Dr Dray is a dermatologist who reviews products on YouTube, and her eye makeup record is one of the most thorough you will find from a skin doctor. She has gone through more than 30 products in this category and approved most of them. Her approval rate sits at 77%, and her outright winners are the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara, the L'Oreal Telescopic Lift Lengthening Mascara, and Glossier Boy Brow.
What does Dr Dray recommend in eye makeup?
When Dr Dray approves an eye product, a few things come up again and again. She wants formulas that are gentle around the delicate eye area, so fragrance-free and clear of common irritants. She praised Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in Studio specifically because the brand keeps essential oils and fragrance out of products meant for lids. She also responds well to ease of use and reliable payoff. Of the NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette Warm Neutrals, she said the shades stay on well and work for everyday wear without any fuss. With mascaras, she has a clear soft spot for tubing formulas. These are the kind that slide off with warm water instead of smudging down your face, and she called the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara the best tubing mascara she has ever tried. For eyeliners, smooth application matters to her: she loved that the Glossier Pro Tip Liquid Eyeliner glides across the skin without skipping.
Dr Dray's eye makeup picks, in her words
"They sent me all of these Glossier eyeliners in wacky colors, and when I got them I wasn't sure I'd use them, but honestly I have been using them. [...] If you layer the white one over some of the other colors you end up getting a really pretty look. What I like about them is the consistency, they're soft, they're not crumbly, they have a smooth glide on the lid, and as you drag them across the skin they don't skip."
"I'm coming up on three months of using the Milani mascaras I bought, which I love. I'm [...] still loving the Milani ones. [...] They've been working out well."
"Day 13 is the shadow stick in shade twinkling rose."
"There's no essential oils. I never understood putting fragrance in eyeshadows. Eyelids skin is really delicate and cosmetics can easily be irritating around the eye area. Their cream shadows I absolutely love for a few reasons. First of all they give, in my opinion, a really good color payoff, easy to work with. I'm not some sort of advanced makeup applier, I need something that's simple to do, easy to reproduce, and that I can do basically blindfolded."
"I have been raving about this NYX ultimate eyeshadow palette. I love it. I'm actually currently wearing it right now. [...] You get 16 shades in this palette, and some of the shades truthfully there is a little bit of fallout but it's not awful. Overall they're really good. The shades stay on the lids, last a long time, and they're also not overly glittery or that going-to-the-club kind of vibe. They're just a great [...] array of colors for everyday purposes."
"I've been using this L'Oreal brow lamination that came in the advent..."
How many eye makeup products has Dr Dray reviewed?
Dr Dray has reviewed 35 eye makeup products, for an approval rate of 74%. 26 approved, 1 mixed, and 8 skipped.
What has Dr Dray skipped in eye makeup?
The products Dr Dray skipped tell you a lot about what she will not sign off on. Two lash serums, the Rodan+Fields Lash Boost and the Babe Essential Lash Serum, got a clear skip because both contain prostaglandin analogs. These are compounds that can cause eyelid discoloration, possible changes to eye colour, and irritation. She said she does not feel comfortable recommending them even in cosmetic form because of those risks. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze also failed to impress her. She felt it did not actually hold brow hairs in place the way a proper brow gel should. And the IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara simply did not live up to its name, leaving her unimpressed after trying it.
"It does not. You want to glue the hairs in place so they're not going anywhere. This is the Dippity Do of brows. [...] That stuff did not move; it's like cement. Now a word of warning about this: you don't want to go in heavy-handed, otherwise you're going to look like you put glue in your brows. Don't try and overdo it. Less is more with this. You don't need a lot."
"Rodan and Fields had to pay a huge sum [...] of money, millions or billions, for their lash serum because it had a compound very similar to bimatoprost, a prostaglandin analog. [...] Those prostaglandin analogs [...] can have side effects like discoloration of the eye color, and there are even reports of it changing the distribution of fat around the eyes. [...] They got nailed on that one."
"This has a prostaglandin analog in it, so be careful with these because they can cause discoloration of the eyelids, irritation, and in theory they can cause discoloration in the eye. These are cosmetic prostaglandin analogs whereas a medication like Latisse, that's [...] FDA approved, but you definitely can develop the same side effects even though one's a drug and one's a cosmetic. So I never feel comfortable recommending those because I hate for somebody to develop those kind of side effects."
"I've been using that Benefit Bad Gal Lash, it's okay but it's kind of clumpy."
What should you take from Dr Dray's picks?
Dr Dray's eye makeup record is reassuring for anyone who worries about sensitive lids or irritation. She consistently steers toward products that keep fragrance and harsh ingredients away from the eye area, and she flags lash serums with prostaglandin analogs as something to approach carefully. If you are building an eye kit she would approve of, her named winners are a solid place to start. Her long-term enthusiasm for mascaras like the Milani Anti-Gravity Waterproof Mascara and palettes like the NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette Warm Neutrals also shows she trusts affordable options just as readily as pricier ones.
Watch Dr Dray say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- L'Oreal Telescopic MascaraNamed a winnerWatch at 6:58
- L'Oreal Telescopic Lift Lengthening MascaraNamed a winnerWatch at 17:46
- Glossier Boy BrowNamed a winnerWatch at 9:36
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow FreezeSkipped itWatch at 0:36
- Rodan+Fields Lash BoostSkipped itWatch at 6:27
- Babe Essential Lash SerumSkipped itWatch at 11:16
- Benefit Bad Gal Lash MascaraSkipped itWatch at 4:12
- Maybelline City Mini PaletteSkipped itWatch at 10:14
- IT Cosmetics Superhero MascaraSkipped itWatch at 3:21
- Essence Lash Without Limits Mascara in BrownSkipped itWatch at 15:40
- Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High MascaraSkipped itWatch at 6:43
- Glossier Pro Tip Liquid EyelinerRated itWatch at 21:07
- Milani Anti-Gravity Waterproof MascaraRated itWatch at 15:17
- L'Oreal Shadow Stick Twinkling RoseRated itWatch at 16:28
- Merit Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color in StudioRated itWatch at 15:56
- NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette Warm NeutralsRated itWatch at 12:15
- L'Oreal 24-Hour Brow Lamination GelRated itWatch at 2:46
- L'Oreal Voluminous MascaraRated itWatch at 16:12
- e.l.f. Cream Glide EyelinerRated itWatch at 16:33
- Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Extreme Volume MascaraRated itWatch at 2:04
- Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing MascaraRated itWatch at 15:49
- Milani Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing MascaraRated itWatch at 6:05
- Maybelline Super Lock Brow GlueRated itWatch at 0:35
- Maybelline Falsies Lash Lift MascaraRated itWatch at 15:30
About this expert
See everything Dr Dray has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Dr Dray said across her videos about 35 products in eye makeup, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.