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How do you take your lashes? Dark and spidery? Thick and inky? Long and statement-making? I take mine black and natural-looking, which hasn’t been as easy to attain as it may sound.
On any given day, I opt for the no-makeup makeup look, which usually consists of a more even-toned complexion, a lip slightly darker than my natural hue, and lashes a little more apparent than my usual, barely-there blonde ones. Since I don’t find the concept of having my lashes professionally tinted all that appealing, I’ve relied on Dior’s universally-loved Diorshow mascara for 15 years to give me feathery lashes. The problem: The formula dries up and gets flaky in about a month, so I was shelling out $30 every four to six weeks for a fresh tube — until I found a replacement with Merit’s Clean Lash.
Earlier this year, I decided to wean myself off my much-loved conventional beauty products in favor of clean alternatives. After a few test runs with highly-rated clean mascaras, I tried Merit’s, and reader, this mascara is not getting the attention it deserves. The brand is beloved by celebs — it has a concealer stick that has been glided on faces like Cameron Diaz and a blush stick swiped on the cheeks of Sarah Jessica Parker — but its Mandy Moore-approved mascara is my favorite product in the line-up.
No matter the amount of formula left in the tube, Merit’s mascara gives me dark and fluffy lashes every time. They never look dry and certainly never crunchy, even after wearing it all day. It’s able to stay fresh thanks to its list of conditioning ingredients, including fatty acids and olive oil esters that nourish hairs, vitamin B5 that offers shine, and plant-derived rice bran wax that lengthens each hair. Miraculously, these ingredients also don’t cause the mascara to smudge or budge, which helps my coated lashes appear even more naturally mine.
But the reason Merit’s mascara got me to ditch my previously-loved tube is because it lasts so much longer. I’ve been using every single day since the beginning of the year, and I’m only on my second tub — that translates to one tube lasting about four months. If you’re in the market for a new mascara, trust me and grab a tube at Merit’s website before everyone catches on.
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