Mascara Brush Types: What To Pick For Length, Curl & More

The same goes for mascara: Not all brushes are created equal, nor are they interchangeable. Depending on your needs—be it adding volume or making sure your hairs don't stick together—you'll need the right brush to match. 

Now that we've got that lesson out of the way, here are some of the most common brush types and what they're good for: 

A rarer option to find to be sure, but the smaller size allows you to go in and coat each strand with a level of exactness that larger surface areas don't. And thanks to the sphere shape, you can really target the lashes at all angles. The downside is that you can't get all of the lash in one, or even two, swoops, so if ease of use is important to you, this option isn't it. 

When you want curled, doll-like lashes, you're going to need a curler for starters. That will give you the bend you're looking for ("Unless you have naturally curly and lifted lashes, I always recommend curling lashes before mascara for a lifted look," says makeup artist Jude Andam.) However, you'll also need an assist from your mascara: The formula should allow for some hold (much like you might use a hairstyling product to keep your strands in place). The brush should be curved as well, which helps provide lift to the base and evenly coats your newly curled strands. Not only this, but the bend of the brush means that the bristles are fairly dense on the inner end. The density, here, matters: "If you're looking for curl, you want a mascara wand that is dense with a lot of bristles," says Andam. "Similar to a round brush for your hair, this mascara brush will grab lashes and gently pull them up as you apply to create a lifted look." Graylane Beauty Curling Mascara offers a curved and straight end for multitasking.

Volume mascaras are about the formula as much as they are about the brush—that said: An hourglass shape does a ton of heavy lifting. The curves of the brush mirror the shape of your eye, so it distributes formula to all hairs. W3LL People's Expressionist Volumizing Mascara has a nice, full hourglass shape that coats hairs effortlessly.

A cone shape can help you achieve that doe-eyed flutter—with tons of length, especially on the outer end lashes. Then the smaller tip is better able to reach the tiny inner eye hairs, giving them some length love as well. "A short bristled brush can get close to the eyelid, which helps you to apply to hard-to-reach short lashes," says Andam.

Rectangle (which might have a slight tapered end) is the standard, classic brush shape for a reason: It gets the job done. So if you're not particular in your needs or goals, and want something that gets the job done, this is ideal for you. Why mess with success? 

Small, thin brushes are able to catch and coat even the faintest of hairs, like those on the inner eye or on the bottom of your lid. Essentially, thanks to their thin width, they can wiggle into harder-to-reach areas. 

If you want full, lush lashes, you want to focus on getting as much product on the hairs as they'll take. (Read: a nice supple coating, without clumping together or the formula bleeding off.) What can help you achieve that? A brush with tons of bristles, as it picks up a healthy dose of the formula in the tube and then is able to impart it to the hair.

A problem many run into is their lashes clump together once coated: While the so-called spider lashes are certainly an aesthetic that some are looking for, others want to keep their lashes as fanned out as possible. For this, reach for a comb-like brush. These are able to wiggle between hairs, and combs can have some variance—some pack in spikes, while others keep the bristles farther apart—so just find one that works for you. "For defined and separated lashes, you want to look for a brush with stiff bristles," says Andam. "This will allow you to really brush through your lashes to smooth out any excess formula and comb through and separate lashes so they stay defined and don't stick together." Ilia's Limitless Lash Mascara is a personal favorite of this beauty editor (who needs help keeping her lashes lifted and separated!).