Harriet (the voluptuous Lisa De Leeuw) is a middle-aged woman with social difficulties, fed up with seeing her boss (Robert Kerman, AKA Richard Bolla) repeatedly meeting in his office with Lucy (the sensual and mature Lee Carroll), a high-class prostitute willing to please her clients in every way. Eager to gain experience in the sexual realm, Harriet asks Lucy for a private meeting to learn the "secrets" of seduction and relationship success. Soon, the two become close friends, and Harriet finds herself embroiled in various situations with the most peculiar characters and the most sophisticated sexual practices.

Directed by Henri Pachard and Roberta Findlay, who also produced and filmed it, "Mascara" is one of the great adult films of the golden age set in New York City. It offers a gripping narrative that revolves around the sordid nature of frustrations and obsessions, always adding a touch of bawdy humor with raw and highly arousing sex scenes. Lisa De Leeuw shines in a truly challenging role, where she must display a sterile and circumspect attitude in an explicitly sexual environment.