I wear mascara on a near daily basis, but I avoid waterproof mascara. In my experience, it takes longer to dry than normal mascara, leaving little black smudges all over my eyelids. It also pulls at my eyelashes when I attempt to remove it, maybe even yanking some out in the process. However, in the age of constant mask-wearing, combined with the Midwest winter, my mascara was running down my face five minutes after heading outside.
While I have used the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara for years, their waterproof formula does not work for me at all. Even one coat takes several minutes to dry, and I can’t remove all of it for days, leaving dry and brittle eyelashes. It also does not apply the same way to my eyelashes, lacking the volume and length that I love about the original formula. Because of this, I wear waterproof mascara approximately three times a year. I realized, however, that I could expect to show up to class looking like a raccoon each day if I didn’t find a better alternative.
I’ve heard that the L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara is a dupe for the Too Faced mascara that I love. Conveniently, it’s also available at drugstores, Target and Amazon. At the same time, I decided to invest in the Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover and Cleanser, realizing that my current methods would not effectively remove waterproof mascara.
I’ve now been wearing the L’Oreal mascara every day for two weeks — while walking around campus, snow tubing, late night studying, etc. Although I don’t think this mascara is necessarily a dupe for the Better than Sex mascara in terms of volume or length, it stays on all day. It doesn’t transfer or bleed down my face as soon as I step outside. That said, the best part of this experiment for me was trying this makeup remover. My skin is unbelievably dry in the winter, and the makeup remover is hydrating and non-irritating. If anything, my skin is breaking out less, it effectively removes all of my makeup (including mascara), and it’s incredibly budget-friendly (and currently on sale via Amazon).
I can’t say that after the weather warms up I will convert completely to waterproof mascara, but I definitely will be sticking with this makeup remover as an unintended consequence. I will also be less hesitant to try waterproof mascara on humid summer days. Ultimately, a waterproof mascara should be durable, and this L’Oreal product definitely holds up despite rain, snow, sweat and condensation from masks.