product that’s actually safe to use near your peepers.

The E.L.F. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara lets you have the best of both worlds with its unique double-sided wand, each end dipped into a separate tube of clear gel.

So, even if you gel your brows after they’ve been drawn on, and then stuff the wand back into the tube, at least you know that the other one will remain lash-safe and crystal clear.

E.L.F. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara retails for S$4.35 on iHerb.

Etude Dr. Mascara Fixer For Perfect Lash

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Those with stick-straight or droopy lashes, turn to none other than Etude Dr. Mascara Fixer For Perfect Lash. Praised for its strong fix, it’s a clear mascara that’s ideal for those with stubbornly down-turned lashes!

Shimmy the clear gel onto your lashes, and it’ll coat and harden around each strand when it dries, which means that your lashes will remain cleanly lifted and curled throughout the day.

You can also apply it as a primer before putting black mascara for extra volume, but some reviewers are wary about lashes that tend to be unevenly clumpy afterwards.

Etude Dr. Mascara Fixer For Perfect Lash retails for S$5.48 instead of S$8 on Shopee. You can also get it for S$10.84 on Amazon.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Clear

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So many of Maybelline’s mascaras have earned spots on our dressing tables, and, while the Great Lash Mascara in Clear is not a typical inky mascara, it’s also deserving of a place there – thanks to its lightweight but strong hold.

This clear mascara is also infused with panthenol, a member of the vitamin B family, which penetrates the hair shaft to strengthen the strand; your lashes won’t just look more defined with the gel on, they’ll also become stronger over time.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara Clear retails for S$13 on iHerb.

Canmake Quick Lash Curler in Clear

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Japanese brand Canmake’s Quick Lash Curler comes in four different colours: Black, Brown, Wine Mauve, and Clear.

Slightly different compared to other clear mascaras, the Canmake Quick Lash Curler in Clear is designed to go over a coat of regular mascara, rather than under it.

Its mascara wand also features a stiff double-ended comb, extra effective at combing through and separating the strands for the ultimate clean lash look.

So, should lifted, fanned-out lashes be what you’re hoping to wear, then note Canmake Quick Lash Curler in Clear as a try-worthy option!

Canmake Quick Lash Curler in Clear retails for S$15.21 on Watsons. You can also get this clear mascara for S$13.51 on Yesstyle.

COVERGIRL Professional Natural Lash Eyelash Gel

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When it comes to clear mascara, the brush is just as important as the gel formula for light and lifted lashes. COVERGIRL’s Professional Natural Lash Eyelash Gel comes with a gently curved brush that helps you reach all your lashes, so you’ll flaunt curled lashes from inner to outer corner.

This clear mascara is lightweight and doesn’t leave your lashes (or brows) feeling crunchy afterwards, and it goes well over your mascara to give your eyelashes a bounce boost as well.

Remember to curl your lashes before applying the clear coat of mascara, because this is what will give your lashes the delicious curls you want.

And, at the end of the day, all you have to do is wipe this clear formula off with warm water – no makeup remover needed!

COVERGIRL Professional Natural Lash Eyelash Gel retails for S$12.74 on Amazon.

Perfect Diary Lash Building Primer Mascara

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Perfect Diary’s Lash Building Primer Mascara can be used as a primer when paired with black mascara, but also as a clear coating when used on its own.

Besides taming your lashes and fixing their light curls, this clear mascara also helps to lengthen the lashes slightly, so your eyes will be framed by longer, more feathered strands.

Since it’s also a waterproof formula, you won’t have to worry about smudging and smearing by midday as you might with jet-black mascara.

Perfect Diary Lash Building Primer Mascara retails for S$12.90 instead of S$15.90 on Perfect Diary’s official store on Shopee.

Wet n Wild Mega Clear Brow & Lash Mascara

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Use this clear mascara as a primer, a top coat, or on its own to fluff and feather up your lashes even more!

The Wet n Wild Mega Clear Brow & Lash Mascara has a thick gel consistency that gives a comfortable hold on your lashes as you groom and style them.

Infused with strand-strengthening soy protein and shaft-rebuilding vitamin B5, the clear mascara will also nourish your eyelashes for a healthier, stronger flutter.

Wet n Wild Mega Clear Brow & Lash Mascara retails for S$11.90 on Shopee.

Kaja Wink Lash Trio

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The ultra-chic trio that’s cute enough to bring with you wherever you go, Kaja’s Wink Lash Trio is a set that includes a Lash Primer + Brow Serum Gel, Volumizing Mascara, and Lengthening Mascara!

The Lash Primer + Brow Serum Gel is the tube that you need to keep your eyes peeled for if a clear mascara is what’s on your shopping list. The clear mascara works as a primer to give lashes extra volume, brow serum to nourish and sculpt (why Kaja gives it its name), or on its own for natural lash definition.

Kaja’s three products fully equip you in the lash department: first shimmy on the clear mascara (after you’ve curled your lashes) for a strong hold, and then apply the Volumizing Mascara for sultry volume. Finally, for wispier length, use the Lengthening Mascara in your final step.

They’re the perfect fit, literally, because you can just magnetically snap the three purple tubes together to form one easy-to-carry compact. With this triple-power combo, your lashes will stay curled and flutter-proof all day!

Kaja Wink Lash Trio retails for S$25.02 on Kaja’s official store on Shopee.

Dr. Hauschka Brow and Lash Gel Translucent

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Photo source: Organic Beauty Blogger

Define and condition your lashes with the Dr Hauschka Brow and Lash Gel Translucent, because it contains nourishing botanical ingredients like neem, eyebright, and black tea!

High in fatty acids, neem helps to lock in your hair’s moisture for stronger, healthier lashes; the dark pigments in black tea may also temporary darken your strands for a naturally more alluring lash look.

Dr Hauschka is a brand known for its natural formulas, and the same goes for this clear mascara that’s good for your lashes. The only potential downside to this product, according to some reviewers, is that it might flake when it dries.

Dr. Hauschka Brow and Lash Gel Translucent retails for S$32 on Dr. Hauschka, or S$29.78 on Amazon.

The Body Shop Brow & Lash Gel

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The Body Shop’s Brow & Lash Gel features organic aloe vera as its hero ingredient; it nourishes the lash strands and is gentle and soothing on the skin, even as it holds the eyelashes up in a lifted curl.

Both dermatologically and ophthalmologically tested, this vegan clear mascara formula is one you can trust to feel good on you throughout the day.

The Body Shop Brow & Lash Gel retails for S$22 at The Body Shop.

Honest Beauty Honestly Healthy Lash Tint

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Healthy lashes, happy lashes.

Honest Beauty’s Honestly Healthy Lash Tint is a serum-infused lash tint that’s loaded with ultra-conditioning ingredients like castor oil, red clover, and mung bean.

Experience double action with this clear mascara gel: the stiff clear coating sculpts and holds your lashes in place, and the nourishing nutrients enhance the strands from within!

Honest Beauty Honestly Healthy Lash Tint retails for S$25.46 on Amazon.

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Diamond Mascara Clear Diamond

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Physicians Formula calls its Diamond Mascara a “5-in-1 lash and brow mascara” that doesn’t just help to hold your lashes’ curls, but also primes, conditions, grooms, and tames them – oh, you can use it on your brows too.

Infused with peptides, vitamin E, and mineral water, this clear mascara nourishes your lashes even as it keeps them curled.

The peptides penetrate easily into the hair shaft because of their small size, helping to boost moisture and thicken strands so that your eyelashes become stronger and darker, even without mascara!

Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Diamond Mascara Clear Diamond retails for S$18.71 on Amazon.

NAMING Touch-Up Lash Maker Fixer

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K-beauty brand NAMING’s Touch-Up Lash Maker comes in two shades: regular black and clear. The Touch-Up Lash Maker Fixer is a clear mascara that coats and fixes the strands in place for an extra-clean lash curl.

Since it’s lightweight and doesn’t clump, it works great for thinner, more delicate Asian lashes, helping you to secure a lifted curl for longer.

NAMING Touch-Up Lash Maker Fixer retails for S$19.07 on Yesstyle.

Related read: Manga lashes are the latest trend that’s making our eyes look extra doll-like