8 sheer mascaras to enhance your lashes
As a top coat for your lashes and brows, clear mascara is perhaps the most utilitarian item in your beauty kit. Professional makeup artist Katie Jayne Hughes, who counts Naomi Campbell and Emmy Rossum among her clients, uses non-tinted formulas to “groom brows and paint on lashes for a ‘no makeup’ look,” she says.
Makeup artist Jillian Dempsey, whose clients include Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet, agrees that sheer mascaras enhance a natural look. Her advice: “I recommend applying a clear mascara as a base and using a lash curler on your lashes once the base is dry,” she says. “Clear mascara alone on lashes darkens them slightly – the same way wet hair looks darker – and is perfect for a day when you want to wear less makeup but still look fresh and bright.”
Here are five clear mascaras to consider.
Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara
$6.99
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Believe it or not, this clear mascara has been a crowd favorite since 1971. Yes, it’s just that good. This non-sticky formula has a slight sheen, which gives a polished look by separating lashes. Hughes adds, “This is a great tool to apply over your mascara to give it a cleaner, more finished look.”
Professional Mascara for Natural Lashes
$6.99
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This sheer mascara offers maximum hold without clumping, flaking or excessive shine. Use its curved coil to separate and maintain the curl of your lashes or to smooth out stray hairs on your brows.
Double Fix’ Mascara
$25.00
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Think of this mascara as a top coat. Use it alone to style your brows and maintain the curl of your lashes, or to create a waterproof seal over your mascara or brow makeup.
Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara
$2.99
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This sheer mascara is no match for fine stray hairs, and its sub-$5 price tag is hard to beat. But know that those with thicker brows should opt for a less slippery formula.
Free-Da Brow Mascara
$11.99
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Among Jason Wu Beauty’s high-impact, affordable makeup products is this sheer, non-sticky “brow mascara” that will help you style your arches with just a few swipes. Once set, it will stay in place for hours.
Brow and Lash Gel
$15.00
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This natural formula gives brows and lashes a slightly shiny finish.
Aloe Vera Gel Lash and Brow Mascara
$36.00
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Dempsey recommends using this aloe gel mascara for brows and lashes. “The cone-shaped applicator really penetrates to grab every hair,” she says. “The formula is also gentle on the eyes.”
Clear Brow and Lash Mascara
$3.00
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Add shine to your brows or lashes or prep them for makeup (it acts as a primer and increases the pigment of your mascara and brow products) using this double-ended wand.