The Best Beauty Editor-Tested Waterproof Mascaras for Your Wedding Day
For thick, fluttery lashes that stay put no matter how much you cry on the big day, a waterproof mascara is your wedding makeup bag must-have
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Gone are the days when waterproof mascaras were lacklustre formulas that paled in comparison to non-waterproof mascaras. In 2022, waterproof mascaras are every bit as lengthening, thickening and volumising as your everyday mascara - which is ideal if you’re likely to be weeping on your wedding day.
If you’re not opting for lash extensions or false lashes for your wedding makeup, waterproof mascara is an essential, but we all know finding the perfect mascara isn’t an easy task - let alone finding the best waterproof mascara for your wedding.
We did some serious research, and tested a selection of the best waterproof mascaras to help you find the one for you. We know excessive choice can be overwhelming, so we narrowed it down to the top five mascaras.
Read on for our edit of the best weep-proof waterproof mascaras for your wedding day.
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Best Defining Waterproof Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational Volumising and Thickening Waterproof Mascara, £9.99
If you’re a fan of Maybelline’s ever-popular Lash Sensational mascaras, you’ll be familiar with the half-moon shaped wand with tapered length bristles. It’s designed to comb through the lashes, separating and lengthening as it goes, for fanned out, lengthy lashes. The formula stands up to the non-waterproof version, but it stays no matter how weepy you get during the speeches. Or walking down the aisle. Or during the first dance…
Best Lightweight Waterproof Mascara: L'Oréal Paris Waterproof Air Volume Mega Mascara, £10.99
This isn’t the easiest wand in the world to use (it’s quite clumpy) but you’ll get the hang of it after a couple of tries and it’s more than worth it. The formula is as light as air on the lashes so you hardly know it’s there.
It’s a tubing mascara, which means it wraps each lash in a tube rather than coating it, creating a lengthening, thickening case around every individual lash. Because you only need to apply one coat, it removes much more easily and is less likely to smudge because there are fewer layers. Tubing mascaras are removed with just warm water too, which is a bonus when it comes to the end of the night.
As for the waterproof credentials, our tester wore this in a hot tub for two hours and her lashes stayed smudge-free and defined the whole time.
Best Volumising Waterproof Mascara: Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara, £24
Better than Sex is an iconic mascara and the waterproof edition is just as wow-worthy. It has a fluffy hourglass shaped wand, with full, dense bristles which looks intimidating at first, but is easy to use and gives the fullest looking lashes this side of falsies.
Just two layers is enough for impressively fluttery lashes in a formula you’d never be able to tell is waterproof. It creates dramatically full clump-free, smudge-proof and cry-proof lashes.
The packaging is pleasingly weighty and has a water-drop texture, which make it easy to grip on to, for another bonus point.
READ MORE: The Most Beautiful Natural Wedding Makeup Looks
Best Lengthening Waterproof Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Waterproof Mascara, £11.49
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High caused a huge stir when it landed in the UK in early 2021 - insider fact: it wasn’t supposed to launch over here until April, but it went viral on social media so Maybelline blessed us with it a few months early.
Beauty editors are obsessed with how long this makes their lashes with just one coat. It has bamboo extract inside which conditions the lashes to make them look extra-long, plus the thin, cone shaped wand is mess-free and easy to use. It coats the lashes with an ultra-black formula yet keeps them flexible, so they don’t feel at all stiff.
This gives impressive curl and length to the lashes - curl is often hard to achieve with a waterproof mascara but this formula makes it look easy for fluttery lashes Bambi would be proud of.
Best Conditioning Waterproof Mascara: Lancôme Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara, £23
This luxury buy softens and nourishes the lashes as it lengthens, with waxes in the mix to ensure that lashes remain supple and flexible. Many waterproof mascaras fall down on the conditioning side of things, but this really packs a punch.
It also keeps lashes looking thick and long for 24 hours - ideally when you have a long day ahead of you!
Actress Lily Collins, who is the face of Lancôme, favours this mascara, telling Vogue that this has always been one of her favourite beauty items: "This mascara, along with Juicy Tubes were among my first makeup purchases as a kid."
To keep her lashes looking extra-long, Lily brushes through them with a brow brush to make sure they're all separated. "I love how much volume this adds to my lashes, they just come alive!" she says.
READ MORE: The Best Tips and Ideas for Bridesmaid Makeup
Top Tips for Finding the Best Waterproof Mascara for Your Wedding
Don't feel daunted about finding the best waterproof mascara to go with your bridal makeup - here are some beauty-editor approved top tips to make finding the right one for you a breeze!
1. Stick to What You Know
If you have a mascara you’re loyal to and you know works for you, check if there’s a waterproof version of it. If you already know you like the wand and how it works with your lashes, you’re already halfway to finding the perfect waterproof mascara for your wedding
2. Try Before You Buy
Waterproof mascara is unlikely to be the most expensive product in your big day beauty kit (foundation and lipstick tends to take that crown!) but you still don’t want to buy a tube only to find it wasn’t worth the money.
With the more expensive waterproof mascaras, we recommend paying a visit to your local Boots or John Lewis and hitting up the makeup counters. The assistants will be able to apply it for you, or even give you a sample, for you to see if it suits you, is comfortable and gives your desired look.
3. Do a Trial Run
Once you’ve decided you like the way a waterproof mascara looks and feels on your lashes, we suggest wearing it for a full day to check the staying power. Apply it first thing and see how well it wears - check for any crumbling or smudging. Try to test the waterproof prowess too - chop some onions, watch a sad film or take a steamy bath and see if it stands up to its waterproof claims.
4. Get Creative
If you find a formula that stands up to your tears, but you’re not a fan of the wand, you can always use the brush from your favourite mascara, dipped into the waterproof mascara for waterproof lashes that look how you like them to.
Now you've sorted your lashes, it's time to think about your lips! We've got the best kiss-proof wedding lipsticks right here.
