Mascara, Ive learned in my years as a beauty editor, is one of the most (if not themost) polarizing beauty products. Some people swear by the volume-blasting powers of Too Faced Better Than Sex; others remain devoted to the drama they can only find with Diorshow; and then there are the steadfast Maybelline Great Lash lovers who wont venture outside the drugstore realm.
Mascara is the product people seem to obsess over most, evangelize once they find their perfect formula, and have completely, totally opposite preferences for. Even by beauty editor standards, Im insanely picky about mine.
In fact, throughout most of my makeup-wearing years, Ive found only one mascara I really, truly love. (And Ive tried basically all of em. ) Marc Jacobs Feather Noir Skinny Lash – which Ive waxed poetic about it on this very site before – checks every box on my very specific mascara check list.
But now, it finally has an equal: Glossier Lash Slick.
The millennial-bait brands fans have been clamoring for a mascara for some time now; the same crew that hoards Boy Brow often takes to social media with pleas for Glossier to create a lash-boosting equivalent. Now, let me first say that I (unlike seemingly every other person on the planet) am not a huge fan of Boy Brow. But Im head-over-heels in love with Lash Slick, which launched Wednesday on the brands website.
Given that mascara is so subjective, your ideal formula might be completelydifferent from mine. And thats cool! But just for a frame of reference, my mascara prioritiesare as follows: I want tons of length, lots of separation and definition, a flexible finish that doesnt flake, crumble or smudge and a nonirritating formula that wont leave my sensitive eyes red and blotchy. It also shouldnt have a scent (who needs their eye lashes to be perfumed? This phenomenon baffles me).
I care less about volume, because I generally find that “volumizing” formulas are the gloppy ones that get clumpy and turn stiff and glue-y once they dry. It should set in about 30 seconds, so theres time to fuss with each lash as needed, but it doesnt leave me exaggeratedly vulnerable to the dreaded and inevitable post-mascara sneeze. It should be long-lasting, but not waterproof, since I like to be able to remove my makeup without simultaneously creating crows feet or pulling out all my lashes. The brush should be unassuming and fairly slim, so I can get all up in my lash line and really coat each hair. And most of all, it should make my lashes look like they are real, human ones that just so happen to be insanely long and perfect.
Lash Slick, like my beloved Marc Jacobs mascara, accomplishes every single thing on this list. I love it so much that I actually took a rare selfie (below) because it had my lashes looking that good.
It me, wearing my new favorite mascara.
The formula – which supposedly took Glossier 248 tries to get right – is shiny and super black. Its spiked with biotin to strengthen lashes and flexible polymers that give it a finish “like an extra-strength hair gel,” according to the press release. (And confirmed by my lashes. ) The brush, a rubbery tapered comb rather than a standard spoolie, is perfectly grabby, catching even the tiniest hairs to give them a healthy coat of product.
In conclusion: Glossier mascara is finally here, and its very, very good.
Lash Slick is available at Glossier. com beginning on Wednesday and will retail for $16.
