Forget flaking or fallout, this year’s best mascaras deliver on wear and performance.
There’s a level of risk that comes with trying out a new mascara.
Will it start flaking by lunchtime, leaving flecks of black mess under your eyes? Worse still, will it snake down your cheeks
Or will it deliver on promise by lengthening, separating and fanning out lashes, helping fake a solid eight hours’ rest and staying exactly where you put it from dawn till dusk?
We all hope for the latter, of course, but often our introduction to the best mascaras comes via first-person recommendations from the people who have tried them. Preference comes into play, but performance is a must – and the best formulas should be buildable and resistant to flaking or smudging.
Some of the most impressive formulas were ones that landed on our desks in 2025, from volumising tubes to those enhanced with lash conditioning ingredients.
Below, the best and newest mascaras that deliver on application, wear and performance.
Lancôme Lash Idôle Flutter Extension Lengthening Mascara, $75
Best for: Lengthening
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Advertise with NZME.Launched in: January
The spiel: If the goal is super-long, fluttery lashes, consider Lancôme‘s lengthening mascara, which is said to give the illusion of lashes that are 5.5mm longer in one swipe. The formula is also said to prevent clumps or flakes for up to 24 hours’ continuous wear.
The wand: Unlike the original Idôle mascara, with its angled, conical-shaped wand, Idôle Flutter Extension features the brand’s smallest brush yet, said to create an ultra-defined lash look. The patented Tiny Smart Brush coats each lash from root to tip in the lash-lengthening formula, ensuring they appear separated and flared.
Available from: Farmers.co.nz
Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Bounce Mascara, $53
Best for: Drama
Launched in: February
The spiel: For full, fluffy lashes, consider Benefit Cosmetics’ newest chapter in the BadGal mascara story. Layer three coats of BadGal Bounce Mascara for lashes that appear full and volumised all day long. The formula harnesses linden bud extract and rice wax to separate, lift and define, while provitamin B5 and castor seed oil work to condition and nourish lash fibres. Don’t want to commit to the full size? The tube also comes in a 4g mini-sized version for $28.
The wand: A hybrid brush has a fine-tooth comb on one side, helping separate and define lashes, while the flexible fibre bristles on the reverse deposit the formula at the lash line and through lashes evenly. Just remember to rotate the brush as you work the product through lashes to experience the benefits of both sides.
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Advertise with NZME.Available from: Sephora.nz
L’Oreal Paris Paradise Big Deal Mascara, $40
Best for: Layering (without clumping)
Launched in: February
The spiel: While we wouldn’t normally recommend piling on 30 layers of mascara, L’Oreal Paris makes a strong case for its clump-free formulation with examples of what happens when you go all-out with your coats of mascara. The highly buildable formula continues to volumise, separate and define lashes with every subsequent layer, all without that dreaded spidery lash look.
The wand: The cross-conical wand is slightly curved, not dissimilar to an hourglass shape, meaning it’s great to pick up product and dispense it evenly over lashes, from root to tip.
Available from: Farmers.co.nz
RevitaLash Length Define Tubing Mascara, $70
Best for: Strengthening
Launched in: March
The spiel: Do you struggle with brittle lashes prone to breakage? RevitaLash’s newest innovation serves double-duty to fortify weak lashes with its blend of nourishing ingredients, while the tubing formula adds natural-looking length. It does so thanks to biotin to defend against breakage, vitamin E to condition, myristoyl pentapeptide-17 to fend off brittleness and boost lash health, plus panthenol to add glossy shine. The best part, however, is how easily the tubes slide off lashes when removed with warm water at the end of the day.
The wand: The curved wand features bristles in two different lengths – the small bristles make easy work of collecting those fine little lashes in the inner corners, while the larger ones help fan out lashes to wide-eyed effect.
Available from: Revitalash.com
ISAMAYA Mascara, $58
Best for: Lash growth
Launched in: April
The spiel: Isamaya is one of the newer brands available from Mecca, the artist-led makeup line from celebrity makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. The brand’s cult-favourite mascara is loaded with growth-boosting actives, which help to care for lashes while adding definition and length. The long-lasting formula is available in two shades – classic black and terracotta brown – and is enhanced with key ingredient lipo-oligopeptide, which helps to boost lash density and growth.
The wand: The mascara wand is a slim oval shape, designed to add length and definition while avoiding clumping.
Available from: Mecca.com
Too Faced Ribbon Wrapped Lash Extreme Lengthening Mascara, $50
Best for: Defining
Launched in: April
The spiel: Too Faced’s Ribbon Wrap technology forms an extended tube around every lash, promising unparalleled lift, definition and length on every lash type. Whether your lashes are fine, sparse, short, straight, curly or downward facing, Too Faced’s formula adds length and definition for up to 24 hours.
The wand: The lash extension brush features fine, angled spikes around the tip, engineered to reach even the shortest, finest lashes.
Available from: Mecca.com
Dior Diorshow Overvolume Mascara, $82
Best for: Splurging
Launched in: April
The spiel: Dior’s newest mascara comes housed in the maison’s signature quilted leather – befitting the luxurious product inside. Diorshow Overvolume is an investment, yes, but the results speak for themselves: instantly volumised, ultra-defined lashes that won’t smudge, transfer or flake. Bridging the gap between care and cosmetic, key ingredient D-Panthenol is designed to nourish and strengthen lashes.
The wand: The helix-shaped brush includes three different types of bristles to lend volume, capture and coat short lashes, and offer added precision during application.
Available from: Farmers.co.nz
Aleph Lift/Lengthen Mascara, $68
Best for: Sensitive eyes
Launched in: June
The spiel: New Zealand multi-functional makeup brand Aleph reformulated its lone mascara in June, switching up the formulation so the final product filled the gap between lash serum and high-performance mascara. The plant-powered, 100% microplastic-free formula harnesses two different peptides to fortify lashes, minimise hair fall and promote longer, fuller lashes with continued use. It’s ophthalmologist-tested, meaning it’s safe for those with even the most sensitive eyes to wear daily.
The wand: Aleph has always placed makeup artistry in the hands of consumers, so while you can feel free to use the wand provided, the brand recommends working with the Mascara Fan Brush to gently brush product on to lashes for a natural-looking result.
Available from: Alephbeauty.com
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara in the shade Space Diamond, $22
Best for: Party season
Launched in: August
The spiel: Maybelline’s most viral mascara had a renovation of sorts in August, when the brand revealed two new limited-edition shades – Space Diamond and Green Altitude. The shimmering silver of Space Diamond is a perfect party season pick, designed to add a little sparkle to any eye look. The tubing formulation is infused with bamboo extract and fibres to create fuller-looking lashes with every swipe.
The wand: The exclusive Flex Tower wand is ultra-flexible, designed to move with lashes as it coats them in lash-lengthening fibres.
Available from: Chemistwarehouse.co.nz
Maybelline Colossal Bubble Mascara, $24
Best for: Your pre-Christmas budget
Launched in: September
The spiel: Another newbie from Maybelline in 2025 is the Colossal Bubble Mascara, promising to deliver buildable, “inflated” volume to lashes. Light on lashes (and your wallet), the formula is said to boost volume but without weighing lashes down. It’s smudge-resistant but removes easily at the end of the day.
The wand: Maybelline’s Inflator Comb brush features a spiral shape with deep-cut bristles, allowing it to comb through lashes without clumping. The result? Lashes that appear separated, defined and volumised.
Available from: Chemistwarehouse.co.nz
YSL Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara in the shade Sassy, $79
Best for: Volumising
Launched in: September
The spiel: While this volumising mascara isn’t new, this shade extension is. Meet Sassy, a rich burgundy, taking the number of shades available to five alongside black, brown, green and blue. YSL’s couture mascara is a cult-favourite for a reason, known for coating lashes in its high-volume, buildable formula. Whether a single coat is the desired effect, or you’d rather build up to a statement-making five coats, Lash Clash promises maximum hold and long-lasting wear for up to 24 hours.
The wand: OTT lashes require an OTT wand, and this double conical brush doesn’t leave a single lash behind. Sweep on from root to tip, lending extra oomph to lashes with every buildable layer.
Editor’s note: The brand recommends running the brush over the tip of the bottle repeatedly to remove excess product, and apply to lashes in a zig-zag pattern to separate lashes and avoid clumping.
Available from: Farmers.co.nz
The Ordinary Lash Curl Finisher, $20
Best for: Curling
Launched in: December
The spiel: No colour, but full curl: The Ordinary’s latest launch turns mascara on its head. Instead, the transparent, anhydrous gel offers lift and hold to curled lashes, rather than depositing colour. Like a styling gel for natural lashes, The Ordinary couples popular skincare ingredient squalane with four film-forming technologies that create a mesh around lashes and hold the curled lash in place once dry.
The wand: The sloped wand easily disperses product on to lashes, to support, lift and hold a curl. To use, curl lashes with a lash curler first before swiping on the product as the last step in your regimen.
Available from: Theordinary.com
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