This Volumizing Mascara Doubles As A Clean Lash Serum (& I'm Shocked By The Results)

We expect a lot from our makeup these days. The revolution of functional makeup has forced skin tints to double as sunscreens, under-eye concealers to cosplay as eye creams, and lip plumpers to moonlight as lip balms.

Now the makeover of makeup has come for one of my favorite beauty products: mascara. Colorescience just launched a new mascara formula that doubles as an eyelash growth serum—and it's clinically proven to lengthen, strengthen, and enhance lashes.

First things first, I should warn you that I'm extremely picky about my mascara. I've called mascara my "desert island" beauty product for nearly 15 years, and I'm a true brand loyalist. Once I find a formula that I love, I'm hard-pressed to try anything new.

In fact, the first mascara that I ever loved earned a place in my makeup lineup for a decade. I only replaced it when I wanted to transition to a cleaner alternative (which I then used to nearly three years until a new launch stole its place).

All that to say, I don't take my mascara needs lightly. I prefer a formula that separates and elongates lashes; the effect should be the midway point between falsies and lash extensions.

What's more, I want to be mindful of the plasticizers, mineral oils, and PFAs that are common in most mascara formulas. I typically put any makeup products through the EWG's Skip Deep platform (or individual ingredients if the full product is not available).

The market for functional makeup products is expanding rapidly—but Colorescience didn't just hair growth-promoting prostaglandins to its formula and call it a day.

While topical prostaglandins are the most common ingredient in most eyelash growth serums, they also can cause orbital fat loss1. This gives your under-eyes a sunken, shallow effect that makes dark circles more pronounced.

Colorescience set out to find a more natural way to promote lash length and settled on a blend of peptides and botanicals—including growth-inducing myristoyl pentapeptide-172, strengthening panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), and strengthening burdock root.

These powerful, natural ingredients are delivered in a jet black tubing mascara pigmented with minerals. And yes, I did say tubing mascara. This means the mascara builds polymer tubes around each lash to give a noticeably longer, fuller look.

When I opened the Colorescience Total Lash™ Mascara, my first thought was that the brush was large. It seemed catered to providing full, voluminous lashes—and I didn't think it would be for me.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the brush actually distributed the formula evenly along my lashes. Sure, there was a volumizing effect, but I noticed the lengthening effect more.

The polymers created even, slim tubes rather than clumps of lashes. I found it easy to manipulate the brush to hit every last lash—and the effect was instant.

What's more, the mascara didn't smudge or flake throughout the day. The tubing formula stayed firmly in place until I washed it off with warm water and a cleansing balm at the end of the day.