Gen Z has declared mascara uncool. You already know the vibe: bare lashes, dewy skin, a curler doing the heavy lifting, and a “woke up like this” finish that took longer than it looks. But “no mascara” doesn’t mean “no routine at all,” either. The routine has just changed, and has become a lot smaller. For sure simpler than what we used to do in the early 2000s. 

The mascara tube hasn’t disappeared so much as it’s been replaced by three other categories of things you can use ahead of time, things you might use instead, and things that can do the work permanently so you don’t really have to reach for anything at all. 

Here’s what’s replacing the tube in people’s makeup bags and vanities, and where you buy each one.

Lash Serums… for the Long Game

Ghost lashes look best on people with naturally full, dark lashes to start, which is exactly why lash serums are doing a lot of the unglamorous work behind this whole trend. They won’t get you the look by tomorrow, but they’re the closest thing to prep for going bare-lashed in public. 

GrandeLASH-MD is the one that keeps coming up around the same makeup-artist circles fueling the movement. It’s a peptide-and-vitamin formula applied nightly along the upper lash line, with most people noticing a difference in about a month and fuller results around the three-month mark. It’s also one of the few serums with enough ophthalmologist testing and contact-lens-safety data behind it that it shows up on “safe for sensitive eyes” lists as often as it does on trend roundups.

Tubing Mascara… for the In-Between Days

For days you’re not ready to go fully bare, tubing mascara is the compromise for still maintaining your anti-mascara sentiment. Instead of painting each lash like a traditional formula, it wraps every hair in a tiny water-resistant tube that slides off with warm water, which is closer to a lash tint than a coat of product, and far gentler coming off. 

Blinc’s Original Tubing Mascara is the formula that started the category, and it’s still the one lash techs and sensitive-eye types point to first. It sets in about a minute, holds through sweat and tears, and comes off with nothing more aggressive than a warm washcloth.

At-Home Lash Lift Kits… for Skipping Product as Much as You Can

The most committed move is skipping daily product altogether and making your natural lashes do the work! A lash lift is basically a perm for your eyelashes, where a chemical curl holds for six to eight weeks with no extensions or daily upkeep. This the actual salon treatment behind a lot of those “no-makeup” red carpet lashes. 

At-home kits like AYASAL’s walk you through the same silicone-pad process a salon would, for a fraction of one appointment’s price… though a patch test first is worth the extra day before putting any perm solution near your eyes.

Whichever version you land on, the through-line matches the “low maintenance” trend itself. There’s less visible effort, and more actual upkeep.