If you have oily eyelids or sensitive eyes, or want an easier way to remove mascara after a long day, you might want to try the best tubing mascaras. Unlike traditional mascaras made of waxes and oils that layer on the lashes, tubing mascaras are made of polymers that wrap around lashes like a tube. “I generally use tubing mascara on clients who have oilier eyelids because it tends to be smudge-free, flake-free, and water-resistant, which means it’ll stay in place,” says Kasha Lassien, a celebrity makeup artist. She prefers it for shoots where the talent will be underwater, sprayed, crying, or sweating. Editorial makeup artist Jasmin Winnie Stephen agrees and says she likes to use tubing mascaras on short lashes to add length.
What makes tubing mascara better at staying put than traditional mascaras? Those polymers that coat each lash in a tube resist smudging, and you don’t get as much residue underneath or around the eyes, explains Lassien. Regular mascaras can leave behind dark debris under our eyes that can be pore clogging and cause irritation, she says. Knowing which formulas are truly tubing mascaras can be confusing, but the ingredient list is the first place you should look. Seek out products with propanediol, 10-dimethicone, polysilicon-11, cera alba, or glyceryl stearate to ensure you’re investing in an actual tubing mascara.
Best tubing mascaras, at a glance
How to remove tubing mascara
Part of the irritation from removing mascara comes from harshly rubbing the skin around the eyes with makeup remover to remove the residue from smudging—but since there’s less residue with tubing mascaras, this is greatly reduced. “Tubing mascaras cut out the need for harsh removers that may cause you to tug at the eye area a bit more when cleaning,” Lassien says. The skin around the eyes is sensitive and thinner than on the rest of the body, so this is a softer approach, she says.
To wash off tubing mascara, start off by using warm water or micellar water. Stephen also recommends double cleansing if you want to remove the mascara all in one swoop as you wash your face at night. “Using an oil-based cleanser [like the Ranavat Lotus Cleansing Balm] and following up with your regular cleansing routine will always do the trick,” she says.
For our list of best tubing mascaras, we polled makeup artist for their favorite tubing mascaras, and added in the ones that Glamour editors have tested and loved.
All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
