Want to fake fresh-faced beauty? Drop everything, but keep the mascara.
This desert island essential will keep you looking wide-eyed and beautiful amongst high humidity, low degrees and every possible scenario the day hurls at you.
With so many formulas and incredible brush technology, a good mascara wardrobe is like having five great pairs of black shoes – something for every occasion.
The Wand:
Some wands have tapered shape to create fullness in certain areas, whilst others are honed into a curve to get into smaller, inner areas and others may be flush with feathery bristles to ensure no lash is left un-loved.
Editor Loves: We put the Lancôme Grandiose Mascara ($52) and it’s revolutionary SwanNeck to a group of women well versed in their mascara arithmetic. With reviews like this, safe to say this wand has secured a firm spot on vanity’s and in cosmetics bags alike.
And as Lara Srokowski, Lancôme National Makeup Artist notes, “mascara wands are equally as important as the formula itself. Each achieves a different result.”
The Ingredients:
Usually metallic and sparkling pigments are the ones that could cause some irritation for sensitive eyes, warns Lara, noting that the consumers should always look for ophthamologistically-tested options. However, there is a raft of irritating ingredients to be wary of, so doing your research is imperative if you are finding some reaction post-application. Some ingredients that can prove irritating include Amidoamine, Cinnamic alcohol, Ethyl acrylate, Methyl Formaldehyde, Parfum, Ylang Ylang OIl and Cobalt chloride.
Rescu. Recommends: Forget falsies, the YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Shocking ($52) – yep, shocking! – is the antidote to those days where everything else falls flat. Containing Pro-vitamin B5 for super soft and looked-after lashes, they’ll have all the drama of the fake, but feel like your own.
The Application:
“It’s always best to have clean dry lashes, free from any oils or creams before application,” Estee Lauder Makeup Artist, Audrey Lim. “I like to use a lash primer to condition the lashes just before applying mascara. This protects the lashes as well as gives a little extra “oomph” to those peepers.”
Both makeup artists agree that mascara is the exclamation point of eye makeup, so it is best applied after the lid has been lined or eye shadow applied.
However, “eye liner can be applier easier before the mascara as the lashes are not curled up yet and therefore will not hinder your application or visibility to follow the lash line,” notes Lara.
When applying, Audrey’s top tip is to alternate eyes between coats. “It gives the mascara a little time to set but not completely,” she says.
Rescu. Loves: Estée Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara ($48) is lengthening mascara, which sees their first molded brush. The 12-row brush includes 11 short rows that instantly thicken lashes due to ample space between rows, followed by the ‘Extended Comb’, which has the final word on feathery, fanned out lashes.
The Angle:
“Like eyeliner, I find mascara is best and most effectively applied when your chin is up,” says Audrey, who does this by sitting or standing in front of the mirror and adjusting the head slightly like she is looking at the roof. “Then lower only your eyes back to the mirror,” she says. “This stretches the eye and when applying mascara, it’s less likely to touch the eyelid.” Audrey also likes applying mascara with the brush parallel to the lashes, “but I like to get into the smaller lashes with either a smaller brush or use the tip of the mascara wand to get into those harder to reach areas,” she adds.
Once you have the angle of the head sorted, the rest of the application should be a synch, notes Lara. “Divide the eye into three proportions: outer third, middle and inner third,” she advises. Using the wand from the very root of the lashes starting in the outer third portion, use a zigzag motion and comb up and outwards. “Move to the middle lashes continuing the zigzag motion brushing the wand upwards and finish at the inner third of the lashes combing the mascara inwards to create the perfect lash look,” she says.
Editor Loves: Giorgio Armani Black Ecstasy Ultra-Black Total Effect Mascara ($52). With instant design and lash artistry, Black Ecstacy applies with precision and volume to dress lashes for utmost airy volume.
The Use:
“The action of pumping the mascara wand in and out of the tube makes any mascara dry out quicker as you’re forcing air into the tube so the best way to get mascara out of the tube is with a swirling motion (pretend you’re scraping the sides of an icing bowl with a spatula) says Audrey. “Don’t be afraid to use a slight amount of pressure doing this to your wand as almost all mascara wands are quite flexible,” says Audrey.
If you find mascara is still clumping when applied to the lashes, Lara suggests brushing a mascara comb through them once the mascara has been applied to assist in lash separation and removal of excess product. “Some mascaras are designed for double coating and some for 3-5 coats for ultimate volume,” she explains. “This will depend on the mascara, some allow for a few seconds between application and some can be layered instantly.”
Rescu. Loves: Rimmel London Wonder’full Mascara With Argan OiL ($17.95) adheres to lashes and dries quickly, leaving them looking thicker and more defined. The soft, flexible bristles hug and coat each individual lash from root to tip to add volume and definition.
