Your "Empty" Mascara Tube Isn't Actually Empty—Use This Easy Trick to Get Every Last Drop

There's nothing more satisfying than reaching the point in the middle of using up a tube of a mascara when it applies perfectly. You know the day. It's when the wand has just enough product on it, not too much that you end up with runny gloops and not too little that you're dealing with dry clumps. You're a beauty queen. An artist. A master of makeup.

On the flip side, it's always a sad moment when your very favorite mascara tube starts feeling like it's on the last leg—er, lash. Dry and empty, like the biscuit jar after a few days of munching. It can be tempting to throw it out and start anew, despite feeling like you just spent money doing the exact same thing. However, it turns out that there's a savvy makeup hack for that. Because if you think your tube is out of mascara, you're wrong.

Instead of trashing your mascara tube at the first sign of emptiness or dryness, try this trick. Grab a short glass or mug and fill it with very hot water from your faucet. Dunk the "empty" mascara tube into the water and allow it to sit for at least 5 to 10 minutes. (The longer, the better.) Remove the mascara tube and try it out. It should apply much more amiably, if not good-as-new.

The explanation behind this easy mascara hack is simple. As the days or weeks pass by while we're using our mascara, product accumulates on the sides, either from run-of-the-mill gravity or as a result of pumping the wand too forcibly. Understandably, it thickens up and gets stuck in place where the wand can't reach. By using hot water to warm the product inside the tube, you're able to loosen and refresh the mascara in order to allow your wand to reach it again. Plus, it's thinned out enough to apply smoothly and clump-free.

While this trick isn't guaranteed to length the lifespan of your mascara tube drastically, it can certainly help elongate the amount of applications you're able to squeeze out of it, as well as freshen up the formula enough to avoid major flakiness or clumping. That means you're able to save a little money and be less wasteful without sacrificing gorgeously coated lashes. So really, it's a win-win.

Mascara can be deceivingly complicated, but this hack can help you master it once and for all.