Long, dark eyelashes were never in the cards for me. Towhead as a child and sparsely lashed through adolescence, I am no stranger to the coaxing charms of a mascara aisle. And while it would be dishonest to purport that subtle pangs of jealousy don’t arise when I clock an abundant set of fluttering lashes (babies included), there remains a certain freedom that comes with embracing the hand you’ve been given. Besides, I’m much more concerned with skin care and hardly wear makeup at all.
This line of thinking was all well and good until I got engaged and the harsh reality set in that a “natural” makeup look would, in fact, require actual makeup. I made the call that I’d be doing my own makeup and that a waterproof mascara would be required. (What can I say? She’s a crier!) After determining that brown mascara would better flatter my blue eyes and fair skin than a black formula, I almost immediately ran into a surprising obstacle: waterproof brown mascaras? Not easy to find!
In a serendipitous twist of fate two weeks out from my wedding, I spotted what would become the hero of my cosmetics case: Tower 28’s MakeWaves Mascara in—drumroll, please—a water-resistant shade of espresso brown. As I waited for the high-stakes tube to arrive at my doorstep, I wondered whether it would be too good to be true. Dear reader, it was not.
This mascara hit all the marks. First and foremost, I have sensitive skin that’s prone to redness, and sometimes teeny styes appear on my lash line when wearing mascara. (I know, not cute.) Tower 28’s formula is safe for sensitive eyes and caused me zero irritation when I wore it. It’s also astonishingly easy to wash off at the end of the day.
Unlike other brown mascaras I tested, with tacky formulas that made my lashes stick together, Tower 28’s slicks on effortlessly and offers real definition. (I think it’s down to the wand, which is slim and slightly curved for easy application.) This proves crucial for defining inner and outer lashes with precision without looking too overdone. Lastly, the specific shade of brown is rich and can be layered up for occasions that call for it (e.g., nuptials).
When the morning of my wedding finally arrived and I sat down to apply my makeup, a sense of calm washed over knowing I needn’t worry about my mascara. My eyes would pop enough for pictures, but I’d still look like myself. Pardon the hyperbole, but I dare say this mascara saved my wedding day. And, unsurprisingly, it is now a permanent fixture in my beauty bag.
