Crossword Genius

Cosmetic, perhaps a brand mum gets hold of (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mascara

'cosmetic' is the definition.
(mascara is a kind of cosmetic)

'a brand mum gets hold of' is the wordplay.
'brand' becomes 'scar' (I've seen this before**).
'mum' becomes 'ma' ('ma' can be a synonym of 'mum').
'gets hold of' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'a'+'scar'='ascar'
'ascar' going inside 'ma' is 'MASCARA'.

'perhaps' acts as a link.
I am not very happy about this link. It may be part of another bit of the clue.

(Other definitions for mascara that I've seen before include "that accentuates lashes" , "facial cosmetic" , "could be found in handbag, perhaps" , "Eyelash darkener" , "Maracas (anag.)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.