Mascara - Tips and Tricks!

Mascara is something simple, yes?

Well, girl, no! Have you thought about all those different types of mascaras out there? There are differently shaped brushes, vibrating brushes, different mascara formulas, different colours... not to mention different methods of putting all those different mascaras on!

In this post, I'll be sharing some of what I've picked up about mascaras through my own experience. Please enjoy!

Different Brushes

In general, I have found that the thinner the brush, the more length you get, and the thicker and bigger the brush, the more thickness you get, but less length. There are of course some exceptions from this, and those who both lengthen and thicken do exist (try L'Oréal Voluminous - supposed to just thicken but adds great length too!).

The last few years, more and more "rubber" mascara brushes have been showing up. Those rubber brushes can reduce clumping. An example of this kind of a mascara would be Dior's Diorshow Iconic. Really like that one.

Then there are the bent brushes, as well as those small, ball shaped ones. The latter kind often have spikes sticking out of the "ball" wand (for example Gosh's Irresistible Mascara). I personally don't really like this kind of brushes. The upside to them is that reaching all of your lashes is a breeze, but since you can only coat a few at a time, I feel that my lashes get a strange look from this.

Bent brushes, however, can be of great help when you need a little extra something for curving your lashes. And I almost forgot about vibrating brushes - those can help when you want your lashes to be better separated but still full and long.

Different Formulas

There are basically two general mascara formulas - those who lengthen, and those who thicken. Those two then come in many variations - they can be waterproof or not, for example, and some mascaras have small particles of fibres in them, which make your lashes look fuller.

Quick tip: Some people find that waterproof mascara holds curl better than regular one. However, the waterproof formula can be very drying for your lashes, so don't use it on a daily basis.

Different Colours

Some of the most popular mascara colours are listed below. Of course you can find crazy colours (my friend has pink... not sure how she pulls it off!), but those are the ones you can wear and still look natural - yes, including blue!

Black - The classic and most popular colour for mascara. Looks great on brunettes and those with darker hair and skin.

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Brown - Often recommended for blondes, as well as those with red hair. Can also be prettier than black on younger women, as well as if you are going for a very natural look.

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Clear - Not really a colour, I know, by some like it. Clear mascara basically just holds your lashes the way you want them, as well as giving them a bit of shine. So if you have dark, full, long lashes, and just want to curl them, then this could be what you need for holding that curl. Can sometimes also be used for holding brows.

Quick tip: You can keep baby hairs and flyaways at bay by using clear mascara!

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Blue - Using blue mascara can really open up your eyes. There are many shades of blue, though, so pick wisely.

Quick tip: If using blue mascara sounds intense, then try putting just a bit of it on the very tip of your upper lashes, on top of your regular mascara. You will still get the eye-opening effect.

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Plum/Purple - Some people swear by this colour. It is said to compliment and bring out each and every eye colour there is out there. On the picture above you see Benefit's BADgal Mascara in Plum, which is a very popular mascara.

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Application Tips

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Before using your mascara, rub it quickly between your hands. The centrifugal force will get most of the product to the middle of the tube, thus making it easier to get it on your brush.

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Instead of popping the wand in and out of the tube like many people do, try swirling it inside the tube a bit instead. This will pick up more product, without letting air into the tube (which will dry out your mascara).

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If you have problems with clumping, try wiping a bit of product off the wand with a paper towel.

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For better application, try wiggling the wand while you're applying it.

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After application, use a comb for combing your lashes. This will separate them, and they will look way better. You can buy a lash comb, but you can also "make" one yourself:

Quick tip: For a "homemade" lash comb, simply wash a mascara wand from a mascara that you've used up, and use for combing your lashes. I prefer not to use rubber mascaras for this, but just pick what you think works best for you.

So, I believe that's it... I'm so sure that I am forgetting something, but this post is long enough already!

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I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe learned something - if you know some tricks for me, then please leave them in the comments, I love reading your comments! And last but not least, please vote in my little poll to the right ;)

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Yours,

Miss Diorista

P.S. First picture from http://www.the-cosmetics-campus.com/, the second one is from http://www.primped.com.au/. Also, sorry about the commas in this post - Blogger was giving me a hard time ;)