As a team of mascara lovers, when a new formula hits the shelves we're often first in line to try it out - especially when a certain A-lister shows us how it lifts and elongates her lashes in real-time. That said, it was the way Sienna Miller applied this particular formula that had us racing to get our hands on it...
When it comes to the best mascaras, we all have our personal preferences. Half our beauty team, for instance, favour a subtle lift while the rest invest in the best volumising mascaras for boosted definition and curl. We all found some common ground, however, when we clustered together to watch Sienna Miller's tutorial on Charlotte Tilbury's latest lash formula, Exaggereyes. The star demonstrated exactly how she achieves 'feline'-like flutter and let's just say, we were simultaneously impressed and perplexed.
So, naturally, we were all desperate to trial Charlotte TIlbury's Exaggereyes mascara for ourselves and went to work applying it like Miller - to see if we could replicate the height and fanned-out effect...
We put Sienna Miller's mascara application and go-to formula to the test
If you haven't yet seen the way Sienna Miller coats her lashes, the actor appeared on YouTube (a clip of which was then shared as an Instagram Reel), to demonstrate how the mascara works - and of course, how she achieves elevated and dramatic lashes.
In the video, she said: "I tend to just put my mascara, when I'm wearing it a lot, just on that back corner or the side - whatever you want to call it - to get a kind of feline vibe." She then proceeded to brush the mascara up from root to tip, occasionally blinking onto it (which can help to coat the lashes), while also angling the hairs up and outwards - towards her brow bone.
RRP: £28 | Featuring plumping polymers and powered by Charlotte Tilbury's 'Lash Vinyl-Black Wrap Technology', this mascara promises to double the look of your lashes, creating a lifted and fanned-out, voluminous finish - making it ideal for those seeking a mascara for straight lashes. The curve brush works to grip and separate each ash, while the formula is smudge, flake and humidity-proof.
Miller then mused that she'd probably add it to the bottom lashes as well, but just at the very edge. For nighttime wear, she said that she might also let the formula 'slightly smoosh' onto the lower lashes - which would afford a slightly heavier and more sultry look.
As for the mascara itself, Miller quipped that the curved brush really helps to hug the lashes and add volume, before dubbing the formula 'fantastic,' and that it really does 'exaggerate the eyes' - much like its name implies.
After seeing this, we were all intrigued as to how brushing our lashes so intentionally to the side and outwards (and with this volumising product, in particular) would look - especially for those of us who tend to lightly graze our lashes in mascara, rather than coat every single inch.
Our verdict on the mascara and application method
As fans of many of the best Charlotte Tilbury products, we all went into this experiment with excitement but it's safe to say, our previously found common ground was swiftly lost...
Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson was a fan of Exaggereyes in general but not so much with Miller's 'feline' application trick. "Formula-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by how easily this mascara separated and defined my lashes. I prefer to keep my makeup very natural and so while I do curl my lashes, I just want my mascara to lock that shape in place, elongate and tint them slightly - but not make them look too 'done.' When using a very light hand, I found Exaggereyes ticked all those boxes well - but could go a tiny bit clumpy if I used too much. It was also quite hard to remove, although my go-to Tatcha Indigo Cleansing balm made quicker work of it.
"This 'feline' application trick on the other hand...I am not a fan. While I quite liked the finished effect, I ended up with mascara all over my eyelid - which is not fun when you've spent the previous ten minutes creating a smoky eye. I also found if I applied too much, the lashes would stick together and create more of a line as opposed to a fanned-out, feline look but perhaps this would improve with practice."
Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar had the opposite experience to Naomi, as she did not particularly like the mascara formula but did get on well with Sienna's application trick. Aleesha notes that she has very long and thick lashes, so a heavy or very wet formula can make them drop: "While this is a pretty slick and smooth formula, it’s so wet that - no matter how much I curl [my lashes] beforehand this makes them drop straightaway.
"Not only do I not love this look and feel like it's not flattering for my face (long lashes have always been my saving grace ), it's also very unforgiving when I apply my signature eyeliner and means that I have to be super on point with my application - otherwise it's on show and not being veiled by my lashes at all." That said, Aleesha did note that the formula dries well, "while I don't advocate for eyelash curling post-mascara (lest they stick and pull out), I do appreciate that this mascara dries very dry - not at all tacky or sticky - so it actually made it super easy to give them a curl after. The mascara also didn't flake at all afterwards, which doesn't usually happen with a post-mascara eyelash curl."
Exaggereyes aside though, "Sienna's application does give this a really nice flirty, fluttery, fanned out, winged look that - if I'm being honest - I don't hate."
"When it comes to mascara, I’m all about the lengthened and curled appearance," says Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett: "So, I’m always slightly apprehensive when it comes to testing out volumising mascaras, in fear of them clumping my lashes together. That said, when I spotted Sienna Miller’s application trick I knew I just had to recreate it for myself, in hopes of achieving the exact same effortless look as hers.
"I, too, copied Miller by using the curled side of the brush to initially apply to product to my lashes, which I found evenly distributed the mascara and left my lashes naturally lengthened and volumised - without leaning into that dreaded spider leg-effect. As for her top tip of focusing the product on the outer corners of the eyes, I must admit both the application and outcome did feel slightly unnatural to me, however, I can appreciate the sultry, feline look that it left me with. In terms of the formula itself, I find it to be much less clumpy than other volume-boosting options, so it was quite easy to achieve that natural fanned effect that Sienna showed. Although the results don't quite compare to those of my go-to lengthening mascaras, it is a trick I would opt for when I’m wanting a more subtle evening eye look, perhaps paired with a brown smoky eye."
Digital Beauty Editor, Fiona McKim, did not have a fun time with this particular team test: "I think my facial expression says everything here. This didn’t work out at all well, which I’ll put down to a combination of a fairly wet formula (the fast train to smudgeville on my hooded eyelids) and, in fairness, probably some user error on the application method too. You try following a mascara tutorial while supervising a rowdy toddler hell-bent on throwing himself off the highest piece of furniture he can find."
"While I don’t doubt this would be an excellent mascara for a ‘more is more’ fast volumised effect," says Fiona, "the whole thing was just too much for me. Too much formula loaded onto my lashes too quickly, which went all spindly and spider-like then deposited little black smears on my lids as I dragged the wand horizontally to my eyes' outer corners a la Sienna. I think this is yet another case of getting ‘Sienna Millered.’ I should have learned when I got a fringe cut in after watching Alfie or tried to wear a floaty maxi skirt around the muddy lochside campus of Stirling University. Mistake this woman for a mere mortal and legitimate source of wearable inspiration at your peril."
One major pro in the Charlotte Tilbury Exaggereyes mascaras' favour though, is that woman&homes Digital Editor, Kerrie Hughes loves it for making her lashes more visible and perfectly defined behind glasses.
