Pop quiz: When was the last time you replaced your old mascara with a new one? If you can’t remember, or the answer is “a long, long time ago,” we have some kind of gross news for you.
In previous reporting, optometrists and cosmetologists told HuffPost that using old, expired mascara can spread bacteria to your eyes, increasing the risk of infection and irritation. They recommended a cadence of every two to three months for tossing that old tube and getting a new one.
For those of us who aren’t using up a whole tube every three months, it may be easy for this guidance to slip your mind when the time to replace it rolls around. Luckily, there’s an easy fix for that that you should only have to set up once: Automatic replenishment programs like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save, Walmart Subscribe, Dermstore’s Auto-Replenishment and Sephora’s Auto-Replenish let you set a specific frequency for shipping new replacements of products to your home, and in some cases, will charge you less for a subscription product than if you bought it as a one-time purchase.
So, if you wear mascara regularly, check out our list of a bunch of highly-rated mascaras that are eligible for auto-replenishment. (Tip: Some of these come in mini sizes too, so if you don’t think you’ll use up a full-sized tube in time, you can get a smaller one.) Pick your favorite, set the two- to three-month frequency, and enjoy your dolled-up lashes without having to set a reminder to run to the store. Easy-peasy.
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The always-popular Essence Lash Princess mascara
If you like the look of wearing false lashes but hate the feeling of actually wearing them, this might be the product for you: Essence's Lash Princess False Lash Effect. It's one of Amazon's top sellers and has an astonishing 262,000 5-star ratings.
It has a straight conic fiber brush that's designed to keep the mascara from clumping or globbing on your lashes. It's also cruelty-, oil- and fragrance-free — so even those with sensitive eyes can enjoy using it.
Wonderskin's lengthening, volumizing and curling mascara
This Wonderskin mascara can do it all, from lengthening to volumizing. The wand has an hourglass-shaped brush to evenly coat lashes and the formula is designed to curl lashes upon air contact so you get the eyelash-curler look without having to actually use one.
Promising review: "I love this mascara. It goes on really smooth and doesn't clump. The wand makes it easy to apply and definitely gave my eyelashes a longer and fuller look which I love. It also goes on really clean and doesn't seem to smudge as much as some of the other mascaras I have tried." — Hope & Hale
A Covergirl mascara that comes in a blue-tinted black
If you'd like to branch out to colored mascaras — which makeup artists previously told HuffPost can make your eyes pop — but you're intimidated by bright colors, you can test things out with Covergirl's Lash Blast Cleantopia mascara. It. comes in this stunning Ultramarine black color that's tinged with blue. The mascara has a smudge-proof, gentle formula that's also easy to remove when you're ready to take it off.
Promising Amazon review: "I got the blue colored one and have been really surprised about how cute it is on and how long it makes my eyelashes look. I have brown eyes and would of thought that the blue would only work with blue eyes but I'm so happy I saw an ad for this and decided to give it a try. The blue tone really adds that extra which makes all eyes stand out a little more." — crystal p.