If you think there is no such thing as a magic wand, you’re not making the best of your mascara! Yeah, a bit of humor but if you ask most women what one makeup item they can’t go without, most will say Mascara!
Long luscious lashes are something a lot of women seek, and we’ve got the scoop on some of the best tips, tricks, and Mascara Hacks out there!
Prevent Clumps
- Before application, you want to blot your mascara wand with a piece of tissue; this will help to remove any excess mascara.
- Apply petroleum jelly to your lashes first before apply Mascara.
- When applying your mascara, do it in a zig zag manner. Starting at the base of your lashes and moving the wand in an upward sweep to the tips.
- Wait in between applications. Some mascaras take longer to dry, so wait about 60 seconds before applying your next coat
- Dryness could be a reason your mascara gets clumpy. So to add some moisture back into your tube, add some drops of alcohol-based eye makeup remover.
Raccoon Eyes
- To prevent this look for a long wearing mascara.
- Another option is a waterproof mascara
- Make sure you are not allergic to it. While this seems like a duh comment, overly watered eyes which can lead to your mascara smudging can be because of a sensitivity to your mascara. In this case, switch it out.
- Another raccoon eye can occur with the removal of your makeup. So make sure to remove it with something like the makeup eraser.
Lashes Sticking Together
Full, voluminous lashes are my goal with mascara, but when they stick together like spider legs, it is not attractive. To help with this, comb through your lashes with a mascara comb. Not only does it separate the lashes but it also removes any access that can lead to clumping.
Fuller Lashes
- Apply some black eyeliner to the upper waterline.
- Dust your lashes with powder, bronzer or a dark eye shadow before applying your mascara. This will allow the mascara to adhere to the lashes, building thickness. This is a great DIY approach to the fiber formula mascaras!
Don’t Cut Corners
(Or in this case, forget the corners). To get the appearance of falsies you want to make sure that you are applying mascara to each lash. So, don’t forget about using mascara on both ends, near the tear duct area as well as the outer eyelash edge.
Don’t Forget The Lash Line
That thickness and darkness you get from fake eyelashes are very prominent at the base of the lash line. Hence, wiggling the mascara wand back and forth starting at the root and going upwards is going to make your lashes appear so much thicker while giving you that same falsies baseline look.
Make Your Mascara Last Longer
- Apply a non-waterproof mascara first, doing this will help with easy removal. Place the waterproof mascara on top of the coat of non-waterproof.
- Combining the two will give you the benefits of having an extraordinary smear proof curled lash, which will last all day, with easy removal.
Holding the Brush Correctly
- Holding your brush in different positions can give you different looks.
- Vertical: Holding your brush vertically will give you longer lashes.
- Horizontal: the Horizontal application will give you voluminous lashes. Make sure to apply in a wiggle motion, emphasizing on the base of the lashes and swooping upwards.
- Bend the wand: This is a bit hard to describe, but we’ll do our best. You can make use of an old mascara wand by bending the bristle area of the wand upwards (it will look like a right angle). Doing this will enable you to get those hard to reach areas, like the corner of your lashes and other smaller lashes without a mess.
Mess-Free Application
- Getting mascara on your skin can be a pain, especially if you have already applied your makeup. But fret no more as we have some great hacks to help with this!
- Apply your mascara by using a business card. Just place a business card right to the lash line, behind your lashes and apply your mascara.
- Spoon: You can do the same thing by using a spoon. Place the spoon with the curved side out. I usually do this when applying mascara to my lower lashes.
- Both approaches will prevent you from getting mascara on your skin. Instead, it will go on the spoon or card.
If you find that your mascara is dried out, or close to the end of the tube, there are a few tricks to help.
- Take your tube of mascara & place it in the palms of your hands. Quickly roll the mascara tube back & forth between your hands for about 30 seconds.
- You can also loosen your mascara by placing the closed tube in a warm glass of water.
- By doing either of the above, you create heat, which will soften & loosen the mascara or it won't seem as dried out, it revives and will apply like a new tube.
- IMPORTANT, make sure to keep in mind the safe time usage of your mascara, AKA expire. The best way to keep track is to write the date you opened it, on the bottom of the tube. After three months’ start paying attention to it. Don’t keep it if it is what we call in the makeup world “past its shelf life,” toss it in the trash, don’t try to revive it.
Taking Care Of Your Lashes
If you are not taking care of your lashes, none of these tricks will help you. It is important when you are removing your mascara that you are not pulling or tugging on the eyelashes with hopes to get the mascara off.
Instead, you want to take the approach that aestheticians use to remove your eye makeup when you are getting a facial. Use a makeup removing the solution and a cotton pad or something like the makeup eraser and with your eye closed, gently wipe downwards repetitively until the pad or wipe is free from mascara. You can then open the eye and clean up the under-eye area.
Some Don’ts!
Now that we’ve shared some do’s there are a few do not's we feel are necessary to mention!
Do Not Pump The Wand: This is something we see people often do but do not pump the wand up and down in the tube! Doing so can put air in the tube causing it to go bad sooner, it can also create bacteria, and that is the last thing you want near your eyes!
Don’t Over Use Waterproof Mascara: While it is ok to use it sometimes or when layering as we mentioned above. Trying to remove it can be difficult, and the last thing you want to do is pull and tug on the skin as sagging skin can lead to thinner lashes!
Don’t Curl Your Lashes After: Again, our goal is full lashes, and if you curl your lashes after you have applied your mascara, the likelihood of pulling some of the lashes out or having them stick to the eyelash curler is much higher!
