Beauty Clinic: Mascara for sensitive eyes

Q. I cannot find any brand of mascara that does not make my super-sensitive eyes sting and feel very uncomfortable. I have tried all the well-known brands for sensitive eyes without success. Is there one that will suit people like me, or should I just give up looking for the impossible? A. Since we both have very sensitive eyes we understand the problem. Two things: without knowing the mascaras you have tried we can only hazard a guess at the products that might suit you. Secondly, we do suggest you talk to your doctor about the problem and discuss a referral for allergen testing.

Now here are the ones we use ourselves without problems and also those that others have recommended:

Sarah has no problems with Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara. This is not specifically designed for sensitive eyes but has never caused her a problem.

A Beauty Bible tester with blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) says that Clinique High Impact Mascara, did not smudge, run or irritate her eyes. You don't say if you've tried Clinique mascaras, but they do suit many sensitive-eyed women, including several friends.

In general, though, in our experience, the natural mascaras are less likely to irritate sensitive eyes. NATorigin Lengthening Mascara, approved by Allergy UK, received very good reviews from our Beauty Bible testers, one of whom specifically commented that it did not irritate her usually sensitive eyes at all.

Over the last few years, natural formulations have improved greatly. While truly waterproof natural mascaras are hard to find (they're very difficult to do naturally), some are now at least water-resistant: Sarah has also recently tried Green People Organic Volumising Mascara, which is water-resistant. Again that works fine on her sensitive eyes and looks great (although she would prefer a more slender brush).