Which is it? Am I a makeup artist or mascara junkie? As a makeup artist I think that it would be wise to carry an assortment of mascaras in my kit. After all, different mascaras do different things, right? They thicken, lengthen, curl, color… So it makes sense that I would want several types to carry with me. My personal makeup drawer however is a bit overloaded with mascaras. I tell myself that I am trying them out to see if they are worthy of being in my kit. But I’m not sure that I’m really being honest. I think that after all of these years I’m still looking for the “perfect mascara”.
But my question is, does it really exist?
Mascaras are a wax-based cream product that we brush on our lashes to make them more noticeable. (For a great article about the composition of mascara, see this Beautylish article.) Mascara has been used for thousands of years in some form or other. Bottom line is that we want the line of hair that grows against our eyelids to be defined. This definition brings more attention to the eyes. The bigger and darker our lashes, the more pronounced our eyes are.
There are tons of mascaras out there, all making crazy claims. Some say they are just like a false lash, but trust me when I say that nothing you paint on your existing lash will be as powerful as gluing a full row of additional lashes to your own. Some say they will thicken or lenghten up to 10 times your natural lash, some will wear all day, some even make your lashes grow. Most of the claims as well as the photos they show in their ads are a bit of a reach. I don’t want to poo on any mascara maker, after all I am a bit of a junkie, but a mascara is not a magic wand. It still has to sit on your existing lashes and if those lashes are short, or light in color, or straight as a board, they won’t magically become something else with mascara.
So what should mascara do? In my professional opinion you want a mascara to thicken the lash line some so that your lashes “rim” your eyes and therefore help the eye to stand out. This is especially important when standing far away from people of on camera. At a distance what shows up is the dark line around the eye that a thick lash creates. For this you want to have some voluminous property to the mascara. Look for varieties that “thicken”or “add volume”. You also want to create some length to the lash so that up close the eye looks larger. Again, the lash is framing the eye. I find that most mascaras will naturally add some length.
What else? You need for it to stay put. Some mascaras will flake or smudge on one person and not another. This can be about your lash, eye shape, or skin type. If a mascara doesn’t stay on your lashes, try another or go with a waterproof. Tip: Often people who use vaseline or baby oil to take off their eye makeup will find that their eye makeup smudges during the day. If this is happening to you, think about using a non-oily remover.
You want a mascara to darken the lashes. Many times I’ll use a brown but find I end up putting more on just to get my lashes dark enough. Something black is going to show up better. I also love love love colored mascaras! I have blonde lashes and so a bright blue or purple add a lot of pop to my eye. The color adds notice and also can emphasize the eye color. But typically they don’t add a lot of volume.
Bottom line is you want a mascara that makes your lashes look thicker and a bit longer and darker. Shouldn’t be to tough to find, right? I think the problem is that we expect a mascara to make our lashes look un-real, like a false lash, like the pictures in the ads. That is why we keep buying them over and over. How many mascaras do I carry in my kit? 4. How many do I have in my drawer at home? I think I count 10! How many do you have?
Here is a peak into my makeup drawer and the current mass of mascaras I’m using. Some I like, some are forgetable. Next week we will continue talking about mascara. How important is the brush, how to get it on the best way, and about some of my favorites.
From left to right: CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast/Loreal Voluminous/Make Up For Ever Smoky Eye in Blue/Khroma Eye Fidelity (H2Oproof) /Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp in Purple/MUFE Smoky Eye in Black/ Khroma Whip Lash/LashBlast by CoverGirl/MUFE Smoky Extravagant /MUFE Smoky Eye in Green.
Until next time, Terri Tomlinson Makeup Artist Dallas TX