Tube Mascara Review

Tube vs. Tube vs. Tube

In my quest for the perfect mascara I've come across 3 tubing mascaras. After trying them all I decided to do a full review* for you. Be sure to check out my video review as well.

In one corner we have what I consider to be the original Tube mascara (I found this one first so it's the original for me). Blinc Kiss Me.

In the next corner we have Too Faced Lash Injection Pin Point.

And in the next corner we have the newest of the bunch, L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes.

I originally discovered Blinc in July of 2008. My manicurist wears it. One day while getting my nails done I noticed how great her lashes looked and asked what mascara she was wearing. She told me it was called Blinc and that it was this new mascara that actually coated your lashes in little tubes. This sounded super cool so I rushed over to Sephora to check it out.

At first it seemed a little weird, but that was simply because as I applied the mascara I could see and feel that something different was going on. On the packaging it tells you that the mascara dries in 2 minutes and that after that you can't apply more. Of course I don't always believe what the directions said so sure enough I waited till it dried and tried to apply more. Didn't work, lashes were already coated. I could visibly see a difference. Not only were they longer but they were shiny and looked different than other mascaras. After touching my lashes and rubbing my eyes (I had to test out their "promise" right?) , I noticed that the lashes themselves felt different. Like they had a coating of some sort, almost plasticy but not in a gross way if that makes sense. It felt like my lashes were protected.
Next came time to wash it off. That was odd at first too because obviously rubbing them didn't cause the mascara to budge and it was waterproof... After rereading the directions and gently trying their recommended approach it worked. Some water and gentle rubbing and sure enough these little "tubes" slid right off. Now to me they don't look like tubes at all, they look more like tiny little black pieces of stringy, wet, eyelash glue (does that make sense?). I'm sure they are tubes but they are just so tiny that I see something else. Either way, it washes off so easily and best of all there is no flaking or clumping which means no irritation to your eyes or contacts. No raccoon eyes either. Once this stuff dries it doesn't come off till you wash it off. The only thing I wish is that the brush had bristles that were closer together and that the primer was more easily available. The formula itself is great and I love that it lasts more than all day (yes I've slept with it on and my lashes still look great the next morning) and that it is gentle enough for my sensitive, contact wearing eyes.

Price: $22-25
Waterproofability: Most definitely
Does it Clump: No
Does it flake or crumble: No
Does it smudge: No
Does it add Volume/Thickness: No, at least not for me
Does it add Length: Definitely
Does it add curl: Yes
Lash separation: Yes but maybe a but too much
Good for sensitive eyes/contact wearers: Definitely
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5. If the brush was better I think I would give it a 5
Would I recommend this: Most definitely, especially if you like waterproof mascara but don't want to damage your lashes.
Blinc Kiss Me Mascara can be found at Sephora (online and in stores), the Blinc website or even Amazon.com


The reality is that I had heard that Too Faced had a tube mascara but I didn't go searching for it, it just kinda came to me. Last Fall (2008) I bought the infamous Lash Stash and the Lash Injection was one of the 10 mini mascaras included. Now maybe its just my tube, but no where on the tube does it say that it coats your lashes in tubes. The reason I found out was when I went to wash it off and noticed that it didn't wash off like regular mascara. It had these weird little chunks that were similar to my Blinc mascara but not full pieces so I was actually confused at first. After I finally got the mascara off I went to Sephora.com to read about this mascara and sure enough, there in their description it says, "Lash Injection Pinpoint's exclusive 3D Polymers build waterproof tubes around each lash." That would have been nice to know before I started thinking that my mascara had turned on me. So that was my first bone (as in bone to pick) with this mascara. It didn't say tubes on the bottle. Once I realize exactly what this mascara was supposed to do I tried it again with a more open mind. Meaning, it had to be applied differently and washed off differently. First (actually second) impression, it has an obvious smell. Not horrible and not totally overwhelming, but its there and noticeable. Love the brush, it has tight bristles that reach and coat all my lashes and it adds some volume and thickness as well as a bit of length but nothing extreme as the tube says.
The bad that I noticed instantly, it flakes and those flakes manage to get into my eyes and irritate my contacts. It also smears/runs a bit when worn on my lower lashes. It does not was off as easily as the Blinc and once again crumbles and gets into my eyes.

Price: $8.50-19.50 based on the size you buy
Waterproofability: Yes
Does it Clump: No
Does it Flake or Crumble: Yes, both
Does it smudge: No, except if worn on bottom lashes and you have eye cream or something else that is not matte, ie: oily skin
Does it add Volume/Thickness: Yes
Does it add Length: Not much
Does it add curl: I didn't notice any
Lash separation: Yes
Good for sensitive eyes/contact wearers: No because it flakes and crumbles
Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5. I don't like the smell or the fact that it flakes and crumbles during the day and when I wash it off.
Would I recommend this: Not really
Too Faced Lash Injection can be found at Too Faced, Ulta or Sephora


If you are a regular reader of my blog or viewer of my YouTube channel you already know that I don't use a lot of "drug store" brands. It's not because I have anything against them or think that they aren't good enough, its simply because I have been wearing makeup long enough to know what products and brands I like and what works for me and my sensitive skin. This doesn't mean that I am opposed to trying new brands or products, after all I can't pass up a deal, but I will admit that 96% of my make up would fall under the "high end" brands. Unless we're talking lipliners then its 96% drugstore :). But I digress... Even though I love Blinc I was still on a mission to find the "perfect" tube mascara, for me. Blinc is almost there but as usual, I wanted more.

Late last year (a lot went on in 2008) I started hearing hype about the new L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara (that's a mouth full!). I was hesitant at first since my only other experience with L'Oreal mascaras was as teen and it caused HORRIBLE irritation to my eyes. We're talking red and bloodshot to the point of looking scary. At first I couldn't find this stuff anywhere, they were constantly sold out. Then one day while roaming around my favorite drug store, Long's, I saw the display. It was new and FULL and the best part, it was BOGO! Now, if you know me at all you know I can't pass up BOGO. For $10.99 I could get TWO of these new cultish items. Of course I didn't need 2 but 1 was FREE so I had to get it. I was so excited. A tube mascara with a primer (I love lash primer if it works well) AND it was cheap in comparison the others and really cheap at the BOGO price. I went home, I made a haul video and could not wait to try it out. First thoughts, great primer but I hate the construction of the overall tube/wand. Too bulky, but nothing to toss it out over. I move on to the mascara. Nice full brush, gets all my lashes, add volume and thickness for sure but the only extra length I saw was a direct result of the primer. Again, not bad. My main bone(s) with this one is that it does flake and crumble, again getting into my eyes and on my contacts and it causes raccoon eyes after I was it off. This happens both during the day and when I wash it off. That alone makes me question just how waterproof it really is. It also washes off strangely. Very easily but almost too easily, so much so that I question their tubing technology.

Price: $9.49 - $12.99 depending on where you buy it
Waterproofability: Yes
Does it Clump: A teeny bit
Does it Flake/Crumble: Yes
Does it smudge: Only after washing it off
Does it add Volume/Thickness: Yes
Does it add Length: Some
Does it add curl: Not noticeably
Lash separation: Yes
Good for sensitive eyes/contact wearers: Not in my opinion
Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5, they need to work on their formulation. Its better than Lash Injection but similar issues.
Would I recommend this: Only if you really want a tube mascara but don't want to pay more than $13 for one
L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes can be found at any drugstore, on the L'Oreal Paris site, Ulta or on Amazon.com


*This review as well as any others on my blog are not influenced by anyone or any company, they are strictly MY personal opinions based on trying the products myself. I do not expect everyone or anyone to agree with me. I am simply sharing information and conclusions that I have come to based on trying an individual product and I hope that somehow it helps someone else.