Want a luscious set of lashes without getting extensions or applying falsies? Well, now you can with “mascara cocktailing”, a technique popularised on TikTok recently.
What is “mascara cocktailing”?
To put it plainly, “mascara cocktailing” involves layering multiple mascaras to create a custom 3D lash effect. One could layer a lengthening mascara with a volumising or curling one, for instance, to create the perfect fluttery, lifted lash look.
While the trend recently took TikTok by storm, garnering over two million views in just a few weeks, this technique is not entirely novel. It was adopted long ago by celebrity makeup artists who noticed they could achieve dramatic results by mixing mascara formulas.
@honestbeauty Celebrating National Lash Day with one of @jessicaalba’s favorite #redcarpet makeuphacks! Jessica loves mixing our clean mascaras together for the perfect “mascara cocktail.” 🍸 The result? Sky high AND fanned out lashes for the most dramatic effect. Get the look: 1️⃣ Extreme Length Primer 2️⃣ Extreme Volume Primer 3️⃣ Extreme Length Mascara 4️⃣ Extreme Volume Mascara Duet or stitch this if you try it yourself! #NationalLashDay
It may seem daunting at first, with lots to consider: What specific products should we use? What are some wallet-friendly combinations? What qualities should we look out for in these mascaras?
Ahead, we share five game-changing mascara cocktails brewed to perfection, spanning drugstore brands to higher-end labels.
Mascara pairings to try: Picks under S$30
Cocktail #1: Maybelline Sky High Mascara + Hypercurl Waterproof Mascara
Maybelline’s Sky High Mascara promises enhanced volume and longer lashes. Its unique flex brush wand features a soft and bendy brush tip packed with short and dense bristles to coat every lash.
Though not waterproof, its formula is smudge-free and long-lasting. Users like how the wand coats their lashes evenly, as well as its buildable formula, which grants them longer, thicker lashes.
Pair this up with the Maybelline Hypercurl Waterproof Mascara for an added lift. Its curl-fixing brush, which has longer, bushier bristles on a curved wand tip, helps curl lashes naturally without the need for a lash curler.
The formula boosts lashes by a whopping 13 times and promises to hold a curl for up to 12 hours. A fanned-out, lifted set of lashes creates the appearance of a wider eye, which makes you appear much more refreshed.
Maybelline’s Sky High Mascara retails for S$25.50 on Guardian and Watsons. The Hypercurl Mascara retails for S$19.90 on Guardian and Watsons.
Cocktail #2: L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara + Air Mega Volume Waterproof Mascara
If your qualm with falsies, extensions, and perms stems from the distracting sensation of having lashes glued on, this combination might just be the one for you.
Just one coat of L’Oreal Paris’ Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara creates a dramatic lengthening effect with a thick, voluminous appearance. The fine and densely-packed bristles of the hourglass-shaped wand separate every lash, giving you feathery definition without any flaking, smudging, or clumping.
The trick, however, lies in the Air Mega Volume Mascara. The air-whipped formula packs the volume, but with a weightless finish that lasts up to 48 hours. The fluffy wand also prevents too much product from being deposited onto your lashes, so it won’t weigh your lashes down.
L’Oréal Paris’ Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara retails for S$27.50 on Guardian and Watsons. The Air Mega Volume Waterproof Mascara retails for S$23.15 on Watsons.
Mascara pairings to try: Picks S$60 and under
Cocktail #3: Tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara + Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara
Tarte took the makeup world by storm with the birth of its Shape Tape Concealer, making an indelible mark and securing itself as a front-runner in cosmetics.
The Maneater Voluptuous Mascara boasts a 500+ bristle count, designed with three reservoirs to load an abundance of product that will promote extreme curl, length, and volume.
Its skinny wand tip with short plastic bristles makes it ideal for those with short lashes, catching on every lash and separating it in the process, creating a defined and thick appearance.
Top it off with Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara that curls, lengthens, and volumises your lashes. It even gives it a nourishing treatment as the formula is infused with olive esters that condition and protect your lash follicles as well as provitamin B5 which hydrates your lashes.
Tarte’s Maneater Voluptuous Mascara retails for S$42 (9 ml) on Sephora. The Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara retails for S$42 on Sephora.
Cocktail #4: Benefit Cosmetics BADgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara + They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara
When we think of Benefit Cosmetics, we typically think of their brow products, but their mascaras are equally as impressive. Take the BADgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara, for instance.
Incorporating aero-particles, one of the lightest known materials derived from space technology to produce a gravity-defying formula, it offers insane volume minus the weight for up to 36 hours.
Their custom Slimpact! brush is also designed to effectively distribute product from root to tip and corner to corner. In other words, a 360-degree coverage.
Take your look to the next level with the They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara. Its jet-black formula is smudge-proof, with 100% of its users surveyed sharing that they all saw long-wearing results.
Its football-shaped wand tip includes short bristles right at the very tip, offering precision and separation of lashes to achieve a fanned-out, fluffy appearance.
Benefit Cosmetics’ BADgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara retails for S$48 (8.5 ml) on Sephora. The They’re Real! Lengthening Mascara retails for S$48 (8.5 ml) on Sephora.
Cocktail #5: Dior Diorshow Maximizer 3D Mascara Primer-Serum + Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara
The Diorshow duo has been dubbed a premium miracle product for lashes—and rightfully so.
Though not exactly a mascara by definition, the Diorshow Maximizer 3D Mascara Primer-Serum helps boost the appearance of lashes, before it is further enhanced by the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara.
Prolonged use will gradually result in a smoother, stronger lashes. Its triple-action formula promises oversized lashes instantly, providing curling, lengthening, and volumising effects for up to 24 hours.
Follow that up with the application of the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara to really bring your lashes to life. Available in a waterproof version as well, it was designed to lend lashes extreme volume and curl.
As if the packaging was not eye-batting-ly stunning and impressive enough, its formula is infused with cotton nectar, making your lashes appear revitalised, nourished, strong, and soft.
Dior’s Diorshow Maximizer 3D Mascara Primer-Serum retails for S$60 on Sephora. The Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara retails for S$60 on Sephora.
