The 14 Best Waterproof Mascaras, According to Glamour Editors

I’m the kind of person who has to curl their eyelashes before applying mascara, and this one from Maybelline is one of the rare few that are great for holding those curls in place. My preferred technique is to wiggle the bristles into the base of my lashes, and then if I want a little lift, I’ll gently stamp them against my waterline. Drama, drama, drama! —Talia Abbas, senior commerce editor

Milk Makeup’s Kush waterproof mascara is my go-to for adding volume, thickness, and drama to my lashes. I can even wear it on my undereye lashes, and it doesn’t budge, clump, or irritate my (very sensitive) eyes. I especially love that it comes in a tiny travel size, so I can seamlessly tote it to work, on trips, and even in the most microscopic makeup bags. —Danielle Sinay, associate beauty editor

Benefit Cosmetics' mascara is basically beauty legend at this point, and their waterproof offering does not disappoint. It has all the dramatic volume of the beauty brand's beloved mascaras, but with a waterproof formula that stays put. I'm also a huge fan of the brush, which picks up even the tiniest under eye lashes. —A.Y.

It doesn’t take much to make me cry: a viral random act of kindness tweet, the first three bars of any song from Les Misérables, a random text from my tween brother…you get the idea. There’s a 50% chance that I’m weeping or close to it at all times; thus strong waterproof mascara is a must in my beauty routine. CoverGirl’s new Exhibitionist mascara is the best of the tear-free bunch I’ve tried this year. Not only is it a waterproof mascara that held up through the final scene of A Star Is Born (twice), but it’s the easiest mascara out there to apply. Just two coats give me natural, feathery lashes. —Halie Lesavage, contributor

Diorshow Mascara is one of those beauty staples I’ll always have on hand. It’s the ideal formula because it lengthens and add volume to your lashes, but is buildable and allows you to personalize your glam depending on your mood. Just a few extra coats delivers a super-dramatic look and goes a long way. Plus, it's waterproof! —D.S.

I always cry at weddings, whether the person standing up there is my little sister or my boyfriend's third cousin whom I met five minutes ago. And this mascara has lasted through multiple ceremonies and their subsequent sob sessions. I like how it lengthens and thickens my lashes without any clumps, but its waterproof feature is what has really made it a nonnegotiable for the wedding circuit. —Deanna Pai, contributor

You know a waterproof mascara is The Good Stuff when it can last through an entire Nicholas Sparks movie, which is exactly what this drugstore formula did. The thin brush hooks on to every individual lash, giving you really fanned-out lashes. It didn't even clump when (major spoiler!) a character in The Best of Me dies. —Anna Moeslein, deputy editor

I am super picky about mascaras. I want clump-free volume. I want staying power plus the ability to wash it away with only a gentle cleanser. And I never, ever want smudges. For all of these reasons, Chanel mascaras have been a longtime favorite of mine. The wand on this formula delivers major volume in one coat, and when I checked for smudges at 3 p.m., nothing had budged from my lashes. —Macaela Mackenzie, contributor

This mascara took home the W from our Glamour Beauty Awards in 2019. Its two-step formula, which features a black primer on one side and a fiber booster on the other, lets you create lashes with an equal amount of volume and length. One of our judges even said it rivals the best falsies. I can wholeheartedly confirm. —T.A.

I typically stay away from waterproof mascaras since I find they clump more easily and can look dry after a bit, but I started using Guerlain’s Noir G without even realizing it was waterproof and kept remarking how moisturizing it was. It never flaked or left me with raccoon eyes after a long day of wear. The brush is curled, which I love, and the pigment is so great, giving me the look of false lashes without having to do all that extra work. —Jessica Radloff, senior West Coast editor

I have two criteria for waterproof mascara: ultra definition and unmovable staying power. I check off both boxes with Revlon's Volume + Length Magnified Mascara, which I restock on every other Target run. It's beach-proof, shower-proof, and crying-over-a-breakup-proof, with a brush that carefully defines my lashes as well as premium brand mascaras I've tried. While the formula can stay put through just about any splash-zone situation and melting-hot summer commutes to work, it comes off easily with an oil-based eye-makeup remover at the end of the day. —Halie LeSavage, contributor

Two things first caught my attention with this mascara: the packaging (so cute) and the use of avocado (a primary food group) in the formula. It's the perfect natural mascara—it won't give you sky-high length or blackout lashes, but it will give you a nice full coat that wears well and won't irritate your eyes. —S.S.