Mascara is my green beauty nemesis. I just can’t find one that agrees with my eyes. It’s not that I don’t like what they do for my lashes (most of them perform great), it’s more what they do to my eyeballs that I can’t live with. I have some sort of allergy to an ingredient that appears to be in each clean mascara that I’ve tried that leaves my eyes unbearably itchy, puffy and red. Now I haven’t done any sort of hard research or comparison of ingredients to figure out what that pesky allergy-causer is so there might be a clean mascara out there without it that I just haven’t found yet. And I’ve given up looking. The thing is, I’m ok with getting skin irritation just about anywhere else and so am willing to test out most other types of skincare. But the eyes? Nope. I’m done risking waking up with eyes puffed shut. Not worth it!

So this is where I’ve drawn a green beauty line. I’ve given myself permission to accept that everything can’t be perfect and that not everthing has to be 100% toxin free. Especially when mascara is near the top of my “beauty item you can’t live without” list. I rarely leave the house with out at least a swipe of masc on. It’s a necessary item in my makeup bag so I’ve got to go with what works even though it might not have been my ideal choice.

Now even when you can’t have use the ideal green beauty product there is ALWAYS a way to at least make a better choice even if it’s just slightly better. So that’s what I did, made a better choice by choosing a mascara that at least doesn’t have parabens or fragrances, two of the top ingredients to try and avoid. That’s why I picked Pixi Large Lash Mascara as my go-to. Here’s why I like it:

1. I’m keen on having dark lashes so a super black color option is key. This one passes my threshold on being the blackest black.
2. Full and long lashes are my other requirement. That’s what this one claims to do through its name. I’d say it delivers well on its promises. It lengthens without getting clumpy and provides the perfect amount of dramatacism for day or night.
3. I am very much a wand snob when it comes to mascaras and will only use the classic bristle wands. I HATE comb wands. Even if a mascara is the most fantastic mascara in the world, if it has a comb wand then it’s a hard no from me. Comb wands are good for one thing and one thing only in my opinion, separating lashes and reducing clumping. While that’s great and all, GIVE ME ALL THE VOLUME! That’s what bristle wands do best, max out the volume. All that ranting to say that yes, this mascara most definitely has a bristle wand. Duh. Oh and it’s oversized to so it helps with max coverage.
4. It has the perfect consistency. That’s another important factor for me. It’s not too liquidy and it’s not too dry. That perfect middle is what helps provide volume. Too dry and it will flake all over, too wet and it will just barely coat the lashes. This one is just right.
5. It stays put! It claims to be waterproof and I think it does a pretty good job. I wouldn’t say it’s as industrial as the labeled-as-waterproof versions but I’m pretty certain it remains in tact after sobfests. This hasn’t been scientifically studied, but my casual observance blames any raccoon eye appearance on the eyeliner.
6. It comes off really easily with my favorite green eye makeup remover. You can read my raving review on that here.
7. It seems like a large tube and lasts a long time. It doesn’t dry out too quickly either.
8. It’s also cruelty free and not tested on animals.
9. Pixi brand can be found at target so is easy to pick up when in need. Find it hereor here.

What’s your favorite mascara? I’d love to hear your suggestions!