The Best Mascaras for Length and Volume - Beauty Editor-Favorite Mascaras

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I only don't wear mascara when I'm sleeping. It's my favorite makeup product, the one I'm most passionate about, and I hoard tubes upon tubes in my makeup drawer. Once, I realized mid-workday I forgot to put on mascara, so I went out and bought one. Mascara enhances my favorite facial feature, and it's how I manage to look alive on mornings I feel dead inside.

As a beauty editor, I have the privilege of trying literally every mascara that hits the market, and while all of them have grand claims to thicken, define, and lengthen lashes better than any other product out there, not all of them are created equal.

After testing dozens and dozens of mascara, it turns out that there's isn't one mascara that's the best — in fact, there are a handful of amazing options. These are the seven mascaras I swear by. Keep scrolling for a breakdown on what makes each one so special.

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Maybelline Great Lash Big Washable Mascara,

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$6 Maybelline SHOP IT Opens a new window

As the name implies, this pumped-up version of the drugstore classic mascara makes your lashes look big. The size of the brush makes it easy to cover all of your lashes in one swipe — and that's all you need with this volume-building formula.

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Glossier Lash Slick

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$16 Glossier SHOP IT Opens a new window

I reach for Glossier's Lash Slick on the rare occasion that I don't want my lashes to look so thick and luscious that I get asked if I have extensions. The polymer and fiber-based formula enhances your natural lashes by curling and lengthening them so they look like yours, only so much better.

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Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

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$26 Marc Jacobs Beauty SHOP IT Opens a new window

All mascaras aren't truly black, but this Marc Jacobs one inspired by velvet ribbon is the blackest shade of black. I keep a handful stashed in my makeup collection at all times because the semi-matte finish makes your lashes look plush and full of fluffy volume.

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NARS Climax Mascara

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$24 Nars SHOP IT Opens a new window

NARS' NSFW-named mascara gives your lashes so much volume, it should be illegal. The formula has the consistency of whipped cream so that it lifts and builds lashes evenly without getting clumpy or crunchy.

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L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara

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$5 L'Oreal Paris SHOP IT Opens a new window

I've been using this under-$10 mascara for years, and it makes my lashes look so freaking long. Like most things, my mom was right when she suggested I try it back in high school. The fat, fluffy brush gets every. single. lash, and the formula is designed to make your lashes appear five times thicker.

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Kat Von D Go Big or Go Home Mascara

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$23 Kat Von D SHOP IT Opens a new window

Unpopular opinion: I like when mascaras are a little dry — enough so that just the right amount of product goes on your lashes without leaving flakes on your under eyes. This vegan formula from Kat Von D is the perfect example. The slightly dry formula is infused with mix of waxes from sunflower and olive oils that add extreme volume while keeping lashes soft, and the fat brush leaves no lash behind.

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Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara

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$25 Benefit Cosmetics SHOP IT Opens a new window

With NASA-backed research, Benefit's BADgal BANG! mascara is legit out of this world. The formula contains "aero-particles, one of the lightest known materials derived from space technology." What this means is that the mascara will lift and volumize lashes without weighing them down. BADgal BANG! is also unique because it has a long, flexible, plastic brush that coats lashes from root-to-tip, and gets into all of those baby hairs at the inner corners of your eyes.

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I’m a Beauty Editor Obsessed With Mascara — These Are the 7 I Swear By

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Maybelline Great Lash Big Washable Mascara,

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