15 Best Tubing Mascaras for Smudge-Free Nights
As your beauty besties, we consider ourselves lash aficionados. If you’re unfamiliar, tubing lashes are anti-smudge because they’re actually made with polymers that wrap around each individual lash.
Added bonus? They have the staying power of waterproof mascara without the use of aggressive makeup remover at the end of the day. And, since they wrap around each individual lash, tubing mascara actually has the ability to make your lashes look longer upon application. When you gently rub off the mascara with warm water at the end of the day, you can actually see the lash fibers created by the mascara coming off before your eyes.
Tubing mascara “is typically long wearing, stays put, easily builds volume, and is easy for removal,” explains Nick Lujan, makeup artist and Global Director of Artistry and Education for Kevyn Aucoin. “When applied, a tubing mascara coats and envelopes the lash, all the way around, forming a tube the same shape as your eyelash.” As TikTok has proven, these flake-free tubing mascaras can be removed with water—that’s it!
If you want to top off your eye makeup with luscious lashes from dawn to dusk, keep scrolling for the best tubing mascaras!
Meet the Expert
Nick Lujan is a makeup artist and Global Director of Artistry and Education for Kevyn Aucoin. Lizzo and Kim Petras are just a couple of the celebrities they’ve worked with throughout their lonspanning career.
Pilar DeMann is a makeup artist born in LA and now based in Connecticut and runs Pilar BLLaC.
1. Best Overall:
BLINC Original Tubing Mascara
If you grab just one mascara off of this list, let it be this one. The reason we like this formula is because it seriously doesn’t smudge at all. Even some of the best tubing mascaras claim to be smudge-free, but this formula stays put all day and night long.
2. Best Curling Mascara:
TARTE Tartlette Tubing Mascara
This product is another one of our favorite tubing mascaras—it seriously takes lashes to new heights. We love it because it instantly curls lashes without having to use an eyelash curler. It has minimal flakage and is able to stay put on lashes, even while dancing the night away.
3. Best Volumizing:
KEVYN AUCOIN The Volume Mascara
It’s 2023 and the only drama we crave comes from our lashes. Try this major multitasking mascara that volumizes, lengthens, and conditions all at once. Infused with jojoba oil to keep your eyelashes soft and shiny, this longwear, tubing formula will leave you with thicker, more defined lashes in mere minutes that will stay put—you won’t even need to reach for eyeliner if you don’t want to. Our trick to applying it? “You have to build your lashes one side at a time while the formula is wet,” says makeup artist Pilar DeMann. “This Kevyn Aucoin formula is much lighter and finer. Just a different look.”Fans of the mascara also rave about how easy it is to remove the long-lasting formula at the end of the day.
4. Best Budget Option:
ESSENCE COSMETICS Bye Bye Panda Eyes
You don’t have to break the bank to score enviable, smudge-free lashes that last all day without clumping or flaking. Added bonus: it’s vegan, paraben-free, oil-free, and won’t give you panda eyes. “This mascara totally lives up to its name for me,” says one review. “No black smudges under my eyes at the end of the day. It lasts all day and is the perfect amount of volume while maintaining good definition.”
5. Best Curling:
SURRATT BEAUTY Relevee Mascara
If you have straight lashes, reach for this curling formula that lengthens and defines without the use of an eyelash curler. Bonus: It’s also humidity-proof and water-resistant, which means it’ll hold up in any weather. “I have very straight, long, fine lashes and deep set eyes,” says one review. “I’ve searched and searched for a mascara that could do multiple things (hold curl, not transfer, buildable, not clumpy) and this is it.”
6. Best Lengthening Mascara:
M·A·C Extended Play Gigablack Lash
If you’re looking for long lashes that will stay put (for up to 16 hours!), then this best-selling tubing mascara from MAC has you covered. You can thank its mascara wand made up of short, dense bristles that grip and lengthen each lash. It’ll look like you just left a makeup artist’s chair after they’ve applied a set of falsies. Reviews praise the formula because it “doesn’t run” and “comes off easily,” while others love the defined look. “BINGO!! By far this is my favorite mascara! My lashes appear longer, fuller, nicely separated, NO clunking or smearing,” says one fan.
7. Best Drugstore Find:
MAYBELLINE Snapscara
This affordable option delivers stunning volume in a wax-free formula that will leave you with well-defined lashes all day. Forget about clumps and raccoon eyes—simply grab this tube for a smooth application that won’t require rubbing when it’s time to remove your makeup. Reviewers who’ve tried it rave about “how it can be easily removed.” Bonus: It’s ophthalmologist-tested and suitable for contact lens-wearers and those with sensitive eyes. “It added a lot of length to my already long lashes without clumpy volume,” says one review.
8. Best Waterproof Tubing Mascara:
NYX Doll Eye Mascara
This mascara lives up to its name and delivers long, luscious lashes thanks to a nourishing combination of natural oils, nylon fibers, and vitamin E (a major skincare savior), that keeps your lashes soft and shiny. There’s also a volumizing option and a waterproof option, which is perfect for splashing around. “Doll Eye waterproof mascara is the only mascara that doesn't smear or smudge on me. I haven't found any others—even elite brands—that perform as well,” says one review. The coveted product is discontinued at ULTA and NYX, but we’ve linked above to its availability on Amazon (phew!).
9. Best Thickening and Tubing Mascara:
CHARLOTTE TILBURY Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara
If you want voluminous, defined lashes, reach for this nourishing formula that magnifies and adds major definition and volume to your look. It’s made with push-up, lash-lifting polymers and conditioning keratin that creates a thicker look and feel. It’s like a lash conditioning treatment and mascara all in one. Bonus: It’s also paraben-free, sulfate-free, and gluten-free. “Lifts, lengthens and thickens. Fantastic,” says one review.
10. Best Long-Wearing Formula:
CLINIQUE Lash Power™ Mascara Long-Wearing Formula
Looking for a mascara that can keep up with your lifestyle? Look no further than this innovative formula that delivers 24 hours of smudge-proof wear. It’ll outwear whatever you encounter throughout the day and night—sweat and tears don’t stand a chance. “Best one on the market for staying power,” says one review. “It stays on all day, doesn't smudge or flake, and is waterproof,” says another.
11. Best for Short Lashes:
DHC Mascara Perfect Pro Double Protection
Bid adieu to short lashes for good when you reach for this nourishing formula made with powerful polymers and potent beeswax that lengthen and strengthen. It coats using a flexible wand that can reach the smallest of lashes to ensure each strand gets the glam treatment, no matter how tiny. “I have sparse eyelashes. This is perfect for me. No clumping, no raccoon eyes. It glides over my sparse lashes and makes my baby blues pop,” says one review. “It makes my lashes look twice as thick and longer than most other mascaras,” says another.
12. Best Tubing Formula for Working Out:
BENEFIT COSMETICS BADgal Bang! Mascara
Looking for mascara that’ll stay put during a sweat sesh? Reach for this smudge-proof formula that can withstand heat and humidity, leaving you with voluminous lashes that won’t budge, regardless of the weather. This long-lasting formula—a staple at Sephora—is so reliable it’s the mascara of choice for a firefighter in Texas, who was impressed with the way it held up on the job. “Not only did this mascara not get flaky and get under my contacts or irritate my eyes, but it did not run or make too big of a mess after having my SCBA mask on and sweating like crazy,” she says.
13. Best TikTok-Famous Tubing Mascara:
L’ORÉAL PARIS Double Extend Beauty Tubes™
If TikTok says it, it must be true. This dual-sided tubing mascara is considered a holy grail product on social media for a reason. Featuring a nourishing base coat on one end, and an ultra-lengthening tube top coat on the other, the product aims to provide extension-level lashes and all-day wear. One reviewer raved: “Double Extend gives me non-sticky, smudge-free wear and the easiest removal of any mascara I’ve ever tried. I’m loyal forever. Never stop making this, L’Oréal! I beg of you!”
14. Best Luxe Tubing Mascara:
KOHGENDO Maifanshi Long Lush Treatment Mascara
If you want something functional that also makes a splash on your beauty counter, this is it. You’ll never go wrong with premier J-beauty brand KohGenDo, and the high-quality, non-fiber formula of this multipurpose lash definer will take your flutters to new heights (literally!). As one reviewer put it: “I do my makeup around 6am and take it off around 11pm. This mascara lasts ALL day! I don't get any fallout throughout the day and it looks as beautiful in the morning as it does at night. Totally worth the [$59] price!”
15. Best for versatility:
EM COSMETICS Pick Me Up Volume + Length Mascara
If you’re looking for the multihyphenate of tubing mascaras, you’ve come to the right place. This volume-building, lash-extending, long-wearing mascara comes by way of veteran beauty influencer Michelle Phan (so you know it’s got major power behind it). Its rich black pigment lasts all day and it doesn’t flake, smudge or run, while the infusion of provitamin B, hyaluronic acid, rice extract, and tsubaki help nourish and condition. The dramatic end result? Soft, flexible, statement-making lashes that stand out from day to night!
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