This $9 Mascara Is the Secret to My Super Long Lashes
For years my go-to mascaras have been Diorshow Iconic ($30) and Benefit They're Real! ($24). I add in and drop new favorites all the time, but like that addictive Selena Gomez song, I know I always go back to these two because I just haven't found something that quite compares. While 30 bucks isn't cheap, it's less expensive than lash extensions and lifts, so I choose to just suck it up and shut my eyes while I swipe my card.
That is until one day when both of my fave tubes had dried up, and I had to instead grab a random one I'd tossed in my pile of things to try (a perk of being a beauty editor is that you get to test-drive a lot products in the name of work, so @ me if you have any other beauty Q's).
Y'all, I have finally found the mascara dupe of my dreams, and it's only $9. It's called Stowaway Cosmetics Waterproof Lengthening Mascara and here's why it's so, so good.
It's not a heavy formula. Those who curl their lashes know what I mean. The most annoying thing after you've curled your lashes to perfection is when a heavy mascara weighs them down with one coat, ruining all the curling and lifting you just did. I think of this mascara like a "hairspray" for curled lashes. It's so lightweight that it locks the hairs in place exactly how you want them.
The bottle is about half the size of a normal tube of mascara. This might sound like a downside, but it's actually a bonus. Because of the smaller size, you'll finish the product before the formula starts to clump and dry out or before it gets too old and not safe to use. Each tube is 3.5 in. tall and 4 grams in weight, which should last you three months of daily use (according to the website), and is about when you should toss your mascara anyway. In short, you're not wasting any product or money and you're saving yourself from a possible eye infection. Win-win!
The slim silicone brush is comparable to the applicators of my other favorite mascaras. It's not a big fluffy brush, which I like because I have smaller eyes and need something not quite as big.
It is waterproof, BUT it comes off easily with remover. You don't have to sacrifice a few lash hairs trying to scrub it off, and you also don't have to worry about it running down your face if you stop by the gym on the way home.
It doesn't smudge or flake. I wore it through the heat wave of summer '18 and during the sweatiest workout class I've taken in my life (Rumble), and even though I looked a mess, my lashes were living their best life.
The formula is paraben-, pthalate-, gluten-, and cruelty-free and vegan.
My final thoughts: I've been using the mascara for the last two months and I'm just as happy with it now as I was the first time I tried it.
That's not to say I won't ever go back to my two prestige favorites (gotta treat yourself sometimes), but I'm happy that I've found the perfect affordable dupe for my expensive habit.
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