the do's and don'ts of mascara

I was thinking of a topic to post this week and it suddenly hit me that this  is something I feel the need to write about as I have so  many funny stories of girls whose makeup I have done.... I've taken off their MASSES of clumpy spider lashes - Kim Kardashian style  (see pic) - and replaced them with beautiful long full mascara lashes that actually enhance the eyes.....only for them to race off to the toilets and layer the lumpy mass back on!!!!  Arghhhh!  And those girls know who they are because when I catch them and ask if they have reapplied their mascara, they, at first deny that they have done any such thing. Until I tell them there is no way I would have put those things on their eyes - at which point they sheepishly come clean and I have to take it off and start again.  They just can't bear to see themselves so "naked" , as they put it. We do laugh about it afterwards and one glare from me stops them attempting a second go. We all get used to seeing ourselves a certain way, and when someone changes that look it can be hard to see it as beautiful because you might feel completely different.  Mascara for an everyday look should make your lashes look longer but still natural. No gluggy bits on the ends of the lashes, and 3 or 4 of them stuck together in a coagulated mass. Instead they should be separated and feathered out to the ends. In order to achieve this look you have to have a fresh mascara and a good brush.

Wipe the excess mascara off the brush onto the opening of the tube so that you only have a touch of the mascara on the brush. Then you need to start at the base of the lashes and brush up to lengthen and at the same time keeping the lashes relatively separate. If too much settles on the ends then use your finger to pinch it off. Repeat this process afew times to build up the layers .  I also use an eyebrow brush that has a small comb on the other end to run through the lashes as I go to separate them. You can use a curling wand on them first if your lashes don't curl naturally on their own. Do this before you apply the mascara though otherwise you will get your lashes stuck to the wand with the mascara and you will find yourself peeling them off which is not so pleasant.
My favourite mascara to use has been for years the Maybelline Express Range as I mentioned once before on my blog (see mascara) . The brushes really are great for creating separation , the mascara itself is a good consistency - not too thin, not too thick- and they don't tend to go dry quickly AND they are cheap. There are another couple that I have used that  I quite like too .One is another cheapy  (spell check just told me that is not a word!) and its Rimmel "Scandal eyes" and the Kevyn Aucoin mascara. It has a good brush that lengthens and separates well. Also even though neither one of those brands is waterproof they don't tend to run under the eyes. Another faux pas. 
I also recommend throwing out your mascara regularly and replacing it with a fresh one. I like to do this every 6 weeks - hence the reason I choose the less expensive ones too.
I hope this has helped convince some of you that actually, less is sometimes more!
See you next week...

The don't....

The do....

 Kim Kardashian picture source : AP