10 Best Waterproof Mascaras in the Philippines 2025 | Buying Guide Reviewed by Beauty Professional

Lengthening mascaras make your lashes longer, making them incredible for Asian lashes. Typical Asian lashes tend to be short and thin, so lengthening formulas have the added benefit of extending your natural lash length. When these formulas are brushed on the lashes, they create a fuller look.

On the topic of thin lashes, if you're looking for formulas that make your lashes thicker and fuller, look no further than a volumizing mascara. In contrast to a lengthening mascara, a volumizing formula focuses on adding the proper thickness to your eyelash root for a more dramatic, intense look.

A curling formula lifts and opens up your eyes, which is perfect for looking awake and alert. Asian lashes typically are straight and stubborn to curl, hence a curling formula may be helpful in brightening up the eyes. Curled lashes also give the illusion of bigger eyes, which can aid in achieving that trendy doe-eyed look!

Full wands or wands with thick bristles are able to load more mascara on your brush, which means you can apply more product to your lashes. This produces more volume and thickness when applied to your eyelashes.

Using this wand places the mascara on the base of the lashes, which adds more volume every time you apply the product. When using thick brushes, be careful to apply a few coats to ensure that the mascara doesn't look too clumpy.

Mascara that lengthens eyelashes have thin, comb-like bristles. This brush helps separate your lashes and ensures that the product is spread evenly, making your eyelashes look longer. 

Although using this mascara does not necessarily give you thicker eyelashes, it ensures that the product is not clumped together, and it also makes your lashes naturally long-looking.

If you want to achieve those naturally curled eyelashes, using mascara with a curved brush is the way to go. The shape of the brush mimics the shape of your lashes, which curls them. It also helps emphasize the effect of eyelash curlers.

Vitamin E has properties that can contribute to lash growth, conditioning, and nourishment. Panthenol or Pro-vitamin B5 is a humectant, meaning it can attract and hold moisture, which aids in growth and lash strength. Panthenol is also an emollient—this means that it seals the outer surface of your eyelashes for a shinier, glossier effect. 

Lastly, almond oil can encourage hair growth due to its high content of essential fatty acids. Its effects are similar to Vitamin E's conditioning and nourishing properties, which leads to increased hair strength and less breakage.

In selecting any cosmetic product, it is important to make sure that the ingredients will not harm your skin. With a product like mascara, you have to exercise extra precaution because you are applying it near your eyes. Even if the mascara you choose is from a reputable brand, checking the ingredients is still important. 

Be aware of what ingredients you are allergic to, harsh chemicals, and skin irritants. Not all ingredients are great for your lashes—there are some agents that can be irritating to your eyelashes and the skin around your eyes, such as propylene glycol and retinyl acetate or aluminum powder. Propylene glycol is a humectant that has been found to irritate the skin, especially those with sensitive skin. 

Also, try to avoid products with aluminum powder or retinyl acetate as these ingredients may cause adverse side effects. However, do note that you should only avoid these products if your skin cannot tolerate them. It's still important to conduct a patch test before you use a new product. 

Waterproof mascaras do not necessarily mean they are smudge-proof. Our face secretes oil, which can cause your mascara to run. Sometimes we habitually touch our eyes, forgetting we have mascara on and this causes us to smear our mascara all over the eye area.

This can be annoying, especially if we are in public and have no time to reapply our eye makeup. Thus, look for mascaras that are smudge-proof, which is often indicated in the packaging or description. It's also helpful to check the reviews to see if it's the best fit for you.

Some eyes are more sensitive than others. Also, other people wear contact lenses. These require specific mascaras that are ophthalmologically tested to ensure no irritation.

Due to the lack of generalizability of eye sensitivities, it's difficult to specify which ingredients need to be actively avoided. However, hypoallergenic or ophthalmologist-tested mascaras are specifically formulated to be gentle on the eyes.