Tubing mascara: why it does not smudge, why it slides off with warm water, and who should choose it

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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.

tarte tartelette tubing mascara

Two of Amazon's top ten beauty sellers this week are versions of this mascara. It is a "tubing" mascara, and it works differently from the mascara most people grew up with.

Painting versus wrapping

A regular mascara coats lashes in a layer of pigment, wax and oil. Oils from your skin, tears and heat soften that layer during the day, which is how mascara ends up smudged under the eyes by the afternoon.

A tubing mascara uses film-forming polymers that set around each lash as a tiny, flexible tube. Once set, the tube does not soften with skin oil the way regular mascara does, so it resists smudging and flaking. The listing describes 24-hour wear that is flake-free, smudge-proof and sweatproof.

Why it comes off with warm water

The other half of the trick: those tubes are made to loosen with warm water and gentle pressure. At night, you press a warm, damp cloth or your fingertips over closed eyes for a few seconds, and the tubes slide off the lashes in little sleeves. No oil-based remover, no rubbing, and no black streaks. The listing describes it as easy to remove.

That makes tubing mascara a good choice for anyone who finds removing waterproof mascara a nightly battle. We have explained why waterproof makeup needs an oil-based remover in a waterproof setting spray.

The brush and the rest

The listing describes a 360-degree comb-style brush with 296 bristles to separate and fan the lashes, and a formula with shea butter, castor oil and carnauba wax. It is vegan, according to the listing.

Who it suits

Anyone whose mascara smudges by midday, oily eyelids, watery eyes, humid weather, and anyone who wants a long-wearing look without waterproof mascara's removal. It is also a gentle option for anyone who rubs their eyes hard to take makeup off.

Tips

Start at the roots and wiggle up, and build in thin layers; tubing formulas set quickly, so a second coat goes on best before the first is fully dry. Do not pull the tubes off dry lashes — always use warm water — or you risk taking lashes with them.

What it will not do

It will not give the dramatic, clumpy volume of some heavier mascaras. It will not survive swimming the way a waterproof mascara might, since warm water is exactly what loosens it. And it will not come off with a cold-water splash.

For a washable, lengthening alternative, see Maybelline's Sky High.

The product

A smudge-resistant tubing mascara that slides off with warm water, one of Amazon's top beauty sellers this week, sold by Amazon when we checked.

The one people are searching for is the tarte tartelette tubing mascara.

tarte tartelette tubing mascara

We do not print prices here, because a price we typed last month is a price that is wrong today.

Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.