16 Best Volumizing Mascaras for Falsie-Level Drama

Smudge-proof and ultra-conditioning, the Milk Makeup Kush Mascara is one of our favorite volumizing and lengthening mascaras on the market. This thick yet lightweight formula, distributed via hollow, heart-shaped fibers, provides a plumping effect without looking clumpy and subs beeswax with cannabis seed oil, an ingredient known for its moisturizing properties.

Lancôme's best-selling Monsieur Big Mascara can transform even short lashes into a falsie-level, fluttery finish, thanks to bulk reservoirs that deliver the ideal amount of product to boost volume with just one swipe. This long-wearing, pitch-black mascara pick stays put for up to 24 hours and gives your natural lashes a lash extension-like finish — at a fraction of actual extension service prices.

If you have sensitive eyes, we suggest picking up a tube of Ilia's Fullest Volumizing Mascara, stat. This clean mascara has a weightless formulation that feels barely there on your lashes and is effortless to wash off after the day is done, kind of like our favorite tubing mascaras. Keep in mind that, like most of the picks on this list, this isn't a waterproof mascara.

The beauty of Pat McGrath's Labs Dark Star Volumizing Mascara is its featherweight, gel-like formula. Not only does it feel like nothing on your lashes, but its micro-fine cream pigments and flexible polymers provide the ultimate definition and fullness. That, paired with its hourglass-shaped mascara wand that lifts every lash, is a recipe for bigger, bolder lashes in a single swipe.

Los Angeles-based makeup artist Fiona Stiles has always been a fan of Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes for her clients' makeup looks. "It's a great mascara that gives lashes a full, fluffy effect," she says. "I can always count on it not to clog up fake lashes when I apply it over them, which happens a lot with other mascaras."

YSL Beauty's Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara is "your new go-to for big, bold, party-ready lashes," says former Allure editor Taylore Glynn. It's so good at bringing on the drama, in fact, that another Allure editor broke up with all her other mascaras and stuck to this one for good. The secret is in the combined forces of its formula — volume-building, lengthening, and jet-black — and its oversized yet easy-to-maneuver wand.

New York City-based makeup artist Sara Talias also swears by this thickening formula. "The brush is great for building volume with extra coats of mascara and allows you to grab all the lashes," she says.

We love it so much we added it to our February 2023 Allure Beauty Box lineup. You can score the Allure Beauty Box here for access to even more editor favorites — for just $23.

Made with conditioning castor oil and vitamin E, lashes will look and feel softer than ever when using the Wet n Wild Breakup Proof Waterproof Boosting Mascara, one of our favorite waterproof formulas out there. The formula hugs each lash from root to tip, creating an extension-like effect. It's one of the best lengthening mascaras out there and it also happens to be less than $10 — what more could you ask for?

The Wander Beauty Unlashed Volume & Curl Mascara doesn't just add drama to lashes, it also lengthens and dramatically lifts with no lash curler necessary. The versatile pick has won a Best of Beauty Award because you can add multiple layers without worrying about your lashes looking spidery.

Professional makeup artists and Allure editors alike often find themselves reaching for the beloved Dior Diorshow Mascara. Stoj, an MUA based in New York City, prefers it for an extreme-volume effect. "This mascara is enriched with microfibers to give you the most voluminous lashes," he says. This ever-trending pick also stays put without smudging for up to 24 hours.

Talias loves the Maybelline New York Volum' Express The Falsies for its affordable price and amazing formula. "This steal creates impact and volume with just a few swipes," she says. Plus, its waterproof version is one of the best waterproof mascaras we've ever laid eyes on.

The MAC Macstack Mascara is a 2022 Best of Beauty winner and one of senior commerce writer Angela Trakoshis's favorites. "This mascara is lightweight and keeps my lashes curled up all day," she says.

The mascara comes in two different brush sizes, Superstack Mega Brush, for longer lashes, and Superstack Micro Brush, for short ones. The formula is identical in both so the only hard part is deciding which one to buy: Mega, Micro, or both.

CoverGirl makes some of TikTok's highest-rated drugstore mascaras (hey, Lash Blast), so it's no shocker that the masses love the Exhibitionist Mascara, too. Its hourglass-shaped brush is loaded with long, dense bristles, so one coat can go a long, long way.

The About-Face Volumizing Mascara has a hefty list of nourishing ingredients like vitamin B5, coconut oil, and castor oil — ensuring that lashes are conditioned and cared for. Plus, the brush is a little longer than the average wand, making it easier to coat lashes, especially the itty-bitty corner ones.

We've got four words for you: upcycled orange peel fibers. Granted, these are not the first four words you might expect to read in a description of mascara, but that unexpected, volume-building ingredient is one of the things that sets Bareminerals' Maximist Phyto-Fiber Volumizing Mascara apart from other formulas. It also features fortifying algae, to thicken natural lashes overtime.