This affordable make-up artist brand has one of *the* best mascaras on the market - how does its new one compare?
We put the LashLift Mascara to the test
Ask a beauty editor what they think of Sculpted by Aimee and you are almost guaranteed to get a positive reaction. The products perform well—Satin Silk Foundation is my go-to for big events—without extortionate price tags, so it’s not surprising it’s become such a crowd pleaser. With such a passionate, hardworking and all-round lovely founder, it's great to see the brand continue to thrive.
But recently a newcomer entered the best Sculpted by Aimee products group chat: LashLift Mascara. Promising “both high volume and length”, and with results on Aimee’s own lashes that’d make anybody without a modicum of make-up knowledge do a double take, it certainly seems like a surefire hit.
Now, the brand’s My Mascara is already up there in my personal best mascara hall of fame. You know, the ones whose results others struggle to beat, which is always in my make-up bag. So, how well does LashLift perform and will it make it into those aforementioned ranks? This was what I set out to answer when I got my hands on the newbie.
If I’m being honest about my first impressions, I was somewhat surprised by the packaging. It’s a large, metallic pink cylinder with absolutely no other details aside from the writing. Between this and its larger-than-standard size, it looks more like a foundation or contour stick than mascara. It’s not too prohibitive for me personally, but a smaller and/or more contoured tube would be easier to hold.
Shade-wise, it’s nice to see a mascara go straight in and launch in both black and brown, so both of the two key colour preferences are covered—a welcome sight if your preference is for the best brown mascaras.
As for the application experience, the comb wand packs an impressive 252 bristles and is excellent. I have quite small eyes and sparse lashes, so a big fluffy brush isn’t to my taste. It’s extremely easy to wiggle it through the lashes and distribute the product, rather than feeling like you’re caking it on, while the tapered triangular shape gets into the smaller inner lashes while pushing up those at the outer corner.
As you can see in the shot below, my lashes looked well-defined and weren’t left all clumped together—a pet peeve of mine with a lot of the best mascaras for volume and something I like to avoid all the more as I don’t have lots of lashes. It gives a pretty, kind of fluttery effect. I have experienced a small amount of flaking when wearing it, but you should know that there are very few, if any, mascaras with which I’ve never ever experienced a single incident of smudging or flaking.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Overall, I think LashLift is great. As for which one I prefer for my own lashes, I think I’m leaning towards my old favourite, My Mascara, as you can really build the length I’m lacking. But mascara is so personal and all that really means is I think it’s “better” on my lashes in line with my desired final look. By contrast, my friend and fellow beauty editor Tori Crowther loves it for adding colour and definition to her fairly long, curly lashes and says she’s worn it pretty much every day since she got her hands on it. All in all, this is a nice addition to the Sculpted by Aimee line-up as there’s now a mascara for those to suit different natural lashes.
Lucy is a freelance beauty editor and contributor at Marie Claire, and has written for titles including Glamour, Refinery29, Popsugar, woman&home and more. She was previously Marie Claire’s junior beauty editor. During her career, she’s covered everything from backstage beauty at fashion week to interviews with famous faces like Drag Race royalty and Little Mix. As for her beauty ethos, she’s a big advocate for not having to spend a fortune on beauty products to get good results, and when she’s not got beauty on the brain you’ll find her reading or hanging out with dogs.
-
Keen to get strong? These are the best YouTube workouts for beginners to boost fitness and tone from home
A stronger you starts here.
By Rebecca Shepherd
-
I'm a big lactic acid fan and this is the best product I've found for super smooth and soft skin in just 3 minutes
One of my best buys of the year
By Rebecca Fearn
-
“I think it would take me being actually sexually assaulted on camera for them to believe it.”
Undercover reporter Ellie Flynn exposes sexual harassment on film—why do people still not believe it?
By Mischa Anouk Smith
-
9 beauty editors reveal the gifts they really *don't* want to receive this year (and the ones they do instead)
Please, no more plastic travel-size products
By Rebecca Fearn
-
If you're offended by bold scents, I highly recommend these 11 quiet perfumes for stylish subtlty
They're understated and chic
By Rebecca Fearn
-
All beauty editors are fussy when it comes to mascara—but most of us agree this one is the best ever made
I've never met anyone who doesn't like this product
By Rebecca Fearn
-
This iconic, down-right fancy, face cream is still the only product I go to for dry, sensitive periods and I just picked it up for £40 less
One of beauty's most beloved icons
By Rebecca Fearn
-
When I want to channel a cool-girl boho vibe, these are the 9 effortlessly chic perfumes I turn to
Want to be a Chloé girl for less? It's this simple...
By Jazzria Harris
-
It's the best weekend to shop for gifts—as two beauty editors, these are the 8 products we're actually buying
Welcome to a very festive Beauty Desk Drop
By Shannon Lawlor
-
This is, without a doubt, my favourite moisturiser of all time and I've just seen that it's 25% off
Hydrated, bouncy skin - no matter the weather
By Jazzria Harris
-
This perfume has been a bestseller for 17 years—and I can confirm it *still* delivers unrivalled freshness
It's a classic for a reason
By Rebecca Fearn