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A wise beauty editor once told me mascaras are like bananas.

There's a small window of precious time, between the too-runny newness and the dried-out crustiness, in which a mascara is perfection.

I'd argue mascaras are like making the perfect cup of tea or slice of Vegemite toast. Everyone likes theirs done a certain way, and anything less has the potential to ruin your day.

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I'm not too fussy when it comes to mascaras, but I know what makes a bad one. I don't want clumps, flaking or smudging. I need length and separation, but with just the right amount of volume and pigment to make my lashes look naturally thick and glossy.

Oh, and I also need my mascaras to have a tubing formula. Tubular mascaras are incredible for watery eye and oily skin-havers, and anyone who sweats or cries a lot.

They coat every single lash in a 'tube' that can only be removed with warm water. Only catch? They aren't the best at adding depth and volume, or holding a curl.

I've tried countless tubing mascaras and I haven't found a volumising tubing formula that actually delivers… until now.

MERIT Clean Volume Volumizing Tubing Mascara, $44.

The mascara in question. Image: Supplied.

Before it launched in Australia, MERIT was the grown-up cool-girl brand you'd ask friends travelling to the US to buy for you.

From complexion sticks that replace foundation and concealer, to cream blush domes and a cult 'great skin' priming serum, MERIT is known for its chic, multi-use, minimalist makeup products.

It's as cool as Hailey Bieber's rhode, but more sophisticated; as premium as Victoria Beckham Beauty or Westman Atelier, but way less expensive.

Here's what you need to know about the new MERIT mascara:

• A lightweight tubing mascara that promises to lift and separate lashes for precise, buildable volume.

• Petite precision brush and Japanese-made tubing formula wraps each lash to lock in curl and lift, without heaviness.

• Resists sweat, humidity, and water for up to 16 hours of wear.

• Removes easily with warm water and cleanser; ophthalmologist-tested and safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Sounds great on paper, but if I'm going to fork out $40+ on a mascara I'll need to replace every three months, it'd better make my lashes look insanely good…

My MERIT mascara review.

I didn't think I'd love this mascara wand as much as I do. Image: Supplied.

Maybe I'm being dramatic, but this mascara has quite literally changed my life.

I usually hate wearing mascara, but my lashes have never looked so good. I've also never received as many compliments as I do when I'm wearing it, which is incentive enough to swipe it on every morning.

Exhibit A: visual evidence of how two coats of this mascara completely transformed my face, without irritating the life out of me like most mascara formulas.

Before and after proof! Image: Supplied.

As someone who loves a more traditional bristled mascara brush, I didn't think I'd like the MERIT volumising mascara's petite, pokey-looking wand.

Turns out, it's actually the key to achieving the holy lash trinity: length, separation and volume.

No clumps. No stuck-together spider legs. Just lashes that had my colleagues commenting on how amazing my makeup looked.

Excuse me?! Image: Supplied.

I've been trialling this mascara for months and have never noticed a single flake.

I cry at least once a week (and sweat from my under-eye bags daily), but the true test came just last week when I wore this MERIT mascara out snorkelling and returned to dry land sans panda-eye smudging.

Unlike many long-wearing or waterproof mascaras, this tubing mascara formula is super easy to remove with warm water or a balm cleanser.

Is $44 expensive for a mascara? Sure. But in my humble beauty editor opinion, it's worth every cent.

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Feature image: Supplied @theamyclark .