I Finally Found a Mascara That Keeps My Lashes Lifted and Curled All Day
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I can’t remember exactly how I discovered Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High mascara — maybe it was during an early trip to Ulta or an after-school visit to Walgreens — but I consider it one of my oldest and most faithful (product) relationships. The mascara made my eyes pop in high-school homecoming photos, stayed on through post-breakup tears, and kept my lashes long and lifted when I pulled all-nighters in college. Over the years, I’ve flirted with other mascaras — Too Faced’s Better Than Sex, Tarte’s tubing mascara, and Tower 28’s MakeWaves Mascara — but few could keep my stubborn, flat lashes lifted and curled for more than a few minutes, let alone all day. Luckily, Maybelline’s $10 mascara was always there. Then one night this March, I did my usual eye-makeup routine (Maybelline mascara,Stila waterline eyeliner, andThrive Causemetics brow gel) and ended the evening with red, swollen eyes. I’d hoped it was a fluke — I have sensitive skin, after all — but it happened again. Then again.
I was stuck in the first stage of grief — denial — for a while.The culprit couldn’t be my Maybelline, I thought. Over the next few weeks, I tried several new eyeliners and bought a new eyelash curler. I even took a break from eye makeup altogether. Still, the puffy eyelids persisted whenever I put on mascara. On Reddit,rumors have been circulatingabout a Lash Sensational reformulation. “Ok I’m not going crazy!!! i’ve been using this mascara for years but i feel like it’s not giving what it used to,” one user wrote. I wondered if that’s what caused my allergic reaction. (When I reached out to Maybelline, a representative told me the mascara hadn’t been reformulated.)
With no choice but to move onto stage five, acceptance, I went on a hunt for a new brown mascara (the shade I usually go for) that wouldn’t make my lashes droop after five minutes. I scoured mascara guides across the internet and chat rooms with people“desperate for a mascara that will hold a curl”and set my hopes onRefy’s Lash Sculpt mascaraandGlossier’s Lash Slick mascara. Despite my usual eyelash-curling routine (a few presses at the top, middle, and base of the lashes until it looks like I got a lash lift), both mascaras left my lashes flat in just a few minutes.
I was ready to give up and live my life with swollen eyes for the sake of lifted lashes until I remembered a black mascara from K-beauty brand Neogen Dermalogy that I’d tried ata previous job. It made my lashes look so good that someone once asked if I had gotten lash extensions. Over the years, I switched to brown mascara, so I relegated it to my backup makeup bag and occasionally checked to see if the brand had released it in brown. I checked again on a whim and was surprised to see a new brown tube that was also available on Amazon. When I swiped it on for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the brown formula that matched my lashes perfectly — and they stayed lifted and curled until I removed it later that night. At last, my hunt was over.
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The mascara has adeceivingly thin metal wandthat can coat my lashes in product in just a few swipes. (I’ve noticed similar wands at other Asian beauty brands likeJudydollandCanmake.) I typically dip the wand back into the tube to do my second eye, but with the Neogen, I don’t need to; the wand holds enough product to do both eyes. I’d credit the wand for the lack of clumps, too. Ever since it arrived, my eyelids have been allergic-reaction-free, and my eyelashes have stayed lifted and curled through reformer Pilates workouts and afternoon naps. It’s not waterproof, but I’ve never had problems with it running or smudging. That also makes it easy to take off: Somecleansing balmormicellar wateranddisposable cotton padsstrip my lashes of the product.
I wish the mascara were cheaper — nothing compares to Maybelline’s $11 price — but I’ll be restocking Neogen’s mascara going forward. Luckily, I’ve been using this tube since April, and it’s showing no signs of drying up or running out.
More mascaras we like
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I use this black version when going to downtown bars with friends.
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Our favorite mascara "lengthens, volumizes, lifts, and curls each tiny hair," one contributor says.
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Jessel Taank prefers this drugstore mascara to others from Chanel and Saint Laurent.
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A vegan, all-natural mascara that's infused with mamey and avocado oils to support lashes’ growth.
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“It fans out my lashes, adds length, and is buildable without causing any clumps," our writer says.
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Colorful mascara from Half Magic, the brand founded by Euphoria’s makeup artist, Donni Davy.
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