I Tried 8 New Tubing Mascaras. These Were the Best Ones.

I get excited anytime a drugstore brand releases a new formula, and that was the case when Covergirl launched its first-ever tubing mascara last November. Thanks to the wand’s short bristles, it glided on my lashes without clumping, but the formula itself was too wet. It weighed down my lashes, and there were a couple instances where I’d blink and black smudges of the mascara would end up under my eyes (not ideal). To get around this, I’d fan out my eyes right after application to make sure my lashes fully dried. This worked, but also added an extra unnecessary step to my makeup routine. So while the mascara was non-clumping and washed off easily, it didn’t quite cut it for me.

On the other end of the spectrum, Kulfi’s formula was too dry for my liking. Thankfully, there was no smudging, but this came with its own set of issues. Applying the mascara went well. The brush has small, spiky bristles similar to Covergirl’s, and I appreciated the extra bristles around the tip to get into the corners of the eyes. I did notice how dry right out of the tube this formula was. It didn’t clump, and it added length to my lashes, but it added noticeably less volume compared to the other mascaras — not a deal breaker for me, though. But a couple hours later, I saw little flakes of mascara had fallen from my lashes. The lengthening was there, but the longevity was not.

Stila’s tubing mascara came out last July, and I had high hopes after applying it. It felt like the Goldilocks formula compared to Covergirl and Kulfi’s; I was able to apply multiple coats without it weighing down my lashes and it dried within minutes. It’s supposed to be smudgeproof andsweatproofand last up to 24 hours, so I made sure to test those claims. I applied it on an unseasonably warm winter day in Texas (upper 70s out) and went for a walk at the park. When I got home, my face was slightly dewy and, unfortunately, there was some smudging under my eyes. On days I was less active, it stayed in place, but the fact that it couldn’t live up to its sweatproof claims was an issue for me.

Grande Cosmetics’s tubing mascara was a formula that went on perfectly well. Like Kulfi, it has a wand with spiky bristles all around the tip for easy application, and I could brush on multiple coats without clumps. I was really happy with the length and volume; my lashes didn’t look too spidery nor too dramatic for an everyday look. I didn’t have any smudging or flaking with this formula. It lasted all day without any fallout. My only issue was that it didn’t hold a curl as well as some of my favorites mentioned later. I’d have to recurl my lashes a couple times throughout the day. I could see this working really well for someone with more naturally curled lashes, but it didn’t hold my pin-straight lashes.

Urban Decay’s volumizing Perversion mascara used to be one of my go-tos when I needed a going-out eye look, so I was excited to try out its version of a tubing mascara. While this isn’t a total deal breaker, the packaging itself was lackluster for UD, especially compared to their other products I’ve tried. That aside, the formula went on very clean. I was able to swipe it on multiple times without any clumping or fallout, but I noticed my lashes weren’t as lengthened as they were with Grande’s or with my favorites. I think because Perversion does so well on its volumizing claims, I was expecting Tube Job to deliver as impressively on its lengthening claims. Overall, it’s a good mascara and is easy to rinse off, but it just didn’t lengthen as much as the other formulas.

Essence, which makes ourbest overall mascara, released a new tubing formula last October. This is the first I’ve tried from the brand, and I was initially really impressed. I was able to apply it as easily and cleanly as any of the more luxury formulas — no flakes or clumps — and it stayed on all day long. My lashes stayed lifted and lengthened, but my issue with this one came at the very end. Instead of slipping right off with warm water in nice tubelike clumps, I had to put in a little elbow grease and use an oilcleanserto fully remove the formula. While everything else was up to par (a big surprise given its $5 price tag), this was ultimately why I couldn’t deem it one of my favorites.

UKLash was another brand I was less familiar with, but I got a pitch for its new tubing mascara in September last year. It was one of the first that stood out to me because it performed just as well as myThrive Causemeticsgo-to. Its formula was quick-drying and non-clumping, even after lots of swipes. I’m especially impressed with its buildability. One swipe achieves a natural everyday look and a couple more gives me a dramatic eye. This isn’t typical or expected of a tubing mascara, but much appreciated, since it makes it a lot more versatile than the other mascaras. I’ve worn it all throughout a workday and into a dinner out without having to reapply or recurl. There was no smudging, flaking, or straightening of my lashes. And at the end of the day, it washes off easily with just some warm water. Because of that, it’s earned a spot in my regular rotation.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Too Faced’s mascaras (Better Than Sexwas my intro into more luxury mascaras), so I had slightly higher expectations for its tubing formula. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. I picked up a travel-size version of the mascara, and even that was easy to apply, since the wand was covered in small spiky bristles. It went on evenly and separated my lashes in a way that made them look more fanned out. While it didn’t create as dramatic of an eye as the UKLash, that wasn’t a complete knock for this formula. I was still able to build it up to a look with slightly more volume than just a natural everyday look. What really set this one apart was how long-lasting it is. I applied this in the morning one day, went on a six-mile run after work, and came home without any fallout whatsoever. While I had sweated off most of my makeup, that wasn’t the case for my mascara. But when I went to wash my face, the tubes slipped off my lashes easily. Somehow, Too Faced managed to make a better Better Than Sex mascara, and it’s replaced one of my longtime favorites.