8 Mascara Problems Solved
Clumps and flakes don’t have to be a mascara side effect. (Photo: Getty Images)
From tantalizingly tarantular to naturally groomed and darkened, lash goals can be as individual as our Netflix consumption goals. One woman’s perfectly chunky lash look is another’s mortifying mascara moment. Because there are a myriad of mascara mishaps — from clumping, flaking, and smearing, to wimpy or drying formulas — there are also a range of products, brushes, and techniques to address each. Here, Yahoo Beauty tapped the best makeup artists and chemists give you the scoop on how to mitigate your worst mascara nightmares by choosing the best mascara for you.
Counter the Clump
To address clumping, cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson recommends wiping some of the product off the wand on a clean tissue — leaving just enough on the brush for the mascara to do its job. Also, check the label. Per Wilson, “Mascaras with a high waxy content will smear easier and can be prone to more clumping than mascaras with more gums.” When it comes to brushes, makeup artist Kristopher Buckle advises looking for “a silicone brush that glides through lashes while perfectly separating them.” He also says to avoid mascaras that have a wide spiral formation on the brush: “This makes for an uncontrolled amount of product to be coated onto lashes leaving them clumpy.” Still getting goop? Estée Lauder makeup artist Victor Henao likes to use Estée Lauder Brow Now Stay in Place Brow Gel ($25) after applying mascara and then combing through. “Put it on while the lashes are still damp if you feel like it’s too much clump,” he says.
Fight the Flake
Ni’Kita Wilson points out that flaking is typically associated with the polymers used to make the mascara waterproof or to help elongate the lashes. “They are necessary, and it’s difficult to avoid them if you need a waterproof formula or length,” explains Wilson. Here, it’s all about technique. She advises you work the brush from the base of the lash on up with one or two strokes (on the same lash). “Sometimes women apply multiple coats of mascara to achieve full and thick lashes when they should really be using a cream-based formula to build volume and fullness with two coats,” says Lucero. But be careful in between coats — makeup artist and Vanitymark creator Brett Freedman says the culprit is typically layering too much mascara without allowing the coats to dry in between. Our pick for a flakeless fringe is It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Mascara ($24).
Sidestep Smearing
Are you frequently marooned without makeup remover while unwittingly channeling a football player? In warmer weather, smearing may seem unavoidable, but Ni’Kita Wilson advocates sticking with waterproof mascaras with fewer waxes. “Polymers (as opposed to waxes) form films around the lashes that are more likely to help seal the pigments in place; this is not the case with high wax products,” she says. Buckle suggests carefully setting makeup around your eye with a translucent powder to cut down on extra oil and moisture in the area. Makeup artist Brett Freedman notes that some bottom lashes lay very close to the skin on the top of the cheeks, and that body heat and oils break down mascara and “cause the shadow of dark.” To avoid a Barnabas Collins moment, try a mascara designed for bottom lashes specifically, like Surratt Beauty Pointilliste Mascara ($26).
Let There Be Length
When it comes to length, Ni’Kita Wilson maintains that the brush is every bit as important as the formula. “Women with really short lashes may want to opt for a thinner brush or a comb style brush,” she says. Another technique Buckle recommends is wiggling the brush at the root of lashes and pulling out through entire length of lashes, then repeating only from the middle of your lash out to the ends. But don’t forget to comb through this type of formula; it tends to fuse lashes together, and the trick to faking length is making the lashes look separated. To keep each lash crisp, she loves using a pointed, metal lash separator while the mascara’s still wet. Clinique High Lengths Mascara ($17) features a comb to help separate lashes while lengthening.
Va-Va Volume
Craving lots of lashes? Ni’Kita Wilson mentions that mascaras for volume tend to use fat brushes with waxy formulas. “The waxes coat the lashes and increase the diameter of the lash,” she says. “This takes up more space thus the lashes look fuller.” Makeup artist Ricky Wilson likes to wiggle the brush at the base of the lash to fake fullness. One formula to try for mega volume is Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara ($30). (Disclaimer: Bobbi Brown is the editor in chief of Yahoo Beauty.)
Diminish Dry-Out
“Mascaras that yield both thickness and volume typically have a dry formulation from the start,” says Ricky Wilson. This allows the mascara to quickly build after a few coats. He addresses this challenge by layering a few different mascaras. “I always use more than one for those who love lashes because the different formulas provide really eye-catching effects,” says Wilson. To deal with a Sahara-style tube, Freedman recommends a drop of rosewater on the brush then pushed into tube to reinvigorate. A genius tip I picked up from an aesthetician is dropping one or two drops of SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel ($78) into your mascara after the first couple uses to keep the formula wet. If dry-outs have been bumming you out, try Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara ($4), which is known for its super-wet formula.
Curl Burnout
Curled lashes create a wide-eyed Bambi look that’s excellent for faking a bright-eyed and bushy tailed look on early mornings. Freedman says to take the lashes in the center straight up, then sweep the inner corners (near tear duct) up toward the middle of the forehead and the outer corners toward temples. He says to avoid brushing all the lashes out toward temples. Henao recommends using a mascara primer prior to mascara, and after using a lash curler to hold the curl a little longer. He also shares this trick he learned from a makeup artist in Asia: “Apply mascara or a primer in coats, and after the 3rd one just hold the wand on the lashes for 30 seconds and then remove almost so the mascara acts like a curler.” He likes to use Estée Lauder Little Black Primer ($24) topped with Estée Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara ($28).
Puny Pigment
For sultry evenings out, only the blackest black formula will do. An extra-dark flirty fringe will define eyes beautifully, making your iris color pop. Invest in a heavy duty black formula and brush down (looking down) on the top lashes, then up from the roots to thoroughly coat them. A heavily pigmented formula to try is L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara ($10).
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