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Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Lifestyle
Mica Ricketts

When it comes to mascaras it takes a lot to impress me, but this brand has yet to disappoint me and I recommend it to everyone

Lancome Mascara - close up image of a woman's eye having mascara applied.

I’ve made no secret of my love-hate relationship with mascara. My natural eyelashes are pretty short and sparse and I find that even many of the best mascaras tend to smudge on my hooded eyelids. Suffice to say I've been known to skip mascara entirely on most days. When I do opt for a mascara there’s been one brand that I’ve been loyal to for many years. However, it’s my job to test out products, so when I was recently encouraged to branch out of my mascara comfort zone and give the Lancôme mascara offering a run for its money I tentatively agreed. And I have to be honest—I’ve been blown away by the formulations.

Whether you want longer-looking, separated lashes like me, you’re after volume or drama, or you want lift and curl, Lancôme has a mascara that suits. Ahead, my full review of every single Lancôme mascara and my honest review of each.

1. Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Hypnose Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme)

Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara

Best Lancôme mascara for layering up

Buildable formula
Works for daytime or evening 
Not as volumising as others

As someone with quite fragile, sparse lashes I loved how comfortable this formula felt to wear. It’s enriched with ProVitamin B5 and my lashes never felt crispy or brittle when wearing this—no matter how much I layered it up. Although it’s described as a volumising formula, the thing that impresses me most about Hypnôse is the customisable finish. Just one coat gives a fluttery, defined appearance or you can layer it up for a thicker more dramatic lash look. 

2. Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme)

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara

Best thickening Lancôme mascara

Volumising
Thickens even the finest lashes
Brush takes some getting used to

I’ve never seen a brush like the Hypnôse Drama one—it’s almost like an ‘s’ shape and it has been designed to coat every lash as you wriggle it from root to tip. It definitely took a few tries to get used to it, but once you have there is no denying how good this mascara makes your lashes look. My eyelashes are few and far between but this makes all of them look thicker, fuller, and glossy—perfect for a night out. 

3. Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme )

Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara

Best Lancôme mascara for fluttery lashes

Fans out lashes
Separates and lifts
Hard to catch my shortest lashes

If you love really feathery, fluttery, pretty lashes then you’ll love the Lancôme Lash Idôle mascara which provides just that. I really like the shape of the curved brush which glides through lashes to evenly distribute the formula without any clumping. However, I think my super-short lashes would benefit from some shorter bristles just to make sure every single one was covered. Despite this, the result gives a really wide-eyed, curled lash finish which works for basically every occasion.  

4. Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme)

Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara

Best volumising Lancôme mascara

Dramatic lashes
So much volume
Can get a bit clumpy

For me personally, this is a night out mascara as it’s so incredibly volumising that I almost feel a bit self-conscious when I’m wearing it. If you love the look of falsies, then this is a great alternative. The soft fibre brush packs on the formulation to boost volume and thickness. My only gripe is that if you apply more than a couple of coats it can start to look a little bit spidery—but that might be because I don’t have an abundance of lashes to coat. 

5. Lancôme Defencils Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Definicils Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme)

Lancôme Defencils Mascara

Best lengthening Lancôme mascara

Lashes look so much longer
Separates well
Might be too natural for some

This is a truly brilliant everyday mascara. I love that the wand isn’t too big—great if you have hooded eyelids like me and are prone to getting in a bit of a mess with application—but it’s perfectly shaped to extend and lengthen each lash. It never looks clumpy, even when I’ve applied multiple coats, it just gives a naturally extended finish with wonderfully separated lashes. I adore it.

6. Lancôme Hypnôse Le 8 Mascara

Mica Ricketts wearing Lancôme Hypnôse Le 8 Mascara (Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
(Image credit: Lancôme)

Lancôme Hypnôse Le 8 Mascara

Best Lancôme mascara for sensitive eyes

Comfortable, serum-infused formula
Boosts volume
Not the most long-wearing

There have been so many mascaras that I’ve tried in the past that have made my eyes water and by the end of the day they're incredibly sore. This one, however, is wax-free (meaning it’s so easy to remove) and infused with an amino acid-based serum that actually looks after your lashes when it’s on. Not only does it care for them, but it provides an impressive amount of volume and fullness so your lashes look good and feel soft too. Genius. 

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