The first time I ever tried mascara [1] was an unmitigated disaster. I was 13, and gleefully piled on a few coats of one particularly popular drugstore mascara before school. By the time I sat down in first period, my lash line was itchy, red, and irritated. It was clear that the sensitive skin around my eyes wasn't going to tolerate just any formula — I needed something a little gentler.
Since then, I've been searching for the perfect natural mascara [2]: A formula that gave me the long, dark lashes I yearned for, but didn't irritate my sensitive skin. I've found a handful of OK options over the years, but never one I could get excited about.
Enter RMS Beauty Defining Mascara [3] ($28). This non-toxic formula is consistently ranked among the top natural mascaras, so my hopes were high. The morning I set out to test it, I woke up with puffy eyelids and dark circles after a truly terrible night of sleep. Still, this mascara managed to give me that wide-awake, long-lashed look I was hoping for — just see for yourself.
Before Mascara
After adding some light foundation, blush, and brow gel, my skin is looking good — but I still have that undeniably sleepy look in my eyes. This is me regretting that last glass of wine at dinner . . .
After Mascara
I noticed an immediate difference in my overall look as soon as I swept on the first coat of mascara. The blend of beeswax, carnauba wax, sunflower seed oil, and other natural ingredients seemed to glide off the spoolie onto my lashes, but didn't smudge on my brow bone or under eye. After just one coat, my lashes looked longer and beautifully separated, and a second coat created an even more dramatic effect.
The Final Verdict
Even after a full day at the office, I didn't notice any smudging or flaking — two unfortunate side effects I've experienced with other natural mascaras. Best of all, the non-toxic formula didn't irritate my picky, sensitive skin.
When I took off my makeup, it did require a bit more micellar water than usual to fully remove the mascara [4] ($28) — the formula tends to cling to my under eyes a bit more than some other brands. Still, if that's the price of gorgeous, long lashes, I'll gladly pay it.