This is one of the most commonly asked questions a Makeup Artist gets asked. I’d love to give you a simple answer with a specific brand and formula to go purchase. However, there is no such thing as “the mascara” that is best for everyone. The best mascara for you, your best friend and your mother are most likely, all different. Determining the best one for you depends on several factors. What best describes your lashes without makeup on and what do you feel is your main “beauty issue” with your eyelashes? Are they long but sparse? Thin and short? Directionally challenged? Droopy and hard to curl?
Now, think about the type of mascara look you prefer. Longer lashes is a given, but do you like a natural, no makeup look, a sophisticated look, obvious mascara or even chunky lashes ala Tammy Faye? The truth is there’s a perfect mascara out there for everyone! You just have to know what you need and what each tube offers. That’s where the mystery is and why we get so confused! The last time you went to a drug store for something to give your lashes a boost; you may have been mesmerized by the plethora of choices you had. While most brands offer a dozen or more mascara formulas all with different applicator wands and various color choices. Maybelline alone has 27 different mascara formulas to choose from.!
Naturally, we lose between 1 – 4 eyelashes a day and each lash takes between 4 – 6 weeks to grow back to our predetermined, genetic length. Waterproof and other hard to remove mascaras can cause excessive lash loss. Therefore, investing in a gentle eye make up remover to use on the delicate eye area is a much better investment than using soap which will also age the skin around the eyes. Eyelash hair is tapered, meaning that each hair is skinnier and nearly invisible at the tip. That is why even one light coat of the cheapest mascara can make a big difference. While many mascaras claim to do it all, read on for some eye opening tips.
To give the illusion of longer lashes, look for a lengthening formula with a small very skinny brush. These mascaras with their small applicator brush have a thin, more watery formula of mascara that just paints the lashes as they are. The skinny brush allows you to get color closer to the roots to elongate the illusion of the lashes.
A thickening formula is literally a thicker and often drier formula of ingredients to give the illusion of adding several coats at once. These formulas are a favorite for most of society. Finding ones that don’t clump or crumble is hard but not impossible. The best ones have a very full applicator brush. For best results, try these application tips: Place the brush as close to the lash line as possible, wiggle the brush slightly so that lash hairs fall in between bristles then slowly comb outward in long strokes. Applying color to the tops of lashes is also a necessity for women with light lashes and for those that use light or shimmer eye shadow which leaves a powdery residue on the lash. However, coating the lashes on the top and underneath section with a thickening formula can become harsh looking. If this is your experience, then consider using the same technique with lengthening mascara.
Women with thick hair or hair that is hard to curl often have the same problem with their eyelashes. For those hard to curl or droopy lashes, many mascara formulas are so heavy that the weight of them can easily make a freshly curled lash droop in seconds. Mascaras that claim to actually curl the lashes are typically just fast drying mascaras. Heat is known to set hair better and keep a curl. So try heating up the eyelash curler for a few seconds with a blow drier before curling lashes. Let lashes cool and then apply these fast-drying formulas for best results. Be especially careful not to use the blow drier long enough to heat the metal part of the lash curler. Women trying this trick for the first time have been known to occasionally burn themselves with the hot metal.
For the woman with directionally challenged lashes, the non-clump, lengthening formulas work best to avoid a messy, chunky look. Use a metal lash comb to separate and groom the lashes before mascara is dry to help them to not look clumped. Some brands offer an applicator that literally looks like a comb which can give great results for those with lashes that overlap or seem to crisscross each other.
Love and Wisdom
Donna
