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15 best tubing mascaras for smudge-proof lashes – Tested & reviewed 2025
Fluttery lashes, no panda eyes in sight....
You might have started hearing a lot about tubing mascaras recently, or maybe you have seen them cropping up during your beauty browsing IRL and URL. If you don't know exactly what that means, there's no need to feel shy, we're here to explain everything you need to know about the buzzy mascara type, what the benefits are, and which ones are worth your coin. XXL, smudge-proof lashes here you come...
What is tubing mascara?
Suzie Gee, makeup artist and LOOKFANTASTIC Beauty Pro, tells Cosmopolitan UK in the simplest terms:
"A tubing mascara is a mascara formula where polymers create little tubes by sealing themselves around each individual lash - hence the name 'tubing' mascara. The best way to explain this is to imagine a little sock which sits on each individual eyelash," she says.
What are the benefits of tubing mascaras?
As well as a really natural finish, tubing mascaras have a reputation for being smudge-proof, something that will appeal to all who battle panda eyes and smudgy lower lashes.
Suzie explains why tubing mascaras behave differently from classic mascaras when it comes to running or smudging: "Fibre mascaras can react with the oils on your skin and break down, causing smudging – especially if you are an oilier skin type. Tubing mascaras, however, can only be removed with warm water – so they are much less likely to smudge and typically last a lot longer and keep their shape."
How we tested
Whenever I test a new mascara, I’ll wear each one for a minimum of several hours, but ideally for a full day or evening out and about. This means I can observe if there’s any flaking or smudging, as well as seeing how close to looking like it’s just been applied. These mascaras were also put through the wringer because I tested a lot of them during a lil’ UK heatwave when the pollen (and my hay fever) were RIFE. Removal-wise, I followed the general tubing mascara removal process of soaking off with a warm, wet cotton round and, sometimes, a bit of makeup remover if necessary.
Best tubing mascaras to buy now
Too Faced Ribbon Wrapped Lash Mascara
Pros
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Expensive
This is an elite lengthening mascara and legit one of my favourite tubing formulas ever. The tip of the brush is also covered in ‘spikes’, meaning you can catch inner and lashes head on. There’s a nice hint of volume and it’s one of the best tubing mascaras for length ever, IMO. Sorry, Better Than Sex Mascara who?
Pros
- Affordable
Cons
- Can flake a bit
Who doesn’t love a bit of e.l.f.? That’s a rhetorical question, bc nobody we know. This adds a nice, balanced touch of both volume and length, making it a good all-rounder if you just want to zhush up your natural lashes – and of course it comes with the affordable e.l.f. price tag we know and love. The brush is a nice tapered cone, too, meaning it catches inner and outer corner lashes easily.
Pros
- Not pricey
Cons
- Plastic wands aren't for everyone
Another affordable hero, Revolution’s new-ish tubing mascara was on my radar thanks to its nice low price tag (on sale for even less as I write this!) – and didn’t disappoint. The small spikes on the plastic wand make it easy to build fluttery lashes, adding a decent amount of visible length and definition to my naturally sparse ones.
Pros
- Coats every lash
Cons
- Harder to remove than others
This is another great one for layering on just a bit of clump-free length. The formula of Milani’s tubing mascara is quite wet, but the comb is narrow, slightly tapered and long meaning it’s easy to angle it into the roots of the lashes to catch and enhance ‘em all. Although it’s a tubing formula I find the removal is a liiiiiittle smudgier than the usual soak-straight-off situ, but it’s nothing your go-to best cleanser won’t be able to handle when you remove the rest of your makeup.
Pros
- Really easy to remove
Cons
- Premium price tag
OK, this girl is definitely the subtlest enhancer of them all for a kind of wispy effect. Future Lash isn’t specifically described as a tubing mascara, but the product description highlights plant-based polymers and water-activated removal, which is as good as. This is ideal for when you want to enhance your lashes just a smidge, for a fluttery and visible effect that’s not extra long or voluminous. If you like understated (but definitely a bit zhushed) lashes, you’ll love.
Delivering intense volume and definition, this tubing mascara has a genius formula infused with nourishing hemp seed oil to make lashes soft and conditioned all day while wearing and leave your lashes healthier and happier over time too. Combined with how easy it is to wash away tubing mascaras, be prepared for your strongest lashes ever.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara - 01 Black
I mean... do I even need to begin singing this viral sensation's praises? That use of sensation wasn't even deliberate which shows it's true. #SkyHighMascara has 1.2B+ views on TikTok. It's loved by all for a reason and will give even the stumpiest of lashes (mine) some fluttering length.
Are you after multiplied, thicker, fanned-out-looking lashes that last all day (and night)? Well, look no further than to Charlotte Tilbury's latest offering, Exagger Eyes. After all, CT mascaras have never let us down in the past.
The formula itself is thicker than its shelfmates but hey, it is for those wanting an exaggerated – yet still not clumpy or flaky – look! Plus, with a curved bristle brush, you're able to coat each and every eyelash with ease – even those pesky inner corner babies. Not one lash goes untouched.
PSA: This is the mascara that's currently in my everyday makeup bag and after using it for a week or two, I can officially say it's a top tubing contender...
Lash slick is the ultimate 'no makeup makeup' mascara. It's not that it doesn't dress up and elongate your lashes, it just looks sooo natural when doing so.
Tarte's tubing offering promises the same lash extension effect and staying power of its peers, but is also infused with lash-conditioning shea butter, castor oil and carnauba wax. Plus, it's vegan.
Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara
If you're a short bristle fan (messy girls I'm looking at you), you'll get on great with Hourglass' Unlocked mascara. It reaches every single hair from the root, applying an even film over the lashes with a defined and fanned finish.
This baby from the enduring fave Boots' brand doesn't smudge or flake all day, come rain, shine or tears. I would know...
This baby will cost you as little as £1.75 in store at Wilko. It does cost a little more to buy online at Amazon, but it's still undeniably an absolute bargain for a tubing mascara from the brand that brought us the beloved viral Lash Princess Mascara. Clump free, smudge-proof, vegan mascara, and change from a tenner? No one can argue with that.
For the innovation junkies, this baby uses a memory hold that the brand call 'Aquaflex' technology, to deliver lengthening, curling and defining that lasts – that still looks natural. It also has a unique "Triple-Wave Wand" made of three flexible suspended bands. The inner band or 'wave' builds up volume, while the longer bristled bands lengthen and define lashes.
With a spiralling wand, this treat from Beauty Pie delivers tubes with the smoothest, glossiest finish, and a lasting hold for your curl.
Members price: £10
Non-members price: £17
How do you know if it's a tubing mascara?
A tubing mascara may not be easily spotted, they don't all shout about it in the product name or description."The main way to tell if a mascara is a tubing mascara is to take a look at the ingredients," says Suzie.
"They have one special ingredient that fibre mascara doesn’t: polymers. If they mention polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone), then you have yourself a mascara that will tube!"Polymer ingredients to look out for include propanediol, 10 dimethicone, polysilicon-11, cera alba, or glyceryl stearate.
If you aren't sure if a mascara you're using is a tubing mascara Suzie has some more insight. "One of the distinctive characteristics is their unique removal process. Tubing mascaras can be removed by gently massaging the lashes with warm water."If your mascara slips off in little socks, you can be sure it's a tubing formula.
Meet the experts
Suzie Gee is an expert makeup artist and Lookfantastic ambassador. She specialises in bridal makeup and creates helpful makeup application content on Instagram.
Why trust us?
Lucy Abbersteen is a freelance beauty journalist and has written for some of the biggest women's lifestyle titles including Cosmo, Marie Claire and Glamour.
Lia Mappoura is the beauty writer at Cosmo UK. Alongside testing newness and celebrity beauty trend spotting, she is a core part of the awards testing process.
Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK, with over four years of experience reporting across the brand's print, social, video and digital platforms. Lia covers everything from emerging trend analysis to viral celebrity hair and makeup moments, making her an expert at spotting the season’s next big beauty look (before it takes over social media feeds).
In 2025, she was named The Rising Media Star at the Love Perfume Awards with The Perfume Shop, recognised for her outstanding digital fragrance content and for building genuine authority within the space. She is passionate about challenging outdated beauty stereotypes, championing inclusive representation in beauty, and educating readers on the trends, products and conversations shaping the industry today. Follow her on Instagram or find her on LinkedIn.
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