If you're wondering, “what is tubing mascara?” you're likely already familiar with the product's lash-lengthening benefits. Tubing mascara is beloved by beauty buffs and pros alike for it's buildable polymer formula, which wraps around lashes like a tube to provide extra length with no smudging.
It's an especially great option for people with oily eyelids and sensitive eyes and easier to remove than traditional mascara, which is made of waxes and oils.
Kasha Lassien, a celebrity makeup artist, recommends tubing mascara for its durability and uses it on shoots where the talent will be underwater, sprayed, crying, or sweating. “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 Lassien.
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Editorial makeup artist Jasmin Winnie Stephen agrees, adding that she likes to use tubing mascaras on short lashes to add length.
As for how tubing mascara works? Each coat deposits a layer of polymers that wraps around each lash. According to Lassien, the polymers are smudge-resistant, which means you won't get as much residue underneath or around the eyes over time. “Regular mascaras can leave behind dark debris under our eyes that can be pore clogging and cause irritation,” Lassien says.
To remove tubing mascara, Lassien recommends using warm water or micellar water. She also says to avoid any harsh rubbing or tugging, which can cause irritation. Since the polymers from tubing mascara come off easier, you can be much more gentle with the skin around your eyes, which is thinner and more sensitive than other parts of your face.
“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.
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Stephen suggests the double cleansing method to remove all your tubing mascara in one fell swoop. “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.
If you're shopping for tubing mascara but confused about your options, you'll want to look for ingredients like propanediol, 10-dimethicone, polysilicon-11, cera alba, or glyceryl stearate.
Not in the mood to go ingredient-hunting? Glamour did the work for you by finding the best tubing mascaras to try now:
