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Tower 28

Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara.

Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara
Eye Makeup

About this product

A volumizing mascara with a felt-tip pen applicator, available in black (Jet) and brown (Drift) shades, designed to lengthen and define lashes without flaking or smudging.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

92%

Yay

9 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
9Gurus
8Yay
0Mixed
1Nay
#2 in Eye MakeupSee the ranking →

What they liked

  • Lengthens and defines lashes without heaviness
  • Water resistant, holds curl in humidity
  • Gentle formula, easy to remove without rubbing

What they flagged

  • Gets clumpy as the tube empties
  • Brown shade may not catch all lashes evenly

What the gurus are saying

This mascara delivers immediate length and definition straight from the tube without needing to pump, earning consistent praise for its gentle removal and reliable hold in humidity. The felt-tip applicator applies beautifully, though some find the brown shade less effective at catching all lashes compared to black. One caveat: as the tube dries out toward the end, it can turn slightly clumpy, and some people find it polarising, so patch-testing first may help you know which camp you fall into.
Synthesized from 9 expert reviews · most recent take December 2025

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Yay
"I love the Tower 28 waterproof mascaras. I think their brown shade is beautiful. Browns for mascaras can just be a bit softer, especially if you are like a blonde or a lighter brunette. Brown mascara, particularly for day, I think, is a nice way to go. I do have it in black as well. They have this beautiful, perfectly curled little wand. It doesn't put too much product on your lashes. It holds all day. It keeps your lashes curled. I just cannot say enough good things about this mascara."
All 2 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
5 Ways I'm Updating My Eye Makeup Now! Anti-Aging Makeup | Dr. Sam Ellis
"I love the Tower 28 waterproof mascaras. I think their brown shade is beautiful. Browns for mascaras can just be a bit softer, especially if you are like a blonde or a lighter brunette. Brown mascara, particularly for day, I think, is a nice way to go. I do have it in black as well. They have this beautiful, perfectly curled little wand. It doesn't put too much product on your lashes. It holds all day. It keeps your lashes curled. I just cannot say enough good things about this mascara."
My Favorite Makeup as a Dermatologist | Makeup for Clear Skin | Dr. Sam Ellis
"I'm going in with the Tower 28 Make Waves mascara in the shade Drift, which is their brown shade. This is a waterproof mascara, but the thing I like about waterproof mascara is that it curls your lashes a lot better than non-waterproof and it doesn't flake at all over the course of the day. I mean, look how that just lengthens my lashes and thickens them up so easily. And being a blonde, I just tend to like how a brown mascara looks on my face. This is such a good mascara."
Yay
"My tried-and-true Tower 28 Make Waves mascara is a great product. I usually wear it in black, but I did learn a trick recently that if you get it in brown, you can use it on your eyebrows as well."
Top Pick: mascara
All 8 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss
Top Derm Picks for Sephora Holiday Savings Event 2025 | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"My tried-and-true Tower 28 Make Waves mascara is a great product. I usually wear it in black, but I did learn a trick recently that if you get it in brown, you can use it on your eyebrows as well."
Best NEW Skincare & Makeup of 2023! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"You guys always ask me what mascara I'm using. I've been using for like the past year Make Waves by Tower 28, the Dark One in Jet, which is their black one. They came out this year with a brown version called Drift, but very honestly I don't like the Drift because it doesn't feel like I get all my eyelashes, and the point of the mascara is like to get your eyelashes. The black just hits different. But I do wear brown eyeliner, but black mascara, I love the Make Waves mascara."
Sephora 2024 Spring Sale: Dermatologist’s Top Picks By Ingredient! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"They also have a great bake waves mascara"
Sephora 2023 Holiday Sale: Dermatologist’s Top Picks for ALL Skin Concerns! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"Tower 28 Make Waves mascara, it's a volumizing mascara for 20 bucks is great."
Best of Sephora Spring Sale 2025 | Dermatologist Picks by Dr. Shereene Idriss
"I always go in with a black mascara on top, and I always use Tower 28's MakeWaves mascara for that."
Small Business Saturday: 10 Small Beauty Brands To Know! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"I was recently introduced to their Make Waves mascara and I love it. I have it on today. It's a party trick and I'm not gonna look but I know how to apply mascara again without looking straight into a mirror. It is a really really nice lightweight mascara that really coats every single lash and separates every lash for you."
Sephora Sale Top Picks 2023 | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"I've been obsessed with this for quite some time. I've repurchased this several times. They're Make Waves Mascara, when I say it combs every lash and it's 20 dollars and it's amazing."
Sephora Holiday Savings Event 2022 Recommendations! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
"This has been a recent discovery and a favorite discovery is Tower 28. I learned I have this party trick where I can apply mascara without looking in a mirror. The Tower 28 Making Waves mascara is a beautiful one."
Yay
"This is from Tower 28, by the way. It's so cute. And just going to do a couple pumps here. Clean your wand, people. It's a reminder for me that I need to also clean my eyelash curler."
Top Pick: daytime mascara
All 4 takes from Mixed Makeup
Rating Sephora's Best Selling Mascaras with a Professional Makeup Artist (Honest Makeup Reviews)
"Tower 28 Make Waves lengthening mascara, I think that this is a wonderful daytime mascara and I want to be very clear about daytime mascara. A daytime mascara is not one that's going to be like boom. I actually want a big boom when I go out to dinner and all that kind of stuff, but sometimes those big boom mascaras can get clumpy, they can flake on your eyes later. During the day I'm really more about performance. It's a really good daytime mascara because it lengthens my lashes, it doesn't necessarily make them look really full but it lengthens them, it makes them stand out, it doesn't get everywhere, and because it's water resistant and not waterproof it's not hard to get off so it's not damaging your lashes. It's just a really good solid mascara for me. I do feel like it holds my curl. The one note, if I have to give it a little critique, is that when it gets to the end and it's a little bit drier it does get a little clumpy then. But for me it's amazing and I do think that living in Miami it just does really well in that."
Cosmetic Treatments I've Tried: What I Loved, Regret, and Would Actually Do Again (GRWM)
"This is from Tower 28, by the way. It's so cute. And just going to do a couple pumps here. Clean your wand, people. It's a reminder for me that I need to also clean my eyelash curler."
EMPTIES! Reviewing the Skincare, Makeup, & Body Care Products I've Finished | Beauty with Susan Yara
"My favorite mascara from Tower 28 is the Make Waves mascara in Jet, they also have a brown shade as well. I go through tubes and tubes and tubes of this. I love it. I've been trying other mascaras, I enjoy them, but then I come right back to this. I've heard mixed reviews from people, people either love it or hate it, I'm in the I love it camp, and it's just so good. In Miami, by the way, in the humidity, it holds up, it doesn't smear all over the place. I just find that it's such a good mascara."
Sephora Spring Sale 2024: What's In My Shopping Cart! | Beauty with Susan Yara
"I love the Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara. I'll buy another tube of that because I go through that pretty quickly."
Yay
"Tower 28 Make Waves, Holy Grail. It like straight out of the tube just gives you pow. I mean all I need, pal pal Dolly Parton and pal, because my lashes are like shop shutters."
Top Pick: mascara
All 3 takes from Caroline Hirons
Glad We Had This Chat Takes New York - Katie Jane Hughes
"Tower 28 Make Waves totally Grail. It like straight out of the tube just gives you pow. I mean I need pal pal Dolly Parton and pal cuz my lashes are like shop shutters I have to curl and then what do you use."
S2 Ep22: GLAD WE HAD THIS CHAT TAKES NEW YORK: Katie Jane Hughes
"Tower 28 Make Waves, Holy Grail. It like straight out of the tube just gives you pow. I mean all I need, pal pal Dolly Parton and pal, because my lashes are like shop shutters."
Katie Jane Hughes launches KJH Brand!
"My current phones are Tower 28 make waves and obsessed"
Yay
"The Tower 28 is a good mascara."
Nay
"I personally over the spoolies of like Brands like Tower 28 and also the give Beauty mascara um I prefer the wand for this mascara"
All 2 takes from Alexandra Anele
The products I recommend in REAL LIFE
"Tower 28 is a little bit more like natural everyday but they're so gentle on the lashes and create like a really beautiful finish on the lashes without being waterproof so they're going to be gentle when you're removing it. They're fantastic and I really love these."
We’re putting Lisa to the test yall
"I personally over the spoolies of like Brands like Tower 28 and also the give Beauty mascara um I prefer the wand for this mascara"
Yay
"Of course you guys know my new find is the Tower 28 mascara. I love them both but this is my Holy Grail that I can't live without."
Top Pick: mascara
All 14 takes from Beyond50Skin
8 Must-Have Travel Makeup Essentials Over 50 | What's In My Bag?
"I'm using Tower 28's lengthening and curling mascara, it's one of my best beauty finds from 2022. I absolutely love it. It doesn't dry out very quickly, it defines each lash, it lengthens the curls, it gives a really nice coverage without too many layers."
The BEST OF CREDO'S SKINCARE & MAKEUP For MATURE OVER 50 SKIN | Friends & Family Savings Event!
"They came out with their Tower 28 mascara which was in my best of 2022 finds"
Top 10 Beauty Products I Never Want to Live Without OVER 50
"Of course you guys know my new find is the Tower 28 mascara. I love them both but this is my Holy Grail that I can't live without."
FIX MATURE THIN LIPS IN TWO MINUTES | Mature Skin Facial and Minimalist Makeup
"I use the Tower 28 lengthening and curling mascara where you kind of hold your lashes up when it's kind of semi dry and it gives them a bit of a boost of a curl so I love to do that."
Best New Makeup Products For A Fresh, Natural Look On Mature Skin Over 50 / Makeup Minimalist
"The mascara that I use today was Tower 28. I used it one last time before I toss it out."
Empties, Fails and Favorites In Every Beauty Category (Beauty Over 50)
"This is a bit of a disappointment. My latest tube I can maybe get a few more uses out of, but it dried out so quickly. I'm a little disappointed in this because compared to the lash primer that I use, which lasts forever, this maybe lasted a month, which is not very long for a mascara to dry out. You can see on the brush it's kind of getting clumpy. So kind of a disappointment because this was one of my 2023 favorite mascaras, but I'm debating whether I'm going to repurchase it again. There's so many mascaras out there to try, so this has kind of gone off my faves and onto my probably not purchase list."
BEST OF CREDO BEAUTY | No Waiting, No Tiers, No Membership | Friends & Family Savings Event
"They came out with their Tower 28 mascara which was in my best of 2022 finds"
The Best of SEPHORA HOLIDAY SALE: New Finds, Favorites & My Wishlist
"My top pick for mascaras is going to be no surprise it's the Tower 28 lengthening and curling mascara. It was in my top pick for 2022, it was a new find then, it remains in my top favorite mascaras for 2023. I really haven't found a mascara that compares to this. I do love my Benefits, but I love this even more because you can do just one or two layers for a nice daytime look, it doesn't flake throughout the day, and you can glam it up with a few more layers in the evening. So it is really one of my all-time favorite finds and will be constantly on repurchase."
How to Brighten Mature Under Eyes (Color Correction for Beginners)
"I wore the Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara. I've talked a little bit about this recently that it's getting a little bit drier each tube that I buy for some reason. I'm also getting more fallout than I used to so the longevity of these isn't what they used to be so I'm going to have to find a new favorite mascara."
Life Update GRWM Chat: Dealing With Unexpected Loss & Grief
"I have a tendency to get mascara everywhere so I often do my mascara first. This is getting a little bit dried out I probably need to replace this it's getting a little bit clumpier than I would typically want it. It doesn't usually apply this thickly it usually goes on much better but I think it's time to replace this."
Fall Beauty EMPTIES, FAILS & FAVES: Skincare, Hair Care, Body Care & Lash Care // And Meet My Mom
"Another lash product that I've been using is my mascara from Tower 28. It completely dried up, but this was one of my favorite mascaras from 2022 best of and I think it's going to be in my 2023."
BEST BEAUTY PRODUCTS OF 2023 In Every Category | Your Favorites
"The Tower 28 lengthening and curling mascara is the top mascara pick and I'm not surprised. I've talked about it at nauseum on this channel. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it -- and apparently you recommend it too."
Sephora SHOP WITH ME - Over 50 Beauty Must Haves
"The Tower 28 mascara, I've decided I'm going to be retiring because it's just super clumpy, and I've heard that you guys are saying the same thing, some of the tubes you're picking up are super clumpy."
Best Beauty of 2023! Every Category SUBSCRIBERS I HAVE EXCITING NEWS🎉
"Favorite mascara once again for 2023 is Tower 28, I just haven't found one that I like any better. The bristle head is really unique, it has three distinct bristles, it really separates each lash, lengthens, curls, glides on really easily, and it's easily buildable."
Yay
"This is the Tower 28 Make Waves Mascara. I do have a lash lift, so my lashes were already curled. So what you see me applying right now is kind of the level of makeup that I am comfortable with when it comes to doing a really kind of natural, fresh look for every day without using the Demi Method. So this is kind of my everyday, just getting out the door and looking my best."
Yay
"The Tower 28 Make Waves mascara has been a staple for me. This is actually the one that I'm wearing today. Now this one gives you a little bit more volume. I love both the black and also the brown shade in this. I use them both like crazy. This one I really love how voluminous it can make your lashes. It's so pretty and I'm still loving it all these years later."
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"I've been loving using a brown mascara when the lip is a little more bold. I think it just looks so good. It's just these little details that can really help make things feel different, like special. So I'm taking this Tower 28 mascara in the shade drift, which is their brown shade. I feel like it just really adds to the final look when using more color on the lips."
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"I'm going to wear brown mascara to keep things even more soft. I'm going to wear the one from Tower 28, this is the shade Drift in their Make Waves mascara."
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"Let's go into some mascara. I'm going to use the Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara and I'm just applying that to both the top and bottom lashes."
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"The Tower 28 Make Waves mascara has been a staple for me. This is actually the one that I'm wearing today. Now this one gives you a little bit more volume. I love both the black and also the brown shade in this. I use them both like crazy. This one I really love how voluminous it can make your lashes. It's so pretty and I'm still loving it all these years later."
My #1 Makeup RIGHT NOW 😍
"I've been using this constantly lately. This is their Make Waves mascara and it just really gives your lashes so much volume."
The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year 🥹
"For mascara I'm thankful for the Tower 28 mascara. I've gone through so many bottles of these. I obviously love so many types of mascara but this one is the one that came to mind first. I just really love love it."
If I Took You to Sephora, Here's What I'd Buy You! 😍
"This is the Tower 28 mascara. This one's really great, clean formula. I love how buildable this one is. It has a nice curved wand to it as well, which I feel like is nice for getting in those inner corners of the lashes. This is great for every day. It doesn't smudge or flake on me. I'm very picky with mascaras and that one has been great."
The Perfect Everyday Makeup (Get Compliments Every Time)
"This is the new brown color of the Make Waves Tower 28 mascara which I am obsessed with this formula so I'm so excited to try this brown color. I really feel like brown mascara is a great way to kind of give that effortless look without it looking too harsh. You'll see it still gives the lashes great dimension but it's just a little softer than a traditional black mascara. I love that color, it's definitely like a really soft dark brown but you still get that dimension which I love."
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"I couldn't believe how many of you guys said the Tower 28 mascara is what you're loving right now. I mean I can believe it because it's such a good formula."
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"For mascara my current favorite from Sephora I have to say is the Tower 28 mascara. You guys know how much I love this, especially lately. It's like one of my go-tos at the moment. I'm going to use this on the top and bottom lashes, focusing a lot of the product on the outer edge of the top lash though just to give more of a lifted effect."
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"I really just feel like brown mascara gives that soft look while still leaving you feeling complete and polished. This is the Tower 28 Brown mascara, I think the shade is called Drift. It's so beautiful. I love it."
The ONLY Makeup I Need Right Now...
"I'm going to take my Tower 28 mascara. I feel like I need to open a new bottle of this and luckily they recently sent me one. This is one of my current favorite mascaras. It's so beautiful. I'm going to really really go in with this, focusing most of the product on the outer edge of that top lash."
The BEST Makeup (& more) from November 2023
"This is the brown mascara and I've got it on right now and you can see it still defines the lashes but it's brown. I'm loving this. I am like in an obsession all over again with the Tower 28 mascara. They sent me the brown one, I finally tried it out and I've been loving it, especially for looks like this, like the whole skin serum tint, the balmy bronzer, a little bit more of a thicker concealer. Brown mascara, faux freckles, it's a vibe. Every day I really like it."
The Makeup I'm Thankful For This Year
"I'm thankful for the Tower 28 mascara at the moment. It's just so nice for everyday but also for more glam looks, which I love."
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"It's a thin formula so it gives that fanned out, more fluffy lash, not too over the top. You can build it up if you want to. If I want super beefed up lashes, I build up this Tower 28 one. You can go a little bit lighter with it, but I love this one built up so I save this for more like glam days. It's good for sensitive eyes too."
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"I'm going to use my Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara on the top and bottom lashes."
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"I want lower lash mascara but I think I'm going to use a brown mascara this one's from Tower 28. I feel like it has kind of that red undertone plus I just feel like this wand shape is a little bit easier for me to get on that lower lash line."
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"This is so incredible. These two are my favorites at Sephora. I feel like I always talk about them because they're just so good and nothing has really topped them for me from Sephora."
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"The Tower 28 mascara is one of my favorites and one of the three I think are the best at Sephora. I keep coming back to it. I love both the brown and black colors. You can really pump up the volume, and I love how much curl, lift, separation, volume and length it gives. It kind of does it all. I can build it up for glam looks or do one coat for a daily look and it looks great."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara?

A volumizing mascara with a felt-tip pen applicator, available in black (Jet) and brown (Drift) shades, designed to lengthen and define lashes without flaking or smudging.

Is Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara worth it?

Mostly yes. 8 of the 9 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 92%.

What is Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara's Guru Score?

Tower 28 Make Waves Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara holds a Guru Score of 92%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 9 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

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