Beauty Perversion Waterproof vs Volumizing: Mascara Showdown Winner
Waterproof and Volumizing are the two full-size Perversion formulas. Both promise intense black volume. One prioritizes staying power. The other prioritizes easy wear. This comparison examines every practical difference. You will know which formula deserves your money. We examine wear, volume, removal, and overall value carefully. Both share the famous triple-black pigment load. Only the base formula truly differs here.
| Factor | Urban Decay Perversion Waterproof Mascar | Urban Decay Perversion Volumizing Mascar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Check price | Check price |
| Formula type | Waterproof | Washable volumizing |
| Black intensity | Triple-black pigment | Triple-black pigment |
| Brush | Precision twisted | Big fluffy volumizing |
| Wear time | All day, sweat-proof | All day, standard |
| Removal | Oil-based remover needed | Warm water and cleanser |
| Best for | Humid days and events | Daily dramatic lashes |
| Lash care | Standard formula | Proteins and amino acids |
Our Verdict
Choose Waterproof for unbeatable staying power. It survives heat, tears, and long days. It needs dedicated remover at night. Choose Volumizing for comfortable daily drama. It washes off easily and nourishes lashes. It may smudge on very oily lids. Most people should start with Volumizing. Switch to Waterproof for events and summer. Both deliver the signature Perversion blackness. Both deliver the dramatic blackness Perversion promises daily. Choose based on your day, not just the price. Your lashes will look bold either way.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.
Best for: travel and formula trial
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara Travel Mini
- Travel-size Perversion mascara
- Same volumizing black formula
- Purse-friendly compact tube
Pros
- Great for travel and gym bags
- Lower price to try the formula
Cons
- Runs out quickly
- Smaller brush head
Waterproof vs Water-Resistant vs Tubing: The Real Decision Matrix
The Perversion comparison above pits waterproof against volumizing, but buyers really need the three-way map, because waterproof, water-resistant, and tubing solve different problems. True waterproof survives swimming, heavy sweating, and tears, and demands oil-based removal. Water-resistant handles humidity and light moisture with easier removal, but it will not survive a pool. Tubing forms polymer tubes around each lash that survive oils, sweat, and rubbing better than traditional formulas, yet slide off with warm water alone. The paradox: tubing beats waterproof for oily lids and gym sessions, while waterproof wins for actual submersion.
The decision runs on your day, not the marketing. Daily office wear with oily lids: tubing. Outdoor wedding with crying: waterproof. Humid commute and easy evenings: water-resistant or washable. Heavy workouts: tubing, since sweat dissolves waterproof films from underneath while tubes stay put. For the travel mini in the comparison above at its listed price, the smart play is matching the formula to the trip: waterproof for beach vacations, the volumizing washable for city trips where easy removal matters more. Our tubing mascara guide explains the polymer science behind why tubes behave so differently from traditional films.
Tubing Mascara in Heat: When the Feature Becomes the Bug
Tubing mascara's signature trait, removal with warm water, turns into its failure mode in heat. Hot yoga, saunas, steam rooms, and long hot showers soften the polymer tubes the same way warm water does at the sink, and the result is mid-day flaking or sliding that traditional waterproof formulas never show. This is not a product defect, it is the chemistry working as designed in the wrong conditions. Anyone whose routine includes heat exposure should treat tubing as a cool-conditions formula.
The workaround depends on the heat source. For hot showers, keep the water off the face or finish with the face turned away, since direct hot water on the lashes is what triggers the slide. For saunas and steam rooms, switch to a true waterproof formula for those days, because no tubing formula survives sustained steam. For hot climates generally, the test is the afternoon mirror check: if tubes are intact at 3pm in the heat, your formula and climate are compatible, and if they are flaking, the climate has voted. The Perversion waterproof in the comparison above is the heat-proof answer in this lineup, which is exactly why owning both formulas, rather than picking one winner, is the right conclusion for buyers who live in both worlds. Our Clinique Lash Power tubing guide covers which tubing formulas hold up best in warmth.
Removing Intense Black Without Staining or Snapping
Perversion's claim to fame is its intense black pigment, and that pigment is what makes removal tricky: the color stains skin and the polymers grip lashes. The method that works is staged. First, an oil or balm cleanser massaged for a full 60 seconds dissolves the bulk of the pigment without friction. Second, a dual-phase remover on a saturated pad, pressed to the closed eye for 30 seconds, clears the residue the oil loosened. Skipping straight to the dual-phase pad means more rubbing, more broken lashes, and the gray shadow under the eyes the next morning.
The waterproof version needs the oil stage without exception; trying to remove it with micellar water alone is how lashes get snapped. Treat the lower lashes gently during removal, they are finer than upper lashes and snap more easily under harsh rubbing. And check the waterline after removal: intense black pigments hide in the waterline and emerge as smudges hours later, so one gentle pass with a damp cotton swab along the waterline finishes the job. Replace the travel mini on schedule even though it feels wasteful to discard a small tube, since old intense-black formulas stain worse and remove harder than fresh ones.