I’ve Tested Out Hundreds of Waterproof Mascaras — Here are My Top 10 Favorites
Fun in the sun, smudging not included.
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With summer comes sweat, dips in the pool, the occasional rain, and maybe some tears — hey, we all cry, there's no shame in it! These are all givens in the warmer months, but one thing we'd rather avoid this season are the inky drips of sweat that run down our faces from our mascara. So, what's the fix to this? A waterproof mascara, of course.
"Conventional waterproof mascaras contain film-former ingredients to make the formula more hydrophobic — meaning that it doesn’t like to be dissolved by water and repels water," says NakedPoppy research scientist Marisa Plescia. However, not all waterproof mascaras actually live up to their claims: Many of them smudge, flake, and fade, while others can cause more harm than good to your precious eyelashes.
"Often these ingredients are synthetic and petroleum based," says Plescia. "Waterproof mascara can also be more drying to your eyelashes and, since it's difficult to remove, may cause damage to your eyelashes due to extra rubbing."
So, because I am the human guinea pig of beauty, I decided to put a bunch of waterproof mascaras to the test (R.I.P. my eyelashes) to see which one is truly the best of the bunch. Check out the crème de la crème below:
Jennifer is the former beauty editor for BestProducts.com, where she’s testing out everything from the latest lip gloss to the craziest skincare trend sweeping the online beauty-verse. Her work has been featured in Allure, Byrdie, HelloGiggles, and more. When she’s not swatching eyeshadow all over her arms, you can find the NYC-based editor scouring for hours on end for vintage finds, eating pad thai, and hanging out with her cat, Chunks.
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