Sep 21, 2014

[Makeup Basics] Choosing the right mascara

Makeup Basics is a weekly topic on this blog. The topic's aim is to help makeup rookie on how to get started. If you're interested in this topic, make sure to come back every week. There will be tips and product recommendations. If you have any useful tips and comment to share, don't forget to comment below. 

So we have done foundations and eyeliner. This week, let's talk about mascara. The BIGGEST mistake when choosing a mascara is trusting what the product promise. Almost every mascara in the market promise you something - longer lashes, fuller lashes, separating your lashes, etc. From my personal experience (and also collective experiences from my friends), those promises were never fulfilled.

Choosing the perfect mascara can be a tricky one. It is as tricky as choosing the right foundation but it is less expensive and it doesn't hurt so much to throw away a mascara if you find you have purchased the wrong one. However, to save you the hassle, I will break down the selections so you can choose your mascara easier. The most important thing is to know how your eyelash grows and choose the right mascara wand. It is like finding the best comb for your hair, for example, if you have a curly hair, a flat comb probably won't work for you. Same goes to mascara and eyelashes.

The very first thing to do is to observe how your lashes grow. Are they:

a. Long, curved and full
b. Long but sparse
c. Short and full
d. Short and sparse
e. Mix of long and short
f. Growing criss-crossed

Then the second step is to choose the right wand for the type of lash that you have. Below are some of the wands that you can find:

1. This wand is perfect for longer lashes, but not lashes that grows criss-crossed. For shorter lashes, the wand may tend to make a mess on top of your lid because the surface area of the bristles is quite big. It might cause clumsiness when applying.

2. Notice that the bristles of the wand is extremely straight and it is made of rubber/plastic instead of brush? This type of wand is perfect for lashes that grow criss-crossed. It is also great for longer lashes, but not short lashes.

3. The hybrid wand is perfect for any type of lashes. To play safe, you can choose to buy the hybrid wand mascara, however it is not easy to find and may cost a bomb.

4. Similar to #2

5. The comb type of wand is suitable for shorter lashes. The comb helps to ease the application without making a mess. It is usable for longer lashes but no advisable because the comb won't be able to spread out the products and your long lash might feel heavy with the products collected on each strand.

6. The long-short bristles wand is good for lashes has mixture of long and short hair. The bristles are able to catch the different length of the lashes.

7. The thorn type of wand that made of plastic or rubber is the best wand for any lashes (in my opinion). However, the downside is the wand won't be able to pick up a lot of products, so you might have to coat your lashes more.

8. The ball-tip mascara is usually use to separate lashes and to coat the lower lash.

Besides choosing the right wand, the way you apply the mascara is also very important. A lot of people apply mascara with the zig-zag motion, where the wand goes left and right of the eyelash. This is a WRONG method. The zig-zag motion will create clumps on your eyelash and excessive product will stick to your lash. The CORRECT method is to comb your lash from the inside and the wand goes outward. Repeat until you get the desired amount of product coated on your lash. As you brush your lash outward, the wand will help push excessive product out of your lashes.

Having your lashes curled before applying mascara makes a huge difference. It elevates your lashes twice compared to using just mascara itself. NEVER curl your lashes after you have applied your mascara, unless you want your lashes to appear looking like it has an L shape. It looks weird, trust me.

If you tend to over comb your lashes and leave stains of mascara on top of you eyelid, apply eyeshadow on top of your lid first. Nude or skin color eyeshadow comes really handy in this situation. The eyeshadow works as a shield to protect your eyelid from getting messed up by the mascara. You can easily remove the stain by using tissue paper to wipe off the eyeshadow. Alternatively, you can use card or the specific tool to shield your eyelid from the mascara mess.

That's all for this week Makeup Basics tips. Let me know if it is useful. And if you have any mascara tips to share, please feel free to comment below. I always welcome new knowledge when it comes to beauty. Next week, let's talk about brushes.


LauraLeia said...

I like this post! :D I'm not much of a mascara-user, so I just use whatever I have on hand, lol. I've never seen wand head #2; it looks funky. XD Any recommendations for a good mascara with #7 head? Or, well, any recommendation for good mascara?

Rin said...

What an informative post!
I think I tend to make the rookie mistake of just going with the formula and dealing with whatever brush they give me instead of actually opening the sample and seeing what's inside haha. ^^;
Personally, I use Lancome's Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara and am quite happy with the results. =)

Thanks very muchly for writing this, I'm sure it'll help many makeup rookies who read it. ^^

xoxo Rin
Fuurin Diary

choulyin.tan said...

Hmm...I read somewhere that you should zig zag your application so that you can the product in your lashes, then comb it out to get excess product out. I've been doing that, and it seems fine for me.

jerine lay said...

@choulyin.tan: It really depends on how your eyelash grows. If your eyelash grows criss-crossed way you aren't that lucky and zig zag application will not help. And also, if the mascara wand comes with mixture of short and long bristles is not the right mascara for the zig zag motion.

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