A great mascara can mean the difference between looking like you've had a hard weekend and looking wide awake, ready to face the week ahead. Most of us aren't blessed with full and luscious lash lines, but we can fake it will all the great products available on the high street to help us along the way. Although there are some incredible mascaras out there that really do help to lengthen and create a powerful flutter, most of the result will depend on your application technique and ability to manipulate your lashes. After years of trial and error, here are my top tips for applying your mascara so well you'll look like you're wearing falsies...!
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Get The Right Mascara For You
Mascaras are unfortunately not 'one size fits all' - there's a distinct difference in their offerings, depending upon your individual needs. You may have a full flutter but need a bit of length, or have lots of length but no volume; or if you're like me, need a little bit of everything added to stumpy lashes. Doing your research and finding a mascara that will meet your specific requirements is half the battle, ensuring it's going to deliver where you need it to. The key words to look out for are: volumising, lengthening, separating and curling.
Make Sure It's In Date
Every single product sold in the UK has to include a 'PAO' (or Period After Opening) number which shows how long it should be used after you first break the seal. Most mascaras only last between three and six months, due to their exposure to air, so make sure you throw old ones away and frequently replace your most used. The formula will start to become gloopy, flaky and hard to use once it deteriorates, so chuck it away and buy yourself a new one for optimum results.
Don't Pump The Bottle
This is such an old fashioned way of applying mascara and is so damaging to the product inside. We may remember our mothers pumping the lid of mascara into the tube before applying it to her lashes, but this actually fills the tube with air (and all the nasties that are in the air,) causing it to deteriorate quicker. Pumping air in will dry out your mascara and cause it to look gloopy on lashes - put simply, don't do it!
Take Your Time
You can't expect to chuck on a coat of mascara and for it to look incredible; you need to take your time and ensure you coat every single lash for maximum impact. There's no harm in applying in thirds, using the brush to manipulate lashes and ensure every one is coated in product - it will help create the illusion of thicker lashes as even the baby blonde ones will be given a makeover.
Layer And Build
My favourite thing to do is apply multiple coats of mascara, waiting approximately thirty seconds for it to dry between each layer. It's really hard to layer product over a wet surface as there's nowhere for it to stick, but applying mascara over a 75% dry surface will help build up the result without overloading lashes. I tend to apply a layer of mascara, apply my blusher, apply another layer of mascara, apply my highlighter... And so on.
Comb Through To Finish
A mascara comb could be your new best friend. Although they may look a bit naff and remind you of the 90's, they're actually really handy at getting rid of any small lumps or imperfections. When used on slightly damp lashes, they can also help to lift your lashline and fan out lashes for an incredible flutter. It takes ten seconds and can make a huge difference.
Do you have any top tips for applying mascara and perfecting your flutter?![]()
Get The Right Mascara For You
Mascaras are unfortunately not 'one size fits all' - there's a distinct difference in their offerings, depending upon your individual needs. You may have a full flutter but need a bit of length, or have lots of length but no volume; or if you're like me, need a little bit of everything added to stumpy lashes. Doing your research and finding a mascara that will meet your specific requirements is half the battle, ensuring it's going to deliver where you need it to. The key words to look out for are: volumising, lengthening, separating and curling.
Make Sure It's In Date
Every single product sold in the UK has to include a 'PAO' (or Period After Opening) number which shows how long it should be used after you first break the seal. Most mascaras only last between three and six months, due to their exposure to air, so make sure you throw old ones away and frequently replace your most used. The formula will start to become gloopy, flaky and hard to use once it deteriorates, so chuck it away and buy yourself a new one for optimum results.
Don't Pump The Bottle
This is such an old fashioned way of applying mascara and is so damaging to the product inside. We may remember our mothers pumping the lid of mascara into the tube before applying it to her lashes, but this actually fills the tube with air (and all the nasties that are in the air,) causing it to deteriorate quicker. Pumping air in will dry out your mascara and cause it to look gloopy on lashes - put simply, don't do it!
Take Your Time
You can't expect to chuck on a coat of mascara and for it to look incredible; you need to take your time and ensure you coat every single lash for maximum impact. There's no harm in applying in thirds, using the brush to manipulate lashes and ensure every one is coated in product - it will help create the illusion of thicker lashes as even the baby blonde ones will be given a makeover.
Layer And Build
My favourite thing to do is apply multiple coats of mascara, waiting approximately thirty seconds for it to dry between each layer. It's really hard to layer product over a wet surface as there's nowhere for it to stick, but applying mascara over a 75% dry surface will help build up the result without overloading lashes. I tend to apply a layer of mascara, apply my blusher, apply another layer of mascara, apply my highlighter... And so on.
Comb Through To Finish
A mascara comb could be your new best friend. Although they may look a bit naff and remind you of the 90's, they're actually really handy at getting rid of any small lumps or imperfections. When used on slightly damp lashes, they can also help to lift your lashline and fan out lashes for an incredible flutter. It takes ten seconds and can make a huge difference.
Do you have any top tips for applying mascara and perfecting your flutter?