Mascara is an amazing invention and is considered basic to any kind of makeup application. Many makeup artists, including myself, say that if you’re not wearing any other makeup but still want to wear something, wear mascara. On the other hand, many of us—and I’m guilty of this, too—get carried away and wear way too much mascara.
Women overdo mascara in part because the cosmetics industry tells us loudly and clearly that long, thick lashes are to be coveted, but even unadvised we can covet someone else’s long, beautiful lashes. When we apply mascara, visions of longer, thicker lashes sometimes come into view and then we get carried away and decide to apply more and more. Unfortunately, applying too much mascara increases the chances that the mascara will flake, chip, or smear, and that the lashes will appear hard and spiked. Also, the eyelashes can take only so much weight, and excess weight can break them. Lashes gunked-up with tons of mascara do not resemble long, thick lashes—they resemble gunked-up lashes!
The desire for longer, more noticeable lashes brings up the image of that ever-popular device that curls the lashes by squeezing them into a bent-upward shape. The problem with curling lashes is that it can bend the lashes into a severe angle that can look unnatural; and, although it can make them more noticeable (sometimes in an odd sort of way), it can also end up breaking them and pulling them out. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of making your lashes look longer? If you’re still gung-ho on doing this, curl lashes only before you apply mascara, never after, or you will end up with broken, strangely bent lashes. The best lash-curlers are the ones with a sponge-tip section where the eyelashes are squeezed for protection. Squeeze gently with even pressure. Hold for a few seconds as you “walk” the curler along the length of the eyelashes, and release slowly. Some fashion magazines recommend heating the rubber pad of the eyelash curler by running your blow dryer over it for a few seconds. This may be worth trying, but be extremely cautious that the pad does not get too hot (touch it with your finger to be sure) because you don’t want to fry fragile lashes or burn the eyelid skin.