When it comes to lash lengthening, thickening and conditioning, not all mascaras are created equal — as 83-year-old mogul and newly-crowned beauty influencer Martha Stewart can attest. The former model is in the business of recommending only the best of the best of everything and, as her many beauty tutorials show, she both relishes luxury and often highlights award-winning products from high-end brands like Merit and Clé de Peau. In fact, in an interview with Allure, the domestic doyenne shared her “never leave the house without it” 10-minute makeup routine which, unsurprisingly, included opulent staples like Westman Atelier’s Contour Stick along with a $140 sunscreen.
Related: Martha Stewart, 83, uses these products to look dewy and ageless
However, in a nod to those who don’t want to shell out the cost of a week’s worth of groceries on cosmetics, Martha did manage to share her favorite mascara: Ilia’s Limitless Lash Mascara, which is a relative bargain at $28.
Ilia
“I have nice long eyelashes and I like to show them off,” Martha explained while applying this highly-pigmented, award-winning mascara. In addition to a lush, ultra-inky pigment, the formula contains conditioning agents like organic shea butter and is made with beeswax to leave lashes soft.
The lightweight, smudge-resistant, clean-beauty lash lengthener is not just a Martha Stewart fave: More than 10,000 customers snapped it up on Amazon last month, where it’s racked up nearly 5,000 5-star reviews. It’s a wildly popular product for good reason: In addition to being smudge-, flake- and smear-proof, it’s also ophthalmologist-tested, safe for sensitive eyes and especially good for those who wear contact lenses.
Ilia
Fans rave that this natural, cruelty-free mascara is the best non-toxic product they’ve tried and works for even the most sensitive eye.
“The length and volume is insane,” proclaimed one satisfied fan. “Best “clean” mascara I’ve tried!”
“Goes on smooth,” says another. “No clumping and no flaking. … This mascara stays on and stays put. I have not had any issues with smudging. Comes off easily with a wet washcloth — no tugging or soaps necessary. Will definitely purchase this mascara again.”
Even mascara skeptics are smitten with this Martha makeup pick: “I am 71 and never enjoy putting on mascara, it always comes out clumpy,” explains yet another 5-star reviewer. “But this goes on so nice and with a spin of the brush it separates the lashes. I was able to do my lower lashes too. Great product. Best mascara ever!”
Ilia’s formula isn’t the only award-winning mascara Stewart recommends. Earlier this year, in a tutorial shot for the celeb-loved line Merit, the ageless beauty ran through her impeccable, no-fuss makeup routine in real-time; demonstrating application techniques and the products she’s currently loving for her mature skin — including Merit’s Clean Lash.
Merit
Stewart loves this award-winning, highly-pigmented mascara (one of our best mascaras of the year) for lengthening and defining her lashes. The formulation is especially good for women over 40, whose skin and hair tend to be drier, as it contains nourishing ingredients like olive oil and vitamin B5.
As the name suggests, it goes on “clean” and it stays put — truly no flaking, no smudging or clumping.
Like Ilia’s Limitless Mascara, Merit’s Clean Lash is both in-demand and wildly popular, in addition to being a favorite of celebrities young and old. Even at a pricier-than-some cost of $26, it’s a product that truly lives up to the hype. It’s also long lasting — my most recent tube is still going after six months — and its effect is consistently exactly what many want out of a high-quality mascara: dark, fluffy, long lashes that remain (thanks to conditioning ingredients like olive oil, vitamin B5 and rice bran wax) soft and never crunchy.
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.