Tubular mascara is the superior form. Here are the 5 best right now.

Don't tell my boyfriend but I've found someone else. 

They're the first thing that graces my eyes in the morning and the last thing I look at before bed. They catch my tears and are the driver of my self-confidence. 

They are my tubular mascaras. 

If you are familiar with tubular mascaras, firstly, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about and secondly, I'm so angry at you for not telling me about them sooner. 

Watch: 5 Minutes With Leigh | Applying mascara. Post continues below.

As someone who's been burdened blessed with hairy genes, I can honestly (and egotistically) say that I've hit the lottery with my eyelashes. They're long and thick and there are so many of them. 

I don't want to brag but I even have to trim them so they stop getting stuck in my eyebrow hairs. (Please stick with me, this not-so-humble brag is leading to a point.)

My eyelashes get pretty messy when I wear a standard mascara. Within three to five hours, I end up looking like the picture below:

Me at 5pm when I don't wear tubular mascara.

Standard mascara ALWAYS makes its way down my face and settles between the creases of my under-eyes. On top of that, because my eyelashes hit the top of my eyelid, I end up getting black smudges under my brows as well. 

The panda image is extremely accurate. 

Enter: The love of my life. 

Instead of how standard mascara paints the lashes, tubular mascara uses a formula that wraps the product around each eyelash and sets in its form. It doesn't budge, it doesn't smudge and it holds until you take it off.

It's also really easy to remove — all it takes is a bit of warm water on your fingers. Just gently pull down on your eyelashes and it comes right off.

If I have convinced you that you should swap to using a tubular mascara (you really should), here are five I recommend.

Poni The White Knight Mascara, $32.

Image: Supplied.

We are starting with my favourite mascara at the moment. 

This one from Poni makes my lashes look so long and sleek. It doesn't irritate my eyes at all. 

It comes with two steps — the first for volume and the second for lengthening. Because my lashes are already naturally thick, I only use step two to elongate them. 

Hourglass Unlocked™ Instant Extensions Mascara, $55.

Image: Mecca.

I haven't personally tried this myself but I've heard great things. 

If you want to dive into the deep end and splurge on your tubular mascara, Hourglass promises to deliver. 

This one is on my wish list once I've become a tubular veteran. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty Future Lash Mascara, $56.

Image: Victoria Beckham Beauty.

I once borrowed this mascara from a friend in a nightclub bathroom and even though I was deep in vodka lime sodas, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. 

The curvy wand works so well with my natural eyelashes — it helps the product spread across each lash evenly and keeps them lifted for the entire day (or in my case, night). 

I didn't need to use a lash curler with this one. 

MCoBeauty Xtendlash Mascara, $28.

Image: Supplied.

One tubular mascara that always gets recommended (and for good reason) is Xtendlash from MCoBeauty. 

It's cost-effective and gets the job done. I'm always seeing this mascara in my friend's makeup bags and I'm not going to lie, it looks good on everyone! 

This one is pretty volumising so I only brush it on a few times.

ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara, $22.

Image: Mecca.

If you're still uncertain about tubular mascara, don't worry, I won't take it personally. 

This one from ILIA is a great starting point that is a bit more friendly on the bank account. 

ILIA is one of the first brands I started using when I first got into makeup and their products are so gentle and easy to navigate. 

The dual-spined wand will help you choose what type of tubular coating is best for your eyelashes — perfect if you're in the "unsure" category. 

If you want more lifestyle opinions and recommendations from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem. 

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Feature image: Supplied.