In 1935, at the Brussels World's Fair, Lancôme showed its first five fragrances: Tendre Nuit, Bocages, Conquête, Kypre and Tropiques. The house chose a single golden rose as its emblem, and its name came from the Château de Lancosme in the Indre valley, picked by Elisabeth d'Ornano. Armand Petitjean and Guillaume d'Ornano founded it as a perfume company. Mascara was a much later chapter.

I like knowing that, because it explains something about the way Lancôme mascara is made. It is a fragrance house's idea of a lash product: a little theatrical, very particular about texture, and built around a name you say slowly. L'Oréal bought the company in 1964, and the mascara shelf has become the busiest part of it, with what amounts to a lash wardrobe, from natural to nearly false.

The trick is to choose by wand and by mood, not by which one is called best. The brand's own pairing guide is sensible, and I have kept its logic here. Lash Idôle Lengthening & Volumizing is the lifted, fanned one, and Curl Goddess is for lashes that will not hold a curl. Hypnôse Drama is the full-body volume, and the classic Hypnôse Buildable Volume, first launched in 2004, is the one you layer, one coat for the day and more at night. Monsieur Big, in regular and waterproof, is the dark, big-brush one, and Définicils is the one the brand calls its most natural. Cils Booster XL is the primer that goes underneath them all.

Start with the wand, not the name. Look at the brush before you look at the formula: a fat brush wants volume, a slim one wants length, and a comb wants separation. The wand does more of the work than the ink.

Too Faced's Better Than Sex is a volumizing and lengthening mascara, a good place to begin if you want drama. Benefit's BADgal Bang is the longwear one, and its name promises 36 hours. Charlotte Tilbury's Exagger-eyes curls and volumizes at once. Westman Atelier's Eye Want You is the one I would try if you like a brand that keeps its makeup shelf small, and Armani Beauty's Vertigo Lift is the lengthening one that keeps lashes up.

Maybelline's Lash Sensational Sky Tubes is a tubing mascara, meaning it leaves little tubes around each lash that come off with warm water. That is a useful format if you dread removal. Marc Jacobs' Flashes is a lash-defining mascara, the sort I would wear with a bare face, and Tower 28's MakeWaves lengthens and volumizes in a softer way.

A pairing I like: a lengthening mascara on the top lashes and a volumizing one on the bottom, so you get length and fullness without a heavy eye.

What I would skip: piling a longwear mascara on top of a waterproof one. The formulas will clump.

Try this: curl first, primer second, mascara third, and then wait ten seconds before you blink. That order is the whole method. A curl set before mascara stays, while a curl set after tends to crack the formula.

Dior's Diorshow Maximizer 4D Lash Primer-Serum is the primer for people who like their lash step to feel like skin care, and Too Faced's Better Than Sex Foreplay Waterproof Mascara Primer pairs neatly with the mascara from the grid above. tarte's tartelette tubing mascara primer is worth a look if you already like tubing formulas. Lancôme's own Cils Booster XL, in the first grid, is the same idea from the brand, and the brand says it can also be worn on bare lashes overnight.

Then the curlers, which I think are the most underrated tools in a makeup bag. Dior's Backstage Lash Curler and Charlotte Tilbury's Life-Changing Lashes Eyelash Curler are the polished ones. Shiseido's Eyelash Curler is a classic shape, and Utowa's Eyelash Curler II is the one to look at if you want a curler that is a pleasure to hold. Sephora Collection's Eyelash Curler is the simple one to keep in a travel bag.

What I would skip: crimping three times in the same spot. One gentle press at the base, one in the middle and one at the tip is enough.

One habit that pays off: hold the soaked cotton pad over your closed eye for ten seconds before you wipe. The product loosens on its own, and you do not have to drag at your lashes.

Removal is the second half of any mascara, and this is where I am the fussiest. Lancôme's Mascara Melter is a gentle, conditioning remover with squalane, in the same house as your mascara. ma:nyo's Pure Soybean Cleansing Water and CeraVe's Hydrating Micellar Water & Makeup Remover are gentle water-style cleansers for daily use. L'Oréal Paris' 100% Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover is for people who do not like a slick feeling around the eyes.

Santa Maria Novella's Acqua di Rose Micellar Water is the prettiest bottle on this list, and I would keep it out where you see it. Erborian's Centella Cleansing Oil and Embryolisse's Micellar Lotion take makeup off gently, and Drunk Elephant's E-Rase Milki Micellar Water is for people who prefer a milky texture.

A pairing I like: an oil on the waterproof days and a micellar water on the rest.

What I would skip: rubbing a stubborn waterproof formula with a dry cloth. Give it time and a proper remover.

I think the best Lancôme mascara is the one that suits how you actually wear your eyes on a Tuesday. Lash Idôle for a lifted, everyday look. Hypnôse if you like to build. Monsieur Big for the night out. Définicils for days when you want your lashes and nothing else.

So I would pick one wand from the first grid, add a curler, and keep a gentle remover by the sink. Lancôme started with a rose and five perfumes, and I like that it still sells lashes like a fragrance house would. Your lashes can start with one good coat, and a little patience between the first and the second. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Maybelline Mascara Sky High, Lined Up Against Lancôme, Prada and Rare Beauty and Lash Princess and the Rest.