Eye openers

Max Factor False Lash Effect. Photo / Babiche Martens

It's not hard finding a good mascara, but the variety on offer makes narrowing down the correct choice for your lashes tricky. Are you after volume enhancement, separation, lengthening, curl, condition or colour ... or a combination of promises?

First up, you need to decode mascara-speak and work out what will best suit you. If your lashes are spindly then you'll need a volume enhancing mascara, if they're already long, look for separation and curl to enhance their appeal. Big brushes usually carry thickening formulas, comb style wands define individual lashes.

I don't like anything with obvious added fibre, or too large or curved a brush, but it's a personal thing, so once you find the style of mascara and applicator that works best in your hands, stick with it, or variations on the theme. If your lashes still look like they're lacking or you're getting smudgy eyes then it's time to shop around for something new.

A good mascara needn't cost the earth and because it should be replaced every three months or so, you'll have ample opportunity to experiment. New Zealand's top-selling mascaras cost in the $20-$30 range, with premier brands charging $50 plus. Maybelline's new Colossal Volume Express, which featured in Viva two weeks ago, has rocketed up the sales charts to top the mass market category. It has a mega-brush, as do several we feature today from among a selection of the newer mascaras available. Giant brushes and combination applicators, where bristles and combs combine for more thorough lash coating, are popping up everywhere. For those who still find applying mascara a real pain there's also the micro-vibrating battery-powered options that came on the market about six months ago from Lancome and Estee Lauder.

False eyelashes are a failsafe way of adding drama to eyes, but if your hand is unsteady you might want to get an expert's help to anchor them securely. M.A.C makeup counters will sell and apply falsies for a special occasion look.

For lashes, colourwise, black is usually best, unless you're quite fair or red-headed in which case opt for brown or brown-black. Charcoal mascara can also be softer than true black as women age. Brighter colours are best left for special occasion fun. Blue is having a bit of a moment again, and while navy is nice, electric blue has scary 80s overtones. A newer way to add colour to the eye area is to smudge eyeliner (a soft, fine crayon or a gel applied by brush work best) into the upper lash line. Turquoise, violet and olive are all good shades to experiment with. They look softer than black liner, but can intensify the appearance of your natural eye shade by adding a dramatic contrast or a complementary colour boost, without having to resort to layering on rings or wings of shadow.

1 Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara $42

A classy mascara in a silver canister that delivers on its promise. I'm a Lancome mascara devotee, but this is right up there.

2 Modelco Fibre Lash Mascara $51

This is an intriguing product that anyone with skimpy lashes might like to give a go. Double-ended, it first coats the lashes in a candyfloss like white fibre to provide a base for mascara to be applied over to give added volume. Strange but true.

3 Diorshow Iconic Extreme Waterproof $59

This much vaunted mascara has been all over international magazines. It's described as an extreme wear, high intensity, lash curler and has a good silicon brush. The mascara's coating and setting properties ensure well-defined and lifted lashes.

4 Smashbox Lash DNA Mascara $52

The first time I tried this I poked myself in the eye and made a dreadful mess. Entirely my own fault, but perhaps I misjudged the size of the damn thing. It's a fat product-laden brush that gives good coverage and comes with a recommendation that it be turned vertically to allow the thinner end bristles to coat lower lashes, before applying extra mascara on the upper outer lashes for a doe-eyed effect.

5 Cover Girl Exact Eyelights mascara $21.99

This budget mascara delivers a good medium coverage, clump-free result, with a nylon brush. What makes this different is that there are four colour options, based on subtle tints added to black, each designed to enhance the wearer's eye colour. For green eyes, the colour is black magenta, for blue it's blue black, for hazel black gold and for brown black pearl.

6 Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara $29.99

Another big brush, that comes in regular and waterproof formulas. A friend swears by waterproof mascara not just for swimming, but for winter wear, when eyes can water in the cold and you want to avoid any risk of smudging.

7 Clarins Wonder Volume Mascara in 06 Wonder Blue $51

This denim blue won't scare the horses. A first-rate mascara (available in black also) with a curved brush.

8 Bobbi Brown Everything/Lash Glamour Mascara Duo in Brown $70

This clever mascara has a fat and a thin brush, so you can use the thicker end first then comb through with the other brush for added lash definition.

9 Estee Lauder Duo Tone Eye Pencil in 02 Aqua Teal $42

These new pencils have a soft crayon-like texture but are thin enough for a precise application of strong colour. These shades are good for most eye colours and make a good impact. The brands Double Wear Stay in Place Eye Pencils are single shade options, but given how long eye pencils last, a duo option is a good idea.

10 Revlon Matte Kohl Eyeliner in Very Violett $26

A good value soft pencil in a shade that works with winter fashions.

11 Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner in Charcoal Grey $18.49

Well-priced creamy formula, with a smudger at one end.

12 Chanel Precision Eye Definer in 66 Brun Cuivre $47

A bronzy brown soft crayon-style pencil, topped with a felt-tip for softening the line. Comes with sharpener.

13 QVS Natural Lashes Style Q2 $9.99

These lashes are pre-glued, and tapered for easy fit and there's extra adhesive included for re-use so they're an affordable way of trying out a DIY flutter effect.