Tarte Tartelette XL vs. L’Oréal Telescopic Mascara Review: Is the Hype Justified?
Tubing mascaras have been marketed as the ultimate solution for length and smudge-proof wear, kind of like liquid hair extensions for your eyelashes. After being properly influenced, I finally moved a tubing mascara from my "loves" list to my cart to witness the eyelash transformation for myself. I choose Tarte’s Tartelette XL tubing mascara, because it's highly reviewed, and I saw it everywhere. Here's the headline: I can confidently say: don’t believe the hype. Compared to my tried-and-true L’Oréal Telescopic mascara, the results were underwhelming—and not worth the extra money.
Tubing Mascara Promises vs. Reality
Tarte’s Tartelette XL is a tubing mascara, meaning it coats lashes in tiny polymer tubes rather than traditional waxes and pigments. The claim? Effortless length, no smudging, and easy removal. The reality? While it does provide decent separation and some added length, for $27 the added length doesn't exactly stand out!
Tubing Mascara vs. Traditional Mascara
I’ve used L’Oréal Telescopic mascara for years, and no matter how many hyped-up new mascaras I try, I always come back to it. Here’s why:
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Better Length and Volume – Unlike Tarte XL, which I found can be a bit clumpy, L’Oréal Telescopic thickens and lengthens without the clumps and the glide of the brush is much smoother.
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No Fuss Removal – One of the biggest red flags with Tarte XL was the removal process. It took more effort than expected. The polymer tubes were not the easiest to remove with water and facial soap (in my case Biossance Amino Aloe Cleanser). Those little rollie black tubes are hard to get rid of. With L’Oréal, this is never a problem. No dark mascara rings when I wash my face, and it comes off my lashes with my facial cleanser alone.
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Easier to Apply and Build – The more I applied Tarte XL (swipes), the more it clumped. On the other hand, L’Oréal Telescopic stays flexible, making it easy to build volume without crunchiness.
The Drawbacks of Tarte Tartelette XL Tubing Mascara
Despite its promising claims and all of those Sephora reviews I sorted through, Tarte XL fell short in several ways:
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Clumping Issues – Even with careful application, it had a tendency to clump, making lashes look spidery rather than naturally long. This is a huge downside for me, because I prefer a natural looking lash.
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Difficult to Remove – While tubing mascaras are supposed to slide off with warm water, this one took extra effort—and sometimes, I could clearly see, it wasn't removed. Those polymers are tricky! Flakes Badly – I found this tubing formula that flaky and smudgy, especially when I sweat or get a bit oily. Also, every time I removed it, it seemed like I was losing more lashes than usual, which is a dealbreaker for me.
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Not as Lengthening as Expected – The lengthening effect was minimal compared to the results I get from L’Oréal Telescopic. Actually they are about the same in terms of lengthening.
Final Verdict: Skip the Tubing Mascara Hype
Maybe it's just Tarte and it's formula, but if you’re looking for beautifully natural, long lashes my vote goes to, L’Oréal Telescopic. It remains the gold standard. Tarte’s tubing mascara may work for some (according to Sephora reviews anyway), but I didn't find any vast improvement with the length and volume. It simply doesn’t deliver. Sometimes, the classics really are the best...no need to go chasing waterfalls! But, if you really, reaaaaallly want to try for yourself, my girlfriend, who has gorgeous lashes, tells me I should have gone with Elf Lash XTNDR Tubing Mascara. Maybe I will. It's only $10, so right on par with what I currently pay for L’Oréal Telescopic.