Black mascara tends to be the go-to to complete any eye makeup look but what if we told you brown mascara could be just as impactful? This shade of mascara offers a more subtle, natural finish than regular black mascara but it can still take any look from day to night, so long as you’re using the right one. We can’t wait to introduce you to the world of brown mascara. Whether you have blue eyes, brown eyes, hazel eyes, or green eyes, you’re sure to find a mascara that works for your eye color and even your skin tone. Keep scrolling for the best brown mascaras on the market!
1. Best Smudge-Proof Brown Mascara: LAVAA BEAUTY No Chill Mascara in Brown
Have watery, sensitive eyes that tend to make your mascara run? This is the best brown mascara for you. The non-flaking formula seamlessly coats each individual lash for eyes that pop while also being able to withstand watery eyes. Did we mention it’s also ultra-lengthening and volumizing? It sure is—thick, full lashes can be yours in a few swipes. Plus, the product is one of the best buildable mascaras so you can add as much or as little as you want depending on the final makeup look you’re going for.
2. Best Brown Mascara for Lifting: CHARLOTTE TILBURY Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes! Mascara
Almost like a push-up bra for your lashes, this mascara offers a 24-hour vertical lift effect for eyelashes so long, you won’t know what to do with them. The mascara’s innovative formula features Kerestore™ keratin to condition your lashes. Lash-lifting polymers and carnauba wax act as a lash curler in a bottle, providing body, volume, lift, and hold. No matter your eye color, the brown hue expertly emphasizes your eyes to make them pop.
3. Best Brown Mascara for Volumizing: DIOR Diorshow 24h Buildable Volume Mascara
Lash-by-lash volume is packed into this brown mascara, along with 24-hour wear and a transfer-proof finish. We love that the formula is incredibly buildable and gives us the freedom to create an array of eye looks. Sometimes we’ll pop this on with a tinted moisturizer for a no-makeup makeup look or we’ll swipe on a few coats for eyes that wow. No matter the style we go with, we always get complimented on our peepers with this mascara on our lashes.
4. Best Drugstore Brown Mascara: E.L.F. COSMETICS Lash It Loud Mascara
E.L.F. COSMETICS always does it for us. With their vegan and cruelty-free products at drugstore prices, we will always sing their praises. And their Lash It Loud Mascara in Deep Brown is no exception. You want mega volume to create a bold, dramatic look? You have found it in this mascara, namely thanks to the vertical and horizontal bristles that amplify, define, and add dimension to your lashes.
5. Best Nourishing Brown Mascara: L'ORÉAL Voluminous Original Washable Bold Eye Mascara
Want a mascara that is just as much a skincare product as an eye makeup one? This one separates and builds your lashes for 15 times the volume your lashes experience naturally. Even more than the thickening and volumizing, we’re big fans of the mascara’s conditioning formula that nourishes your lashes over time to leave them soft, supple, and even thicker with each use. We’ve noticed a huge difference in just a few weeks. We have lashes so natural, we almost don’t need mascara anymore (but of course we’re going to continue to use it).
6. Best Brown Mascara for Lengthening: MAYBELLINE Lash Sensational Sky High Washable Mascara
There is no better lengthening mascara on the market than this one right here. Now available in a True Brown hue (along with some other fun shades, all of which you can try on using the virtual try-on camera on the brand’s site), the length and volume your lashes will see are limitless. Flex Tower bristles coat your lashes from root to tip with a lighter-than-air feel and all the color impact you crave.
7. Best Curling Brown Mascara: TOO FACED Better Than Sex Volumizing Mascara
If you’re already a fan of the TOO FACED Better Than Sex Volumizing Mascara, you’ll be happy to learn they offer the same formula in the shade Chocolate (yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds). The brown mascara utilizes the signature hourglass-shaped brush to separate, coat, and curl each individual lash to the high heavens. Film-forming polymers lock the curl in place so you don’t even need to bother with an eyelash curler or worry that the volume will fall throughout the day.
8. Best Non-Clumping Brown Mascara: CHANEL Inimitable Mascara
Clumpy mascara not only ruins an eye look, but it can also ruin your mood—just ask any makeup artist who has struggled with getting rid of mascara clumps on their client’s lashes. So if you want a mascara that won’t cause clumping, reach for this one. The brownish-black hue makes every eye color stun and delivers an eye-opening finish so people will have no choice but to compliment your peepers. That tends to be the outcome when we wear this dark brown shade on our lashes.
9. Best Waterproof Brown Mascara: CLINIQUE High Impact™ Waterproof Mascara
Most mascara formulas are smudge-proof these days but sometimes you want a little extra reassurance that your mascara isn’t going to run, especially if you have sensitive skin or eyes. A waterproof mascara like this one from CLINIQUE will give you instant volume and length that won’t clump, smudge, or run. Even though it is waterproof, we haven’t had an issue getting the mascara off our lashes with a little bit of micellar water or a cleansing balm.
10. Best Brown Mascara for a Natural Look: GLOSSIER Lash Slick
Sometimes you want to wear a mascara but you don’t want people to know you’re wearing a mascara. In times like these, we reach for the GLOSSIER Lash Slick in Brown. It offers a natural-looking lift in a long-wearing, water-resistant formula that keeps your lashes in place for up to 12 hours. No one will know you’ve got a mascara on and we won’t tell them otherwise.
11. Best Buildable Brown Mascara: LANCÔME Hypnôse Mascara
What we adore most about the LANCÔME Hypnôse Mascara is how buildable the formula is. Even if we reapply the mascara after wearing it all day, it doesn’t feel clumpy or flaky. Instead, it leaves behind gorgeous volume for a high-impact eye look. Kick your volume up a notch or two, or keep things somewhat natural with a little extra lift.
12. Best Tubing Brown Mascara: TARTE tartelette™ tubing mascara
If TikTok hasn’t already put you onto tubing mascara, allow us to give you a quick rundown. This type of mascara is known for its smudge-free formula that stays put through just about anything. Some even have the staying power of a waterproof mascara without actually being waterproof. Whether you’re dipping your toe into the waters of tubing mascara or have been swimming in the deep end for quite some time, we cannot recommend the TARTE tartelette™ tubing mascara enough. The brand’s newly launched brown shade offers 24-hour flake-free wear along with lashes that look longer and more voluminous.
13. Best High-End Brown Mascara: YSL Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara
You deserve to treat yourself from time to time; if that looks like splurging on a brown mascara, we suggest getting the YSL Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara. The volumizing formula is smudge-proof, long-lasting, and high-impact in its color payoff. It’s also fragrance-free and paraben-free, making it ideal for sensitive eye types. Our favorite tidbit about this mascara is you can engrave the tube with your name to create a custom mascara casing as unique as you.