Tube It

They told her, "Don't you ever come around here
Can't see your lashes, they just disappear"
The flakes are in their eyes and their discomfort's really clear
So tube it, just tube it

Your mascara better not run, you better do what you can
Don't wanna see no streaks, don't be a raccoon woman
You wanna be tough, better do what you can
So tube it, but you wanna be bad

Just tube it, tube it, tube it, tube it
No one wants to be defeated
Taking off mascara shouldn't be a fight
It doesn't matter, it can't stay on all night

Just tube it, tube it

That is probably the only mention you will hear of M.J. on here...I was actually sadder about Farrah, maybe I'll post a tutorial for her hair. I just thought the song was fitting.

What I am talking about is L'Oreal's Double Extend Beauty Tubes mascara. This product is L'Oreal's version of Blinc's Kiss Me mascara that has been raved about by the beauty community for years but is basically impossible to find and ridiculously expensive. The basis here is that the mascara forms little tubes around your lashes rather than coating them, which are removed with warm water and friction. This essentially makes the product waterproof until you are ready to remove it (although, say you are in the pool and you get splashed, you will need to PAT your eyes with the towel versus rubbing your eyes). This mascara is more expensive than what I am used to, around $12 Canadian. This really is the going rate for a lot of drugstore products now but I typically pick up the latest Maybelline on sale for under $10. However, I replace my mascara every six months so it's not a huge deal.

Does it work? Yes. Yes, it does. It does not come off until you take it off, and removal is fairly easy, with no eye-stinging makeup remover or anything like that. I actually have no fault to find aside from the price tag, and the fact that I bought black by accident and I usually get whatever is darkest (very black, blackest black, midnight black, glamour black, you get the idea). You put a white fiber primer on first and I think a darker shade would have been more effective in covering the primer since I tend to be light handed in application. This mascara does not flake, is shiny, does not clump (as long as you don't try to put another coat on after it's dry), has easy removal, does not run, and you can get two different looks depending on whether you use the primer or not. I know you can get the more dramatic look with multiple coats, but I find the primer very nice to have around to use with coloured mascaras. Prelightening with the white base helps them to show up on my naturally dark lashes, and we all know that coloured mascaras don't do much at all besides colour, so it gives that extra oomph. This is the best performing mascara I have ever used.

There is a slight downside that isn't a fault per se. The original Kiss Me mascara was a very definite daytime mascara, my-lashes-but-better look. L'Oreal has tried to make up for this formulation issue by including the primer. But it doesn't quite cut it. The primer helps add length, but that's it. There is no volume to be seen from this product. I have been blessed with decent lashes, but anyone with sparse hairs should look elsewhere. You will also never get a dramatic evening look. The last mascara I reviewed, Maybelline Collossal, was great for this but flaked, as is to be expected when you are gooking that much product on your lashes.

Final verdict: outstanding mascara, but drama must be found elsewhere.