Long, thin, stubborn, sensitive, and straight is how I’d describe my lashes—much like a Bushwick male manipulator. Tubing mascara was the answer to my many lash woes—but I didn’t know it, until I jumped on the band wagon of the buzzy formula this past year. Thanks to my combination skin, regular mascara nearly always drains under my eyes, creating a heroine chic look I simply did not consent to. No, I’m not done listing out all my qualms quite yet—typical oil-based formulas never quite holds a curl long enough on my lashes. Worst of all, thanks to a sporadic bouts of spot alopecia, too many squeezes of a lash curly and irritating makeup removal can spark a lash shed for me. With one swipe of these high performing polymer based tubing formulas, all this aforementioned woes were gone.
“What I love the most about tubing mascara is the non-transfer feature of the formula,” makeup artist Jamie Greenberg tells Vogue. The magic behind tubing formulas, other than the polymer technology, comes down to the absence of oil-based ingredients, which tends to cause the pigment in traditional mascara to run. “For those prone to ‘raccoon eyes,’ a tubing mascara will be your best bet to remedy the issue.”
The number one reason why I only have eyes for tubing mascaras? When it comes time to remove my makeup at night, I splash my fingers with a bit of warm water, gently sliding down on my closed lids, and voilà—little mascara tubes appear on my cheeks, with my natural lashes free and clean. It really is that simple with this formula. Goodbye, cotton rounds soaked in micellar water, and lathered oil cleansers!
Pro makeup artist Rachel Singer Clark doesn’t hold back when asked if she’s a tubing mascaras fan—in fact, she wholeheartedly advocates for them. “Tubing mascaras are simply a fantastic idea for lengthening your existing lashes,” Singer Clark previously told Vogue. “I’ve loved tubing formulas from the moment Kevin Aucoin launched his in the early 2000s. It was groundbreaking in that tubing formulas go a step further than a standard mascara by encapsulating each lash individually—you can build up the formula with additional swipes, making your lashes appear even longer, creating a special effect of seemingly growing the lash on application.”
In the spirit of never gatekeeping, below are my top favorite tubing mascara picks. Enjoy your no clump, high curl, easy-to-remove makeup experience!
In This Story
Best Falsies Effect: Hourglass Cosmetics Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara
Hourglass Cosmetics
Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara
- Why We Love It: Reigning as the all-time favorite in my makeup bag is Hourglass’s mascara. One coating gives the look of strip lashes, without the frustration of actually applying strip lashes—we’re talking maximum length and lift for a fanned-out, fluttery effect. Plus, aside from tubing polymers, Japanese camellia extract moisturizes and fortifies, alongside a host of antioxidant-rich ingredients. I find this pick never looks clumpy (or worse) spidery—results I irrationally despise. When I swipe this formula off at night, there’s no lash fall out (Hallelujah!). One more thing—any fellow animal lovers out there? Hourglass donates 5% of the net profits from its Unlocked product line to the Nonhuman Rights Project, a non-profit dedicated to animal rights.
- Benefits: Lifting, defining, lengthening, cruelty-free, vegan
- Key Ingredients: Glycerin, dimethicone, castor seed oil, shea butter, panthenol, vitamin E, Japanese camellia extract
- Shades: 2
Best No-Makeup Makeup: Merit Clean Lash Mascara
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Merit
Clean Lash Lengthening Tubing Mascara
- Why We Love It: I’ve waxed poetic plenty of times about the impromptu Billie Eilish GRWM video. While Sacheu’s peel of lip stain stole the show, lest we forget, Billie’s mascara of choice was Merit’s Clean Lash—a tubing mascara with 100% clean ingredients. I find my lashes look more defined, but still utterly natural with this pick, making it ideal for a no-makeup makeup days. A blend of rice bran, candelilla, and carnauba wax work in tandem with proprietary tubing technology to glide on without clumping. Meanwhile, olive oil esters not only condition lashes, but also add a smidge of luster. And, hey—if this formula stands up to a pop star performing two hour-long concerts, surely it can survive your day without smudging. Right?
- Benefits: Lengthening, defining, easy removal
- Key Ingredients: Rice bran wax, olive oil esters, candelilla wax, carnauba wax
- Shades: 1
Best Shade Range: Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara
Tarte
Tartelette Tubing Mascara
- Why We Love It: Looking for a bit of oomph? Tarte got pretty playful with their mascara shade range. You could keep it to the classics, like black and brown mascaras. Alternatively you can get experimental with vivid colors (Euphoria, season 4, anyone?)—blues, greens, and even a splash of magenta. Polymers and nourishing emollients blend together for more volumized, fuller lashes. It’s worth noting, I find their brown mascara shade to be a bit too light in contrast with my black hair—though it would be the absolute perfect shade for blondes, light brunettes, and redheads. Boasting up to 24 hours of curl wearing—I put this to the test on the evening of the Met Gala. The curl, did in fact, last through a long night and early morning.
- Benefits: Long lasting curl, volumizing
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, caranuba wax, castor oil
- Shades: 5
Best Volumizing: Kulfi Badi Lash
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- Why We Love It: It’s truly refreshing to see an indie brand thrive—among Kulfi’s many fabulous products, their mascara is one of the most hype-worthy. The perfect combo of tubing and volumizing: the unique, ball-tip wand helps to lift and separate even the shortest and straightest of lashes. Meanwhile, castor seed oil, rambutan extract, and a blend of peptides help to nourish your lashes while coating them with high-impact color. The pay-off of this formula is thick, but never a Tammy Faye Messner-esque (RIP Tammy).
- Benefits: Volumizing, lifting, lengthening, vegan, cruelty-free
- Key Ingredients: Peptides, rambutan extract, castor seed oil
- Shades: 1
Best Drugstore: Milani Highly Rated Mascara
Milani
Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara
- Why We Love It: A queen of forgetting things, on a recent trip I forgot my mascara and lash curler at home—cue a trip to the local CVS where I picked Milani’s tubing mascara. A hard-to-beat drugstore option, the formula gives length and lift at an affordable price. Plus, the tapered wand is similar to some of its more prestige competitors, with a comparable ingredient composition of shea butter, caster oil, and a polymer blend. Needless to say, this more budget-friendly pick holds up—and keeps lashes lifted, too.
- Benefits: Lengthening, lifting, flake-resistant, smudge-resistant
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, castor seed oil
- Shades: 1
Best for Sensitive Eyes: Clinique Lash Power Tubing Mascara
Clinique
Lash Power Tubing Mascara
- Why We Love It: Those with hyper-sensitive eyes need not miss out on the tubing mascara craze—Clinique’s formula is both ophthalmologist- and allergy-tested. Aside from a list of vetted, non-irritating ingredients, the mascara’s spoolie reaches even the shortest of lashes to lengthen and define. This is another great your-lashes-but-better option, for gentle definition when you’re not going for full glam.
- Benefits: Ophthalmologist tested, allergy tested, fragrance-free, safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
- Key Ingredients: Carnauba wax, jojoba seed oil, dimethicone, vitamin E
- Shades: 1
Everything You Need To Know
What’s so special about tubing mascara?
Singer Clark says there’s no better option for visibly lengthening your lashes. The tubing technology also means you’ll have no flaking or smudging whatsoever. “It doesn’t matter if you cry, swim, or sweat. Your mascara will not move,” Dalila Bone, a professional makeup artist based in London previously told Vogue.
Why Tubing Mascara Is better for Sensitive Eyes
Since tubing mascara deposits, quite literally, polymer tubes around your natural eyelash, there’s no risk of product flaking or smudging into your actual eyes. “The difference between this and your average mascara is that the product comes off eyelashes in tubes for easy removal,” Bone previously told Vogue, noting easy removal means less stress on your natural lashes—which reduces the risk of fallout and breakage.
How To Apply Tubing Mascara
The unique formula comes with its own characteristics that make applying and removing tubing mascara a slightly different experience than what you might be used to. “Tubing mascara tends to be wetter when applying, so I recommend cleaning the excess mascara off of the wand before applying, and working in layers to get the separation and lift you may be more used to getting with traditional mascaras,” says a Fara Homidi, a New York-based celebrity makeup artist and founder of Fara Homidi Beauty. For extra curl, celebrity makeup artist Hailey Greenberg suggests using your curler before your first coat of mascara, and again after.
How To Remove a Tubing Mascara
The trick to their removal is simply warm warm and a light touch. “Warm water and gentle pressure is the best way to remove a tubing mascara—the mascara slides off your lashes with ease, leaving behind tiny tubes,” Bone previously told Vogue.
Using the same method, Singer Clark suggests using a cotton pad soaked in micellar water to remove any excess. After holding the cotton pad atop your closed eye for a few seconds and sliding down, you’ll notice the little mascara spikes on the cotton round.
- Dalila Bone is a professional makeup artist based in London. Bone has worked with clients including Naomi Campbell, Letitia Wright, Jourdan Dunn, Law Roach, Kitty Spencer, Sabrina Elba, Sofia Richie, Teyana Taylor, and more.
- Jamie Greenberg is a celebrity makeup artist. Her client roster includes Kaley Cuoco, Rashida Jones, and Chelsea Handler.
- Fara Homidi is a New York-based celebrity makeup artist and founder of Fara Homidi beauty.
- Rachel Singer Clark is a London-based celebrity makeup artist. Her clients include Kate Moss, Paris Jackson, Alva Claire, Anna Sawai, Alicia Silverstone and more.