Thrive Causemetics Mascara Review — This $24 Mascara Is So Good I Almost Don’t Want to Tell You About It

As someone who only knows how to use approximately five different makeup products, I am always on the hunt for the perfect mascara. I don’t know what to do with bronzer, I can’t put on highlighter without looking like a sloppy disco ball, and I always end up smearing my own liquid eyeliner. But mascara? That’s something I can handle.

I’ve had a few mascara flings throughout the years, all with moderate success, but I was still looking for my pièce de résistance, the one mascara that would make my lashes look super long, never flake, and come off easily without me having to rub my eyes ferociously. Enter: Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. I had literally never seen the brand before, but when I overheard my 16-year-old cousin raving about their $24 mascara, explaining how it didn’t budge throughout an entire school day and soccer practice, I knew I had to try it.

And, because teenagers are the ones who will ultimately save the world, it’s no surprise she was right! Here’s why I’m totally converted to this new-to-me mascara:

It makes my lashes look SO long.

I have decent lashes to begin with, but this mascara does exactly what I love: Makes them so long that they’re at risk of constantly touching my eyelid. Plus I got the ultimate approval: Someone at work stopping me in the kitchen and saying, “Your lashes!”

It does not budge.

I have super oily skin and used to find that if I didn’t wear a waterproof mascara (which is a pain to get off), it would flake and leave me with black smudges underneath my eyes. Bu,t this mascara truly stays in place, even if I spend my day running around the city, hitting up a yoga class, and going out with friends. It does. Not. Move.

On top, my lashes with no mascara. On the bottom, my lashes coated in Liquid Lash Extensions mascara.

Courtesy

But, it still comes easily off at the end of the day.

I’m not sure what witchy magic is behind this, but even though it does not budge throughout the day, it still comes off easily at night. (This is possibly due to the fact that it’s made with vegan ingredients, but we’ll get to that later.) All I have to do is wash my face and gently slide off the mascara, and it’s gone. No more scrubbing my eyes trying to get my makeup off.

I can justify the price.

I know $24 is a good chunk of money to spend on mascara, but all of Thrive Causemetics products are vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben- and sulfate-free, meaning there are no icky ingredients you have to worry about. And more importantly, according to the company’s website, for every product bought, Thrive Causemetics donates a product to a woman experiencing cancer, homelessness, or domestic violence. A true win-win-win-win.

The only downside I’ve found is—if I’m not careful—the mascara occasionally clumps, but it hasn’t been bad enough to turn me away yet. I’m not sure I can say I’ll never use another mascara again, but for the time being, my Liquid Lash Extensions and I are very, very happy together.