It’s time to stop wearing black mascara…

There was a time when, like most of you, I only ever picked up a brown mascara by accident. in those days, getting home and realising I didn’t have a tube of ‘extreme black’ was a cause of sheer frustration. Now, though, I understand that I have a choice and I’m on a mission to convert more people.

A lot of thought goes into the colour of your eyeshadow – a wash of sparkling champagne here, a diffused wing of burnt terracotta there – but the same can’t be said for the finishing flourish, mascara. It's time that changed…

I’m a strong believer that there should be no hard and fast rules to makeup – to me it’s an art form and a way of self-expression – but there are some basic principles that can help you along the road. Colour theory is one such principle and it’s one of the most helpful when it comes to makeup application.

Google ‘colour wheel’ and you’ll be met with a sea of rainbow circles. While you don’t need to worry too much about their intricacies, these colour charts are how makeup artists learn what hues will make your blue/green/brown eyes ‘pop’.

For some reason we mainly only apply this theory to our eyeshadow, but extending it to your mascara can completely transform your entire look. To find your shade, simply look at which colour is opposite your eye colour. So for blue eyes it’s brown, for green eyes it’s purple, and for brown eyes it’s blue/green.

As a beauty editor I made the purposeful switch from black to brown mascara after interviewing many makeup artists who told me it was their go-to. Not only did it play up my blue eyes, but it made me look softer, less harsh and framed my favourite feature without it looking like I was wearing makeup. If you’re a fan of the ‘no makeup, makeup’ look or just want to look like you have really great natural lashes, switching to brown mascara (regardless of your eye colour) is revolutionary and something I implore you to do.

Then you can take it one step further by looking for a more unique shade specifically designed to enhance your natural eye colour. There used to be a time when finding a non-black mascara was an impossible task, but post-lockdown our makeup preferences have changed and most brands now offer their best-selling formulas in brown as well. And they will often release shades of burgundy, turquoise or cobalt in limited-edition seasonal collections.

Just to reiterate my hatred of rules, however, feel free to completely disregard colour theory in your choices. Despite having blue eyes, I actually love the contrast of a cobalt against brown eyeshadow, especially in summer.

Experiment and make your own choices. If you like black mascara, then stick with it. Just know that you don’t have to.

To help you along, here are some of my favourite alternatives…

After all these years, Lancôme’s Hypnôse range still contains some of the best mascaras on the market so naturally I’m thrilled you can buy it it brown.

Trust Charlotte Tilbury to come up with a mascara that has such a unique berry-brown shade it manages to enhance every eye colour.

If you want to re-live the 1980s or just shake up your makeup bag, this is the shade to try.