If you can’t abide by the inevitable 3pm panda eyes aesthetic that most traditional mascara formulas promise, but you’re also over having to scrub your eyes red raw after wearing waterproof mascara, then it might be time to try tubing mascaras.
Beloved by busy individuals who don’t have time for touch-ups, as well as eyelash extension enthusiasts (ahem, Victoria Beckham), tubing mascara is the budge-proof, smudge-proof, flake-proof and easy-to-remove answer to your prayers.
Formulated with a variety of lash-coating polymers, tubing mascaras create literal tubes around each lash hair, which help to define, lengthen, thicken and curl your natural lashes. However, in our opinion, the magic of tubing mascara is most evident after application.
Regardless of how vigorous your daily activities prove to be, you’ll be hard pressed to catch a lash-hugging tubing mascara sweating or spiralling into a mid-afternoon slump, and come cleansing time, those tubes are easily removed from lashes with just a splash of warm water and a gentle massage.
If we’ve won you over with our gushing about tubing mascara (as you can tell, we’re obsessed with the stuff), then keep scrolling to discover the best tubing mascara formulas on the market.
The best tubing mascara 2024
01
Clinique Lash Power Mascara Long-Wearing Formula
from $50 at Sephora
If you have short lashes, then the fine-bristled, slim figure of this mascara wand is about to become your lashes best friend. Coupled with the mascara’s tubing formula, this pick from Clinique promises length and 24 hours of rain, sweat, humidity, tear, smudge and smear-proof wear.
Key features:
- Suitable for short lashes
- 24 hour wear
- Lengthening formula
- Rain, sweat, humidity, tear, smudge and smear-proof
- Unique brush shape reaches even the tiniest lashes
Available at:
- $50 from Sephora
- $50 from Adore Beauty
- $50 from MYER
02
M.A.C Cosmetics Extended Play Gigablack Lash
from $48 at M.A.C Cosmetics
Designed to lift and define lashes from root to tip for up to 16 hours, this long wearing tubing mascara boasts a slender brush that can easily coat and tight-line the lash line. Surviving through the sweatiest and most humid of scenarios…
Key features:
- Lightweight
- 16 hour wear
- Sweat and humidity resistant
- Lifting and defining formula
- Flake and smudge proof
Available at:
- $48 from M.A.C Cosmetics
- $48 from Adore Beauty
- $48 from MYER
03
Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara Volume & Curl Advanced Film
from $19.45 at YesStyle
A J-Beauty classic, Kiss Me Heroine’s innovative advanced film marries the best parts of waterproof and tubing mascara, while possessing the ability to hold a curl in even the straightest of lashes. It’s also water and sebum resistant, making it a great pick for warmer climates and oilier skin types.
Key features:
- Curling and volumising hybrid waterproof-tubing mascara formula
- Suitable for straight lashes
- Water and sebum resistant
- Water, smudge and flake proof
- Washes off easily with cleansing balm or oil
Available at:
- $19.45 from YesStyle
- $23.40 from iHerb
- $24 from Amazon Australia
04
Kevyn Aucoin The Curling Mascara
from $50.95 at Amazon Australia
Kevyn Aucoin is the unofficial Godfather of tubing mascara, with the makeup artist and brand founder bringing the Japanese technology to the west in the ’90s, and we’ll forever be thankful. The brand offers a volumising or curling finish in it’s iconic tubing formula, but we love the lift and definition the latter offers, which is why it’s made this list over its predecessor, the Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara ($53 from MECCA).
Key features:
- Separates, defines, lengthens and curls
- Infused with squalane and jojoba oil to condition, moisturise and encourage lash growth
- Clump free and smudge proof
- Easily removed with warm water
Available at:
- $50.95 from Amazon Australia
- $53 from MECCA
- $61.57 from Catch
05
Victoria Beckham Beauty Vast Lash Mascara
from $56 at Victoria Beckham Beauty
In case you didn’t know, Victoria Beckham is addicted to eyelash extensions, which is probably the most relatable thing about her. However, what separates the multihyphenate from the rest of us, is that she’s used her love of falsies to springboard a revolutionary business idea, and created a mascara that can be worn with eyelash extensions without ruining their longevity. Genius.
Key features:
- Suitable for eyelash extensions
- 12 hour wear
- Smudge, humidity, sweat and flake proof
- Defines and volumises
- Can be gently removed with warm water
Available at:
- $56 from Victoria Beckham Beauty
- $60 from Selfridges
06
MECCA MAX Whip Lash Tubing Mascara
from $26 at MECCA
As if we needed another reason to love MECCA’s affordable and efficacious range of MECCA MAX beauty products. This tubing mascara defines, lifts and lengthens in a flash, and never looks clumpy no matter how many coats you apply.
Key features:
- Defines, lifts and lengthens
- Clump and flake free
- Smudge proof
- Easy to remove
Available at:
- $26 from MECCA
07
MCoBeauty XtendLash Tubular Mascara
from $16.80 at Woolworths
MCoBeauty might be known for duping just about every product under the sun, but it’s the brand’s OG tubing mascara that we think is the most impressive offering in MCo’s product catalogue. The lightweight and glossy formula coats each lash in lifted, lengthening tubes that last all day and rinse off with a splash of warm water.
Key features:
- Lightweight, glossy, lifted and lengthened finish
- Smudge, clump, flake and run proof
- Removes easily with warm water
- Infused with lash conditioning waxes
Available at:
- $16.80 from Woolworths
- $23.99 from Chemist Warehouse
- $25 from Oz Hair & Beauty
How to tell if a mascara is tubing?
As the name indicates, tubing mascara creates tubes around each individual lash hair, these ‘tubes’ can be removed easily with warm water as they slip off of each lash hair. However, if you want to ensure a mascara has a tubing formula without having to try it on first, then all you need to do is take a closer look at the ingredients list; tubing mascaras traditionally contain polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, propanediol, 10 dimethicone, polysilicon-11, cera alba, or glyceryl stearate.
Looking to save money on tubing mascara? Check out our coupon codes for MECCA, Sephora and more.
Related article:
- The Best Drugstore Mascaras For Sky-High, Beautiful Lashes That Won’t Break The Bank
- 6 Gel Eyeliners With marie claire’s Smudge-Proof Stamp Of Approval
- 7 Buildable Brow Pencils For Creating Delicately Defined Arches
Main image credit: @victoriabeckhambeauty
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