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The mascara landscape, however, is filled with gems at both ends of the spectrum. From timeless classics, like Yves Saint Laurent’s Lash Clash Extreme Volume – often celebrated as a holy grail for those seeking a formula resistant to smudging or clumping – to all-time favourites like L’Oréal’s Voluminous Original mascara, a budget-friendly formula professional make-up artists swear by for achieving red carpet-ready lashes. Nevertheless, as Pizarro observes, experiences vary widely. So what separates the good from the mediocre when it comes to mascara? According to Pizarro: mascara should plump up your lashes sans clumps.

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Behind luxury mascaras lies meticulous alchemy, where only the finest ingredients make the cut. These often includes premium waxes such as beeswax or carnauba wax, which with their creamy texture adhere smoothly to lashes, preventing clumping and delivering a malleable formula. This results in an even coat and enhanced lash separation that withstands fading and smudging as the hours pass, ensuring your lashes stay intensely black or vividly hued, no matter the circumstances.

But the secret sauce lies in a mascara’s polymers, which enhance the product’s longevity and contribute to overall performance. Polymers create a flexible, film-like coating around each lash, giving rise to unparalleled length and curl, and helping mascara stay in place without flaking or smudging – a feat often considered the hallmark of luxury mascaras.

Take, for instance, Dior’s Diorshow mascara, celebrated for its use of microfibres that yield an optical lengthening effect similar to extensions used by runway make-up artists. Alternatively, Chanel’s Le Volume de Chanel mascara incorporates a blend of natural waxes and rapid-drying acacia gum to set and boost the curl. These luxury brands, and many more like them, have earned their reputation not just through their branding and packaging but by consistently delivering formulations that blend science and artistry, promising better performance paired with the allure of indulgence to keep mascara enthusiasts coming back for more.

Nevertheless, the magic of a good mascara doesn’t reside solely in the formulation: the wand can also make or break your lash game. “They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each designed for a specific purpose that affects the entire application process,” Pizarro says – those purposes including coating the lashes as well as separating and defining them. “The choice of wand is just as important as the formula itself,” she adds. “A rounded tip will help you get closer to the tear duct, while a thinner wand with small bristles will make it easier to reach the roots of your lashes, and a thicker one may help you get more volume.”

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Some luxury brands opt for traditional bristle brushes, carefully arranged to provide maximum lash separation and an even coating, allowing for easier application that reaches every lash, even those in the corners of your eyes. On the other hand, the rubbery bristles in silicone wands ensure clump-free application and excel at defining the lashes. The brush’s flexibility allows for greater control, making it easier to coat every lash from root to tip.

The long-standing question is whether the elevated price tag is justified by the results that luxury mascaras promise. The answer to that, it appears, varies. Indeed, many luxury mascaras live up to their claims, delivering lush volume, extraordinary length and exceptional curl. However, the ultimate test is customer satisfaction – and this plays a significant role in determining a mascara’s value.