Tower 28's New MakeWaves Mascara Took Over 88 Tries to Get Right

IYKYK: Finding a great everyday mascara is nearly impossible. They either don't add enough length or volume, bring too much drama, make your lashes look clumpy, or simply don't curl them quite enough. While they're are plenty of great options out there, something *always* seems to be missing—especially if you're in search of a clean formula. You see, the perfect mascara is light enough for everyday wear, distributes product evenly, and has a formula that can be built-up depending on how you want your lashes to look.

Thankfully, Tower 28, a brand known for its incredible, sensitive-skin formulated skincare and makeup products, has tried their hand at creating their first (and our new favorite!) mascara: the MakeWaves Mascara ($20). The brand's newest addition not only promises to be safe for sensitive eyes, but also works to curl, lengthen, and define lashes—without being tricky to remove or adding any unwanted clumps.

Keep reading for all the details on the new mascara as well as our honest reviews.

The Inspiration

For Tower 28's first mascara, the brand's founder, Amy Liu, wanted to create her dream mascara. As someone with pretty straight, sparse lashes, she was always big on lash extensions. "During the pandemic, I obviously stopped getting them, and found myself looking for a mascara that would curl, lengthen, and define my lashes in the way my extensions did—all while adhering to our product philosophy," she says. "The team and I got to work and tested 88+ different formulas and brushes with the goal to create a product that was not only clean, vegan, and safe for sensitive eyes, but also high performance."

In addition, Liu felt that there simply wasn't a mascara that checked all of her boxes. "There was a whitespace in the market for a product that truly checked all of the boxes: clean, vegan, safe for sensitive eyes, high performance, sustainably-made AND accessibly priced," she says. In fact, she shares that there were moments she felt they wouldn't even launch a mascara since they had such a hard time creating one that fulfilled everything she wanted. Luckily, that wasn't the case, and MakeWaves was born.

The end result? A mascara that gives you amped up, natural looking lashes, that is clump-free, buildable, and easy to remove. "The Triple-Wave Wand is flexible enough to grip every. single. lash. and dispense the product from root to top, even in those tough-to-reach areas," she says. In other words, while the process to get here was quite long, the end result was well worth the wait.

The Formula

Like all of Tower 28's formulas, the MakeWaves mascara is packed with good-for-you ingredients. "The formula is infused with Panthenol Vitamin B5 and Castor Oil in order to promote healthier, stronger, and more conditioned lashes with every use," says Liu. "And, the clinically-proven Aquaflex Technology (which is typically found in curly hair styling products) defines and holds the curl while still leaving the lashes touchably soft and crunch-free." Also nice: it's ophthalmologist-tested and contact lens-safe, so it's a good pick for sensitive eyes.

How To Use It

The mascara wand itself is unique in the sense that has an innovative triple wave wand. This means that it has three flexible suspended bands that connect into one to ensure it grabs onto every lash, so it needs to be applied in the right way to maximize it's usage.

"Since the wand is curved, we suggest combing through your lashes from root to end using the inner wave first to build up volume, and then following up with the longer bristles to lengthen and separate the lashes," explains Liu.

The Reviews

Rachel Dube, Freelance News Writer

Truthfully, I am generally not that impressed by many mascaras. While I have my rotation of favorites, I was super intrigued to get my hands on Tower 28's MakeWaves Mascara. The brand has genuinely crushed every.single. launch that they've done, so I wanted to see if their first mascara lived up to the rest of their product line. (Spoiler alert: it did!). With just one wiggled swipe, my lashes had gorgeous natural-looking volume that didn't clump or look overdone. Plus, at the end of a long day, there was not a single smear of mascara in sight—and it removed effortlessly with just a bit of my favorite cleansing balm. If you're looking for a new mascara that's curling, lengthening, and defining without looking too overdone, you're going to want to purchase this immediately.

Jasmine Phillips, Social Media Editor

The length this mascara provides is fantastic! I found myself only reaching for this mascara for the last few weeks because I love how long and lifted this product makes my lashes look. The wand is also really cool.

Holly Rhue, Associate Editorial Director

I typically go for fluffy-bristled, volumizing mascaras, so I can’t believe how much I love this. My lashes look so long and natural—and it didn’t smudge all day.

Bella Cacciatore, News Editor

I'm incredibly picky when it comes to mascara—I love a lot of volume but most formulas weight down my tiny lashes—but this one blew me away. The brush works as a lash curler and a comb, so my lashes are super lifted and separated, no matter how many coats I apply (it took me about four or five for the level of drama I like). My lashes didn't feel crispy or heavy, and the formula stayed put with no flaking or smudging all day long. It's a new favorite in my makeup bag for sure.

Star Donaldson, Senior Social Media Editor

What I like most about this mascara is that it does not smudge. I've tried so many clean mascaras and that's usually my top complaint. This one stays put and lengthens my lashes all day.

Tower28 MakeWaves Curling + Lengthening Mascara $20.00

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