5 Tips For Getting the Most of Your Mascara

Hey lovely ladies!  Here we are with our first installment of our new beauty blog.  I hope my tips, tricks and suggestions will be helpful to you.  Please don't forget to sign up for email alerts. 

Just to make this clear from the get go.  This blog page is not sponsored by any company that I may mention from time to time.  This is only my opinion, and I am only trying to be helpful.  If at anytime any company notices my posts (which I highly doubt) and they contact me to send me anything as a "freebie" I will let you know.

With that being said........let's go.  

So, here are my top suggestions on how to get the most out of your mascara.  I am a mascara junkie......and not ashamed of it.  I have really short lashes, so I have to do the most to maximize what I have.
                      

1. Never "pump" your mascara wand.  By this I mean don't pull in out, and push it back in really fast.  I see people do this all the time.  First off, this lets way too much air into the tube and it will promote drying out.  Secondly, this will allow bacteria to get into the tube.  You should never keep mascara more than 3-4 months anyway, but doing this will not be good for your mascara or your eyes.  Slow and steady with the in-and-out of the wand is your best bet.  

2. Don't wipe the mascara brush against the side of the opening of the tube to "wipe" off  the excess off the tip of the wand.  Instead, wipe in on a tissue.  You think you will go through your mascara faster by doing this?  Nope!  You will actually go through it faster by doing what I said not to do.  First off, the edge of the tube will get all built up with dried on mascara.  This causes several issues including the fact that you will not have a good seal around the edge anymore, which will cause your mascara to dry out quicker.  

3. Curl your lashes with a quality lash curler i.e. Tweezerman or Earth Therapeutics.  I have a Tweezerman that I got through Benefit Cosmetics, but Tweezerman has several that are really good.  
Curl for at least 20-30 seconds and then put your first coat on immediately.  Then proceed to the second eye.  After you put on your first coat, use a lash comb to go through the lashes if you want a more separated look before applying coat #2.

4. Speaking of drying time........let your mascara dry for at least 45 seconds to a minute fore applying that second coat.  If you go in for a third, do the same thing.  This will allow the coats to dry well.  If you go in too quickly with the next one, all it's doing is taking off the first coat, and what's the point in that, right??  I don't have time to waste in doing something that is taking me back to the starting point.

5. Mascara can be a chore to remove, especially if you use a waterproof variety.  If you have allergies like me, waterproof can be your best friend.  I use a regular mascara for my first two coats, and then I follow-up with my third coat being the waterproof to seal everything in.   This really helps on those "wattery-eye" days when my allergies are really acting up, and saves me from looking like the mistress-of-the-dark with black flowing down my face!
There is a new product that was just released by CARGO Cosmetics called Swimmables Waterproof Mascara Top Coat.  This is a clear product that adds to color and no additional weight to the lashes.  I have tried it a few times now, and I am going to purchase it next week.  

My three favorite eye-makeup removers for waterproof or tough to remove mascara or eye makeup are Bi-Facil Double Action Makeup Remover by Lancome,  Take the Day Off by Clinique and H20 Elements Shaken Not Stirred Makeup Remover.  All three work really well.  These are the types that you need to shake as they are some kind of an oil based product that really cuts through bright colors on the lips, and eyes.  I like all three equally as well.  From what I understand by research, the better the quality of the ingredients, the faster they separate so you will need to shake all three of these several times while using them.  

I hope this post has been helpful to you, and gives you some tips on how to make the most out of your mascara.  

Join me again soon for my next post .