We Reviewed That Iconic Thrive Causemetics Mascara, Here’s What We Thought

What makes this mascara so great?

Before we dive into our review, let's chat a bit about what sets this mascara apart. For starters, it's 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and made without nasties like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, or synthetic fragrances. It's even infused with emollients like shea butter and castor seed oil to condition the lashes while you wear it. Plus, a proprietary Orchid Stem Cell Complex works as a treatment to promote lash growth with every use. Like all of THRIVE CAUSEMETICS' beauty products, it's a refreshingly clean beauty product that you can feel good about wearing daily.

While some mascara formulas are specifically formulated to either curl, lengthen, or volumize, this one claims it can do all three at once thanks to the brand's unique Flake-Free Tubing Technology. Unlike classic mascara formulas, which use pigment to paint your lashes, tubing mascaras have flexible polymers that wrap around each individual lash to create little mascara "tubes." These tubes make it easy to quickly create impressive length and also prevent any clumping, flaking, or smudging. Tubing mascaras even hold up well in humid weather or sweaty conditions (like a workout class).

THRIVE CAUSEMETICS' innovative tubing technology is also what's responsible for the most enticing claim of all: The brand says this tubing mascara provides results so dramatic, it will actually look like you're wearing false eyelashes.

Here’s what I thought of the THRIVE CAUSEMETICS Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara:

As someone with relatively short, frustratingly straight lashes, most mascara formulas tend to look pretty anti-climatic on me. Most days, I opt for a quick coat of either the MAYBELLINE Great Lash Mascara or, more recently, the L'OREAL Telescopic Mascara (one of the many great beauty recs TikTok has gifted me). Neither provides crazy results, but they darken and lengthen my lashes just enough to make a difference. Given my mostly mediocre experience with mascara, I have to admit that I wasn't expecting shocking results with the Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. However, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The formula went on super smooth, without any initial clumping or smearing. The brush is firm with short bristles, allowing for a lot of control. The results were super visible and quite impressive after just a quick coat. My lashes were definitely darker, much longer, and more pronounced overall. As I continued to add coats, my lashes seemed to grow exponentially.

As the day wore on, this mascara felt really comfortable (in that, I couldn't really feel it at all) and it really did not budge. I often have trouble with mascara giving me dark undereye circles by the afternoon, but it wasn't an issue at all with this mascara. Even after at-home yoga sessions and blistery winter runs, it looked great.

While the mascara does hold up impressively well against humidity and perspiration, it's not totally waterproof, so it does come off easily with warm water. However, as someone who's new to tubing mascaras, the way it came off was surprising to me. Instead of creating the classic raccoon eye-effect that traditional mascaras leave you with after they come into contact with water, this one comes off large, flakey fibers. These fibers are essentially the individual "tubes" detaching from the lashes.

While it's totally safe to remove this mascara with warm water, the removal process can be a bit messy and honestly, sort of shocking if you're not expecting it. The fibers tend to look a lot like actual lashes as they come off. But don't panic, it's not actually damaging or removing any of your natural lashes.

I typically multitask by removing my makeup and mascara while I cleanse with an oil-based cleanser, but when wearing this mascara, I would actually recommend removing this product using makeup remover or warm water and a cotton pad beforeyou cleanse. This will avoid the fibers getting all over your face as you massage the cleanser around.

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I totally understand why this mascara has earned so many beauty accolades and five-star reviews. It creates dramatic length in seconds, it doesn't smudge easily (or at all, really), and I love that it's also a clean, nourishing formula that I can feel good about using often.

For me and my stubborn natural lashes, it didn't necessarily create results so dramatic that it looked like I was wearing false lashes, however, at the end of the day, it still made my lashes significantly longer, nicely separated, and more voluminous than my other two go-to drugstore mascaras. It also helped to darken my lash line overall, which made my eyes look awake without having to also use eyeliner. And as a makeup minimalist, that kind of perk has earned this mascara a new spot on my top shelf.

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