Like many people, my beauty routine has changed quite a bit in the last six months. Gone are the days of reapplying lip gloss [1] several times a day (in public!) and long gone are the days when I aimlessly roamed the aisles of Sephora [2] trying anything that caught my eye with barely a second thought. Not only that, now I find myself even more obsessed with finding the perfect palette [3] right from home . . . because testing eyeshadows is my new idea of a fun Friday night [4].
Since eyes are the feature most people see [5] these days, the fact that I haven't had eyelash extensions all year [6] make my short, brittle lashes [7] stand out even more (or quite the opposite) when I look in the mirror. Of course, I've got a regular rotation of bold, jet-black mascaras [8], but those waterproof formulas are a bit more trouble than they're worth for a Zoom meeting or a grocery-store run. After all, taking them off usually requires an extra makeup remover [9], and it results in a few sad hairs left on the cotton swab each time I'm done. (It also probably leads to my aforementioned dry lashes.)
Still, since picking up a tube of the new Kosas mascara, I've worn it every single day for the last two weeks. What I love most about this product is not as much a look as it is a feeling (and that feeling is good), and I'm going to explain exactly why ahead.
Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara Details
The main reason I opt for extensions [10] has to do with the length of my natural lashes, but I also like getting fullness while leaving the hair completely bare. No matter which mascara I try (and, trust me, I've tried a lot [11]), there's always a visible change in texture. In fact, if not for the oft-intimidating application process [12], I'd even put false lashes [13] above mascara (since I'm also not a fan of smudges on my glasses or under my eyes at the end of the day).
But the ingredients in Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara [14] ($26) quickly caught my eye and sounded way more like a special treatment than a traditional one. I actually recognized several of the ingredients from my hair care products: Castor oil [15], pro-vitamin B5 [16], and biotinoyl tripeptide [17] all help keep hair (on my head) strong and healthy, and encourage growth. That reminded me of lash conditioning primers [18] and growth serums [19] . . . and to get that along with the jet-black color of mascara with just one product? It sounded nearly too good to be true.
Kosas The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara Results
This Kosas mascara is the happy medium between the dramatic look of extensions and my less-than-dramatic naked lashes. After I applied one coat and let it dry for a minute, the second coat went on even smoother, as if I'd used a lash primer. (I used the side of the brush with the tinier bristles to comb it through with zero clumps.)
Then, the fact that it's clean [20]leaves little concern about contact-lens or eye irritation either. It easily comes off with just my regular face wash [21] and I haven't noticed any lash fallout either. Sure, I haven't seen any growth thus far, but when I touch my bare lashes they're noticeably softer and smoother. So, most of all, it's not about how it looks but how it feels — and I really wish I could photograph this feeling for you.