In the face of sweaty situations, oily lids, and anything else that makes mascara run, smudge, and flake, the best tubing mascara will hold firm. Unlike traditional mascaras, these contain polymers that wrap around the lashes so they don’t smudge or flake during the day, cosmetic chemist Ginger King explains.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Overall: Blinc Original Tubing Mascara, $26
- Best Curling: Tower 28 Beauty MakeWaves Mascara, $20
- Best Drugstore: Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara, $5
- Best Volumizing: Caliray Come Hell or High Water Volumizing Tubing Mascara, $24
- Best Lengthening: Tarte Tartelette Tubing Mascara, $25
- Best Conditioning: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, $25
- Best Colorful: Half Magic Eyelectric Extreme Lengthening Mascara, $25
While waterproof mascara may offer longer staying power than its traditional counterparts, many require a full-force scrub-fest to remove — and even worse, they often claim a few lashes as collateral. Tubing mascaras tend to be gentler: Instead of rigorously wiping your eyes with makeup remover or thoroughly massaging mascara away with cleansing oil, these “tubes” slide off with warm water and some gentle pressure. “Think of it as the saran wrap on your lashes,” King says. “They add some bulkiness and are flexible enough to stretch for an eyelash extension look.”
If you’ve given them a go before, you may already be familiar with the oddly satisfying visual of your lashes appearing to shed, like snakeskin, while your real lashes thankfully stay intact. (On the other hand, if this is your first try, don’t freak out when you see lash-like, little tubes going down the drain!)
Below are our tried-and-true, flake-free, and smudge-proof favorites — recommended by Allure editors and makeup artists — that’ll give your lashes the illusion of extensions. They’re that good.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Best Overall: Blinc Original Tubing Mascara
Why It’s Worth It: Blinc Mascara is the original tubing mascara that started the trend and its legacy is still going strong, as evidenced by its 2023 Best of Beauty Award seal. It’s since branched out into six different colors (like burgundy and navy) and features a soft, curved brush and formula that imparts a lengthening, “your-lashes-but-better” look. It doesn’t budge, flake, or smudge throughout the day, and it’s even tear-proof.
Editor Tip: You only have about 60 to 90 seconds to apply this stuff before it dries down and becomes un-buildable, so it’s not ideal for topping up during the day.
Key Ingredients: Iron oxides | # of shades: 2
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Best Curling: Tower 28 Beauty MakeWaves Mascara
Why It’s Worth It: Like the rest of the brand’s offerings, Tower 28 Beauty’s MakeWaves Mascara is safe for sensitive skin — or, in this case, sensitive eyes. This Best of Beauty Award winner features a curved “Triple-Wave Wand” made up of three flexible suspended bands to pick up every single lash. Use the shorter bristles on the inner side of the curve to amp up the volume, and then go in with the longer bristles to lengthen and define.
Editor Tip: It uses patented technology that keeps mascara from running even in high humidity.
Key Ingredients: Carnauba wax, oilve oil esters, sunflower seed wax | # of shades: 2 (Drift, a warm espresso brown is only available at tower28beauty.com right now.)
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Best Drugstore: Essence Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara
Why It’s Worth It: Long-wearing mascara for just $5? Sign us up. Despite the cute name, Essence’s Bye Bye Panda Eyes Tubing Mascara means business: This cruelty-free, vegan (it uses synthetic beeswax), and oil-free formula lengthens and defines lashes in seconds, leaving you with fluttery lashes all day long.
Editor Tip: The formulation is also free of parabens.
Key Ingredients: Carnauba wax, synthetic beeswax, kaolin | # of shades: 1
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Best Volumizing: Caliray Come Hell or High Water Volumizing Tubing Mascara
Why It’s Worth It: Caliray’s Best of Beauty-winning Come Hell or High Water Volumizing Tubing Mascara is formulated with conditioning argan oil and tubing technology that is water-resistant yet easy to remove. Not to mention, there are film-forming agents in it, too, so lashes look extra long and voluminous.
Editor Tip: It won’t leave lashes crunchy, so reapplication is easy.
Key Ingredients: Argan oil, carnauba wax, synthetic wax | # of shades: 1
