This cheap & cheerful mascara is so perfect for hooded lids

Of course Maybelline launched its first tubing mascara this week and has managed to do it better than everyone else. Of course they did.

I say this with an air of inevitability because high street brands always seem to make the best mascaras. No idea why. Look inside any beauty editor’s makeup bag (bear in mind, we get everything gratis) and you’ll likely find a luxury foundation, unnecessarily expensive facial spritz and a cheap and cheerful mascara.

The historic exception to the budget = better rule has been the best tubing mascaras, which niche brands have had locked down. But with sales and interest rising, the big boys have hit the lab and – watch out world! – here comes Maybelline with a tubing formula that’s leapfrogged the competition, straight out of the gate.

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Why this cheap and cheerful tubing mascara is my beauty buy of the week

As the owner of a pair of hooded eyes who runs warm, nine out of ten mascaras transfer onto my lids within the hour. I’ve worn tubing formulas for years (see: Merit Clean Lash and Rum Wrap Party, one of my top beauty products of 2025 and greeted the Sky High Tubes launch announcement as enthusiastically as I would news of a Destiny’s Child reunion tour.

Maybelline

Lash Sensational Sky High Tubes

And here it is – one tubing mascara to rule them all. Aside from the usual tubing benefits (absolutely no smudges and product-free removal) what gives Sky High Tubes the edge is the look it creates. With most tube formulas, you do sacrifice some visual impact in exchange for how steadfastly they stick around, which I see as a fair deal. But right from the first swipe, this was unusually long and fluttery, and the finished effect is not unlike the original Maybelline Sky High mascara, another favourite of mine.

(Image credit: Future / Fiona McKim)

The big open secret with all mascaras, whether they cost £5 or £40, is that the ingredients don’t vary much. This is due to the amount of testing required to get a new ingredient approved – quite sensibly, given the potential for it to flake off and get blinked into your naked eyeball.

So, most of the differences come down to the composition of said ingredients and, most crucially, the mascara wand. This, I believe, is where Maybelline runs rings around the competition – developing unique shapes in techy materials over trad fluffy ‘loo brushes’ that pack on the volume but also heaviness and mess.

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Sky High Tubes has a long, tapered, flexible wand, cone-shaped bristles and a spiky little ball at the end to catch teeny-tiny corner hairs. That’s a 3-in-1 bonanza for length, separation, and an unclumpy, naturally enhanced look. Sounds good? Great! Let’s chat next Sunday.