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Instead of the usual waxes and dyes, they coat each lash in a quick-drying polymer tube
I haven’t written about new tubing mascaras in ages, so scarce are they. But the hoo-ha surrounding Hourglass’ Unlocked Instant Extensions, and the woeful disappearance of NYX’s Doll Eye, caused me to revisit. Tubing formulations are unconventional mascaras designed for serial smudgers (if you’re one of us, you’ll know that sinking feeling as you enter a ladies’ room and catch sight of the fuzzy black track marks underlining both eyes, moment of onset unknown). Instead of the usual waxes and dyes, they coat each lash in a polymer tube, drying quickly and staying securely in place until warm water causes them to swell and slide off before bed.
The classics of the genre (Kevyn Aucoin’s The Volumizing, Estée Lauder’s Double Wear, Clinique’s Lash Power, Blinc) all remain excellent, but I want to share some you may not yet know. The new Hourglass is an online smash hit, and I broadly approve. The true-black, vegan formula works best when applied in a single sweep, reaching, lifting and separating every last lash with zero clumping. I don’t quite agree that it passes for extensions, personally, but my lashes are wilfully stumpy. It’s pricey, but lashes feel soft, eyes look wide and on me, it stays put. Almost identical, in fact, to Surratt’s lovely Relevee (£28) except that the Hourglass isn’t constantly out of stock. Continue reading...