M.A.C.’s MACStack Mascara Made My Lashes Look Ridiculously Luscious

Out of all of the beauty products that I get to test as a beauty editor, mascaras tend to get me the most excited. Maybe it’s the instant gratification of swiping the wand through my eyelashes and immediately seeing my makeup look come together...or it could be the fact that no matter how many formulas I try, there are so many interesting variants (such as the mascara wand’s bristles and the precise ingredients) that make each and every mascara different.

Over the past couple of years, my everyday makeup look has become more minimal. I slather tinted moisturizer all over, add a pinch of coral blush, swipe on a neutral lip gloss, and let my lashes be the star of the show. For that reason, I do ask for a lot in a mascara: both length and volume are nonnegotiable. Lately, I’ve been finding myself going back to one particular tube — the M.A.C. Cosmetics M.A.CStack Mascara.

Curious to know what makes this particular formula so special, and why it’s earned a permanent place in my makeup bag? Read on for more details below.

Fast Facts

• Price: $28
• Best For: Length and volume
• Rating: 4.8/5
• What I Love: It’s truly buildable, highly pigments, and delivers dramatic results.
• What I Don’t Love: It’s a bit pricey.

The M.A.C. Cosmetics M.A.CStack Mascara

Promising both “infinite” volume and length, the mascara took M.A.C.’s research and development team over two years to create. The difficult task was formulating a product that could be applied and re-applied to the eyelashes without any clumping. As someone who really likes to layer it on (as I mentioned, mascara is sometimes the only eye makeup I wear, so I want something that provides a lot of definition), I was intrigued by the brand’s use of “fibre melt technology” and “lash flex polymer” to prevent any clumping and flaking.

Another unique aspect of this mascara is that you have the option of choosing between two brush sizes: there’s the larger Superstack Mega Brush, perfect for those with naturally long eyelashes, and the smaller Superstack Micro Brush, which is suitable for shorter lashes or those tiny lower eyelashes.

First Impression

According to M.A.C., one or two swipes (or “stacks,” if you will) yields natural-looking results. Keeping this in mind, I didn’t expect to see va-va-volume with just one application...but I was actually impressed with how much darker and more defined my lashes looked.

Now, it was time for the real test. I grabbed my favorite mirror for applying eye makeup — a trifold mirror from GoodJanes that allows me to see every angle of every eyelash — and started swiping away. Lo and behold, each layer added more pigment to my lashes that made them look longer and thicker. And guess what wasn’t there? Yup, there wasn’t a clump in sight.

One thing to note: the mascara’s formula is on the “wet” side (IYKYK.) Rather than pumping the mascara’s wand in and out of the tube (which pushes air into the component and causes it to dry out), insert the wand and swirl it around in a circular motion to ensure that the bristles are completely coated.

Final Verdict

There are thousands of mascaras on the market, and this is undoubtedly one of the best ones I’ve tried in 2022. If you’re interested in one, customizable mascara that you can build up from a natural look to full glam, I highly recommend that you give M.A.C’s M.A.CStack a try.