What Are the Different Types of Mascara Brushes?

Be honest, when was the last time you purchased a tube of mascara specifically for the wand, rather than the formula, packaging, or brand?

When it comes to this makeup bag staple, the wand is typically just an afterthought. But did you know that your mascara brush is equally as vital to your success as the type of mascara you’re using? If you want your lashes to reach their full potential, you should choose a mascara brush based on how you want your lashes to look.

Like makeup brushes, mascara wands come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, each meant to enhance your lashes in different ways. With so many options, it can be tricky to figure out which one to choose. That said, you might be wondering what the best mascara wand is. As with most beauty conundrums, the best choice will be the one that caters to your specific needs. Do you have straight lashes that need a curl or sparse lashes that need more thickness?

In this article, we’ll discuss the 11 most popular types of mascara brushes, their effects, and what lash type they work best on.

Classic

The classic mascara wand is probably the most popular and common type of brush because of its ease of use and versatility. It has a cylindrical body that coats your lashes with mascara, and a rounded or tapered end that’s perfect for reaching hard to reach areas like the lower lashes. It’s an all-around brush that can add moderate length, volume, and curl to your lashes — the perfect everyday mascara.

You can find classic mascara wands with either fluffy nylon or hard silicone bristles. Nylon bristles are pliable and can grab onto the lashes quite well. They’re great for adding volume and length but not so much for lash separation, making them a better option for those with short and sparse lashes. Silicone brushes are thicker and stiffer compared to their nylon counterparts. Their spiky bristles grab each lash individually and brush out any excess mascara, which is ideal for those with naturally thick lashes that are prone to clumping.

Curved

This type of wand has a curved brush that follows the natural curve of the lash line. Similar to a round brush, it’s designed to hug the hair (in this case, your lashes) from root to tip, curling your lashes as you brush them. A curved mascara wand is a great choice for those with straight lashes that fall down and have trouble holding a curl. It can be used on its own to add some lift to your natural lashes or used with an eyelash curler for an extra dramatic effect.

Tapered

Also known as an arrowhead or pointed-tip mascara wand, this type of brush has bristles that start wide at the base and taper into a narrow point. The duality of its design allows for the bulk of mascara to be applied on evenly and create volume, while the pointed tip can add density, separate lashes, and access hard-to-reach areas like the shorter lashes on the inner and outer corners of your eye. Tapered wands are definitely the best option for lash perfectionists who want precision and control.

Hourglass

An hourglass-shaped brush has dense bristles that taper down the middle. It’s somewhat similar to a curved brush in that it has a concave side that parallels the lash line, but it doesn’t have an opposite convex side. Its hourglass shape helps coat the lashes evenly from root to tip, while its fine teeth help build volume. Moreover, the combination of long and short bristles help remove clumps and separate lashes. This type of wand is best suited for sparse lashes that need both length and volume.

Fluffy and Oversized

On the larger end of the mascara wand spectrum is the thick and oversized fluffy brush. This type of mascara wand is equipped with densely-packed bristles that grab and coat the lashes for some serious volume, giving a false lash effect. Its larger size allows you to apply mascara in half the time you’d normally take, but be warned that it’s also more prone to smudging. That said, an oversized fluffy mascara brush is a great option for those with curled, dense lashes.

Long and Skinny

A skinny wand has a long brush with short bristles that are perfect for creating length with minimal smudging and clumping. Its tiny teeth can lengthen and define your lashes, while its thinner shape allows you to coat even the smallest of hairs. This type of mascara brush works well on curly, fine, or short lashes that benefit from lash separation and mascara coverage. It doesn’t add much in terms of volume, but if precision and length are what you’re after, a skinny wand will give you just that.

Rectangle

This type of wand is somewhat similar to the classic mascara brush, but its bristles are shorter and even in length, creating a straight cylinder or “rectangular” shape. While it can’t reach every nook and cranny, its rigid form can coat, lengthen, and thicken your lashes with ease. It’s good all-around brush that works well if you don’t have any specific mascara needs.

Comb

Comb mascara wands are quite unique because their bristles are flat, positioned to one side, and spaced further apart just like hair combs. The individual tines are designed to deposit mascara while separating each lash. They excel in adding length and definition with minimal clumping, making them a great option for those with naturally thick lashes. (Just don’t expect much thickness and volume.)

Ball

This type of mascara wand has a ball-shaped brush covered in spiky bristles. Its unique shape was designed to get all the hard-to-reach areas, specifically the inner corner of the eye and lower lash line. Its smaller size means you have to approach mascara application a bit differently, working section by section rather than doing full sweeps. Though it offers more accuracy, this comes at the cost of being more time-consuming to use than other types of mascara wands. That said, ball wands are a fun option for those with uneven lashes. They’re perfect for customizing where you want to add length, making it especially useful for those who have lashes that are sparse in some places and dense in others. Ball wands are, however, quite rare to find.

Ball-Tipped

Also referred to as a dome tip, this type of wand combines the best of both worlds by adding a bristled ball tip to a regular mascara brush. It allows you to coat your lashes from the roots to the tip and reach the tiny lashes on the inner and outer corners of your eye. The result? Volume and length that give you a false lash effect.

Bubble

A bubble brush (also known as a triple ball wand) has dense bristles in varying lengths, carved out to look like three balls spooled together in a wand. The spaces between each ball are loaded with mascara, which will add volume and thickness to your lashes. Its irregular shape lifts the lashes to a curl while depositing inconsistent amounts of mascara, giving you a doll lash effect where the lashes are a little more clumped together. This type of mascara wand is a fun option for those who want voluminous lashes with an extra lift.

source https://degreesofvanity.com/types-of-mascara-brushes/