There’s an Entire Generation of Women Who Are Putting Mascara On the Wrong Way

It’s funny how beauty tricks have a way of making the rounds again, years later. We recently read an article on Glamour about a Hollywood actress who shared a beauty tip from her grandmother—who happens to be Tippi Hedren. She described a technique that our Southern mothers have been using for years, but that has somehow fallen out of favor with younger generations. The brilliant thing is, it soon started creating quite a buzz around the beauty world. As they say, what’s old is new again.

The technique is all about changing the angle of your gaze when coating your lashes with mascara. Instead of looking straight ahead in the mirror (as we’re inclined to do these days), or up-in-the-air, our mothers and grandmothers would look down instead. This technique allowed them to coat the full length of lashes without getting a speck of mascara on the lower part of the brow—which we all know is the real battle. The easiest way to do this is with a handheld mirror positioned just below the chin. This will allow your lashes to be in full-view while you sweep the wand from base to tip.

While Hedren’s tip isn’t revolutionary, it serves as a good reminder that Mama (and her mama) always know best. We’re not quite sure how this beauty technique evolved into the straight-ahead method that’s popular today, but we think it’s high time to get back to basics. Sometimes it’s not about the newest hacks, tips, and tricks that have the most impact. Instead, it’s the tried-and-true know-how that are the best kept secrets.

Now, when it comes to the best mascara, we’ll also pledge our allegiance to an old standby. As far as we’re concerned, L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara is the lash-enhancing tube to compare all others. We want to know: What’s your favorite passed-down beauty trick or product? Share with us in the comments.