Lash Serum Meets Mascara In Kosas’ New Beauty Launch

It only took a few swipes of the wand through my lashes to be totally smitten with Kosas' new mascara launch — and I test a lot of beauty goods. "It’s been a long time coming," Kosas' founder Sheena Yaitanes told Refinery29 of the brand's latest product drop, The Big Clean. "When I was pregnant with my daughter, I became hyper-conscious of the products that I was putting on my face and body, including mascara." The more she researched, the more she realized that ingredients like plastics and acrylates (formaldehyde-releasing agents) were finding its way in mascara formulas. "I became a person who didn’t wear mascara until I could develop my own clean version," she explains. Enter, Kosas' first-ever mascara — which toes the line between a lash serum and a makeup product with ingredients like castor oil, vitamin B5, and peptides at potent concentrations to show your lashes some love. "It took us 104 iterations to get the formula right," Yaitanes tells us. (That's a lot of mascara.) I'll admit, I lucked out in the lash department; mine are naturally long, black, and curled at the base. It's for that reason that when it comes to mascaras, I love defining, lengthening ones that I can build up for dramatic volume as needed. So, scroll on to see for yourself exactly how Kosas' newest addition stacks swipes up.

If we're being totally honest, I was already hooked based on the packaging alone; an ombré red tube so bold and fun, it instantly brightened up my desk. In addition to its super-chic packaging, the wand itself also happened to be excellent; a subtle arch shape made it easy to lift my lashes and give them some curl with a side of mile-long length and fluffiness. Now, onto the formula: an inky black that didn't flake or make my lashes feel dry — and, best yet, it was pretty close to smudge-proof for a formula that is not labeled water-resistant. If it's hot and/or humid outside, I usually get some mascara transfer by the end of the day (which is *a* look, but not *my* look) — but this one stayed put until I removed it with my oil cleanser.

As someone who tends to live by drugstore mascaras (L'Oréal Lash Paradise is a forever fave), I understand that $26 is a lot to drop on a mascara. However, as someone who also takes obsessive care of her lashes (I don't wear mascara daily, and if I do, I treat 'em to a tiny bit of argan oil before bed), the actually-good-for-your-lashes aspect of this product really appeals to me! Plus, lash serums are pretty expensive, TBH. My advice: If you're not a serious mascara stan, wait for the brand to drop the mini version, which retails for a more palatable $13.