Few beauty buys are as personal as mascara. But when it comes to mascara, one thing is universal: the wrong technique and formula can lead to a clumpy-looking result. If you’re looking for a new wonder wand, here are our best tips for glossy, flake-free results, by editor Trudi Brewer.
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With so many mascara options available, finding the right fit is no small feat. But here are the tools you need for length, volume, and separation for your smallest assets.
Read on to learn more.
Choose the right formula
As we age, the skin under the eyes becomes looser and lined. This can be problematic with eye makeup application, especially mascara smudging. Also, if you wear glasses, this often means the eye area sweats. So, tubing mascara is a good option. Finally, if you’re experiencing constant smudging, forgo applying mascara on the lower lashes altogether.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, $54.
My all-time favourite mascara for boosting length, volume and separation in one coat. The formula is the blackest black and is buildable to give you a glossy coverage of a faux-lash effect that stays put for hours. It also nourishes, strengthens and thickens lashes with peptides (protein), and Acacia Senegal tree extract.
Try tubing mascara
Tubing mascara is gaining popularity, thanks to the polymers that create the tubes around each lash to create volume and length. The most significant benefit is that tubing mascaras don’t smudge or transfer as much as regular mascaras. One clever makeup artist tip is to begin with regular mascara and then seal the look with a tubing mascara to help prevent flaking, smudging and mascara running.
Revlon All In Tubing Mascara, $29.
By nature, tubing mascara is dry. Why? Unlike traditional mascara, tubing mascara creates a water-resistant ‘tube’ around each lash when exposed to air. Add the action of pumping the wand in and out, introducing more air, and the mascara can dry out further. However, Revlon has made a glossy tubing mascara that doesn’t feel dry. It’s boosted with polymers, carnauba, and beeswax and layers easily to build length and fullness and doesn’t smudge or flake. The best news is that it washes off in warm water.
There are two shades, Black and Brown.
Opt for a skinny brush
As we mature, our lashes get thinner. Opting for a thin mascara brush helps capture every lash. Start directly at the base of the lash to ensure you pick up every hair, including baby hair or new growth, then wiggle the brush from root to tip. A small brush directly in the lash line will help give your eyes a more lined appearance and prevent any gaps in the application.
MAC Extended Play Gigablack Lash, $55.
Meet our style director Louise Hilsz's go-to mascara, not just for the skinny brush. Thanks to its innovative thermal-sensitive technology, the waterproof formula washes off easily. That unique slimline brush allows her to reach even the tiniest lashes and build up to a high-impact, fluttery, glossy finish.
Apply mascara from root to tip.
Always work the mascara from the root of the lash to the tips. Use your brush to follow the length of your lashes, lifting the lashes as you apply mascara. Then wait for 30 seconds before adding a second coat.
Clinique High Impact High-Fi Full Volume Mascara, $65.
The first thing you notice about this mascara is how only one coat makes your lashes look epic—full, glossy, and lifted, which is what Clinique promises. So, down to the facts: It promises to create lusher, plusher, bolder lashes, and it’s 100 per cent fragrance-free, ophthalmologist-tested, and safe for sensitive eyes and anyone who wears contact lenses. Hands on heart, it delivers—we love it!
Use a lash primer
We prime our skin to prep it for foundation, so why not take the same care with our lashes? If you feel like your lashes are lacking, using a lash primer can be a huge help.
Revitalash Double-ended Volume Set Prime, $69.
I had to try this mascara when I saw a friend sporting incredible-looking lashes late last year. It’s a two-in-one bright blue lash primer and rich, glossy black mascara duo that does more than prep lashes; it boosts volume, and wow, does it increase the length? Why? The formula's biotin and soft flex polymers help condition and strengthen lashes; the brush, let’s face it, that is what makes or breaks a mascara, is a volume-building wonder wand that captures every lash, and it’s water-resistant. As mascara goes, it’s extraordinary.
Go slow
Don't rush to apply mascara. Rushing the application can cause clumpy lashes. Make it the final step in your makeup routine, and comb through every lash meticulously.
NARS Climax Mascara, $49.
It would be remiss not to include this famous mascara for its clump, flake and smudge-resistant status. So, if you wear glasses, look no further. The brush on this beauty is brilliant, too. Ribbed bristles help to get a full load of the whipped, blackened pigments in this mascara, and the result is excellent lift and extra volume with that natural-looking, fluttery finish.
For length, volume, and clump-free separation.