Most of us know about eye makeup, what our preference is, safe mascara brands, and what suits us. But, mascara is something people aren’t quite sure about. While this is one of the most essential makeup products, it still confuses people; even the experienced ones for that matter. While brand and the kind of material that goes into making mascara matters, people totally overlook the most important thing- the wand. Different kinds of wands give a very different kind of finish. So, next time you buy mascara, take a close look at what the mascara wand is like before settling down for one.

1. Safe Mascara Brands: The classic wand

The classic safe mascara brands wand is something that most women would buy. As you look at the wand, you’d realize it has an even distribution of the bristles throughout the mid to tip of the wand. This gives an even voluminous finish after you apply it. If you want a fuller, thicker and more voluminous look, make sure you buy the one with thicker brushes. Here are a few products that you can buy if you’re looking for a mascara with a classic wand:

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara – Blackest Black 12.5ml

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara is one among the most popular mascara in America since it was launched years ago and it’s still going strong. There are extra pigments added to the product to give you the blackest of black look. It conditions your eyelashes as you apply it and it’s also contact lens friendly.” This is one of the best waterproof mascaras I have ever used. It stays on all day and requires a makeup remover to get it off at night. I need a waterproof mascara for daily wear as I am one of those people that cries whenever I laugh, so I have tried many. This one holds up better than the higher priced brands I have tried. The only dislike I have for this product is the old style brush they are still using on the wand. I have a hard time getting an even coating and get more clumps with this style brush,” says Nicole M who is a user of the product.

Lancome Monsieur Big Volume Mascara #01 Big Is The New Black 10ml/0.33oz

The Monsieur Big Mascara from Parisian company Lancome is another excellent mascara with a classic wand. The wand has soft bristles that apply the product evenly on your lashes while carefully separating them to give them a truly natural look. Also, you don’t need a lot of it to get voluminous and dark eyelashes; just one or two strokes would be enough. Susan Nicholas reviews the product on Amazon as “I’m always looking for a mascara that thickens my lashes without being clumpy. This one fits the bill, and I will buy again. A little more expensive than drugstore mascara, but you do get what you pay for.”

2. Fat Brush

While the standard classic safe mascara brands wand gives that nice, regular kind of lush to your lashes, fat brush takes the game to another level. The rule is really simple and straight- the fatter the brush gets, the more volume it adds to your lashes. But you wouldn’t want to use fat brushed mascara all the time. The kind of volume it adds gives the doll-eyed look to your entire makeup. So, you should know when you need the fat brush mascara.

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Volume Waterproof Mascara – Very Black

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Volume Mascara is one of the best fat brushed mascara. If all that you’re looking for is thick and voluminous eyelashes, this is the perfect choice for you.

Revlon Volume + Length Magnified Mascara – Waterproof, Blackest Black, 0.28 fl oz

High shine fiber formula which is the backbone of this mascara is said to provide extra volume as well as length to your eyelashes. The fat brush evenly distributes the product to each one of your eyelashes and creates and thick dolled-eye look. “I think this is a great mascara, the brush grabs every single lash to really make your eyelashes look full. It does not smudge and it does not flake off like so many others do. It’s not waterproof, it washes off easily with hot water. I just bought my second tube,” says Cat H, a user.

3. Precision tip wand

Lashes don’t grow to be the exact same size, hair by hair. In fact, as you shed lashes and the new lash grows, the overall size of your lashes is messed up. If each hair of your lashes is of different length and it’s evident, you can use a precision tip wand. While the rest of the wand is normal or “classic wand-like,” the tip of the wand is the precision tip and would do the magic for you. It helps you reach the smaller lashes and define them well too. Precision tip wands include ball wands, ball tip wands, and corkscrew wands.

4. Micro wand

Besides the length of the lashes, there’s another factor that goes into choosing the right kind of safe mascara brands wand for your lashes. The shape of your eyes can make it difficult and even ineffective for most of the regular mascara wands to reach the lashes and do the deed. For most people with monolid, as they use the classic wand, it causes the mascara to get to the eyelids. And if you’re already done with the eye-makeup, cleaning the mascara off your eyelid can be a tricky business. To save you all the efforts, you can use a micro wand that works well for monolid eyes. Even otherwise, a micro wand can help you define each and every lash.

MAC Pro Beyond Twisted Lash Mascara, Twisted Black

A great mascara from the cosmetic industry giant itself! MAC Pro beyond twisted lash mascara comes with a micro wand will allow you to reach into the depths and corners of your eyelashes. Both upper and lower eyelashes can be applied easily with the product with an amazing wand that can be bent up to ninety degrees.

Barry M That’s How I Roll Waterproof Mascara Black

This is yet another amazing mascara manufactured by Barry M. It has a micro wand that will help you deal with the smallest of your eyelashes and give you a perfect finish. The product is very thick and gives your eyelashes a darker and thicker look in just a few strokes.

5. Skinny brush

A skinny wand has really small bristles, just a little longer than the micro wand bristles. A skinny wand is perfect for people who are blessed with naturally long and lush eyelashes. The wand, in that case, would help you separate each lash and define each one perfectly. If you have been buying mascara with a classic wand and have naturally long and lush lashes, you might’ve developed a hatred for mascara. A classic brush would again give a doll-eyed look for long lashes. However, skinny brushed mascara can help you restore your love in mascaras.

6. Comb Bristles

For anyone who has really scarce eyelashes, comb bristles can help you make them look lush. A comb bristled wand would help your lashes look both longer and voluminous. With as many layers as you keep adding, the volume keeps increasing. However, make sure you stop at a reasonable number so that the lashes don’t become too heavy. In fact, adding too many layers would cause clumping and make them look too artificial.

7. Tapered comb

A tapered comb mascara wand has thicker bristles at the mid-point of the wand. At the tip, the bristles diminish and it’s really pointed. So, with a tapered comb wand mascara, you can achieve volume plus precision. The thick part would help you add volume to the long lashes. The pointed tip will do justice to the smaller lashes by reaching them and defining them well. In fact, as you master using a tapered-comb wand, you would be able to achieve the cat-eye look too.

8. Curved Wand

While all the other kinds of mascara wands would help you achieve precision, volume, etc. curved wands help you curl your lashes along with adding precision and volume. The wand is designed such that it can naturally help you curl your lashes. For a lot of people, curved wands are a great choice besides classic wand. It saves you the trouble of curling your lashes with an eyelash curler every single time.

9. Ball tip

A ball tip wand has a ball like structure placed right at the tip of a regular wand. The wand would have the classic bristles with just the top part being an addition of a ball like structure. This one, pretty much like the tapered comb wand, helps you reach the small lashes. For anyone whose eyes aren’t sunken, a tapered comb wand can cause smudging while being applied on the lower lashes. A ball tip wand will help you avoid it.

GUERLAIN La Petite Robe Noire Black Lashdress Mascara 0.33 oz/ 10 mL

Guerlain, one of France’s most loved cosmetics and fragrance brand brings you this amazing mascara with a ball tip wand. The special ball tip reaches out to the thinnest and smallest eyelashes of yours so that your eyelashes get a completely covered look. The product is formulated from bees and vegetable wax which is said to give extra thickness to the eyelashes. This two-in-one mascara is the first among the tailor-made mascaras manufactured by Guerlain.

10. Ball Wand

As a whole, larger brushes help achieve great volume by hiding the smaller lashes. In fact, it’s a little about each lash and more about the entire team of lashes. If you want each lash to look really well-defined, you should use a ball wand. A ball wand has bristles like that in a ball-tip wand. So, look carefully before you buy. A ball wand only reaches one lash at a time and makes each lash look lush. A lot of people also ask for top mascara to use on eyelash extensions. Ball wand mascara can be the perfect solution for eyelash extensions.

11. Triple Ball Wand

Triple ball wand has three ball-like structures on the wand, and that is pretty much it. While one single ball on the wand covers one lash at a time, three ball-like structures make the task quicker. However, the kind of finish is less about each and every lash being well-defined and clearly visible. Triple ball wand also helps in curling the lashes. However, people who want to curl their lashes would rather buy a curled wand. A lot of people are unpleased with the curling act of this kind of wand. Also, you wouldn’t really find the most popular or safe mascara brands making this kind of wand.

Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof 4-in-1 Mascara, Black Velvet, 0.28 Ounce

Even though there are people who prefer other types of wands over triple ball wands, there are some mascaras that nobody can say “no” to. The Givenchy Noir Couture 4-in-1 mascara gives you intense volume, strong curl, infinite length, and complete lash care. It’s a complete package of not just makeup but also intense eyelash care. Tiffany, a user from Florida, reviews the product as “I thought that because this product was waterproof it might be gummy – but it went on amazingly smooth with no lumps or clumps! It was thin enough to layer without looking like a drag queen but covered tremendously well! I love it and will buy it again – the fact that it nourishes my lashes is such a nice bonus!” on Amazon.

12. Corkscrew wand

A corkscrew wand is a slight modification of the classic wand. The bristles would be placed like a screw’s cork, in an ascending order. This helps to avoid clumping of the mascara on the lashes. However, not a lot of people use a corkscrew wand. Other kinds of wands can help you achieve better results.

L’Oreal Paris Waterproof Mega Volume Miss Baby Doll Mascara 9.1ml

This product comes with a corkscrew wand and it helps in reaching to the eyelashes even in the corners of your eyes. It is waterproof and claims to give your lashes mega volume.

Sometimes, people find the perfect mascara formula and would want to stick to safe mascara brands but hate the wand that comes along. But the best and most appropriate wand that they find comes with mascara that they wouldn’t like to use. If that’s the case, there’s a simple solution. After you use the mascara, keep your favorite mascara wand and you can use it to apply mascara, no matter what kind of wand the mascara originally comes with.