My Mascara Routine
Mascara is one of my favorite things about makeup. I love the difference it can make whether you have a full face of makeup or whether you’re taking things simple for the day. Focusing on enhancing the lashes really opens the eyes and makes you look more awake and bright eyed. As I begin to incorporate more and more tutorials and eye looks on my blog, I thought it would be a good idea to post my mascara routine so it doesn’t become a repetitive thing for my returning readers and something I can link to for all my new readers. I like my lashes to look as thick and as long as possible without wearing fake lashes, and I am going to show you step by step exactly how I achieve just that!
You can see in the picture below that I don’t have much eyeshadow on, I just quickly did my simple eye makeup so that we can really focus on the lashes and it’ll be easier to see the difference between each step. I have very thin, short lashes to begin with so I’m always looking for ways to make them stand out more. My goal when doing my mascara is to make my lashes as dramatic as possible without having to bring in the falsies. I very rarely ever wear false lashes just because I like to use makeup to enhance my natural features rather than put something else over them to completely change the way I look. I’m also not a pro at applying fake lashes, so it makes it more of a hassle when I’m trying to get ready.
The first thing I do is curl my lashes. This step is essential and makes the world of a difference. I don’t know who makes this lash curler because I’ve had it for years and there’s no brand labeling anywhere on it! I heat it up with my blow dryer for a few seconds and then curl my lashes twice. I heat up the lash curler for the same reasons you would curl your hair with a heated tool, it’ll give a better curl that will last longer. They do make heated lash curlers, but I just love the shape of this one because it fits my eye perfectly.
As you can see in the picture below, curling the lashes makes a huge difference! Even if you’re not going to be putting any mascara on, this step will instantly lift the eyes and make you look more awake. I know a lot of people get intimidated by lash curlers, but there’s no reason to be. If it hurts or feels like it’s pinching, that’s because you have it too close to the lash line. Just pull it out a little further and you’ll be fine. I don’t pump the lash curler or do anything fancy, I just hold it in place for a few seconds and release.
Then we’re ready for mascara! I use two different mascaras to get the look that I want. I have one for volumizing and one for lengthening because every mascara that claims to do both has always left me disappointed. I do the volumizing mascara first and the one I’m currently working through is the Covergirl Supersizer in Very Black. I know a lot of people have really been liking this mascara, but I’m not a very big fan of it. It doesn’t do much for my lashes as far as holding a curl or building much volume. The only time I’ve really liked it is when I used it on top of the Wet n Wild Lash Primer.
I apply two coats of the volumizing mascara first, using the wand to wiggle through the base of my lashes. I try not to pull through the lashes during this step just because I’m trying to build as much volume at the base as possible. After the two coats are applied, I let it sit for about a minute. That allows it to get a little tacky so it doesn’t get swept away with the lengthening mascara. Just be careful to not let it dry too much because we still need to be able to move them around to the position we want.
After the first volumizing mascara has come to a tacky texture, it’s time to apply two more coats of a lengthening mascara. My favorite is the L’oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara in Carbon Black. Not to be confused with the L’oreal Telescopic mascara, the Shocking Extensions version is much better because it has a more sturdy wand. I love this mascara so much, I even wrote a complete separate post about it including every little detail about how it works, where to find it, and why it’s my favorite.
I like to apply two coats of both the volumizing and the lengthening mascara because I want to be sure that I’m getting the full effect of each. The lengthening mascara is like the icing on top of the cake. When applying it, you can see everything coming together and how nicely it separates each individual lash to give a fuller appearance.
Below, you’ll see a more condensed guide that summarizes each step we just went through for a better overall glance at the entire process:
This is usually what I do on a daily basis when I’m applying my makeup, unless I only have one or two places to go and then I’ll just opt for one mascara to get the job done faster. I’ve had this same routine for years and it hasn’t let me down. While I’m still trying out volumizing mascaras to find my favorite, I definitely recommend the L’oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara for lengthening!
If you have any trouble with your mascara drying out too quickly, you may want to check out my solution for that here. I have also already posted about my best mascara hack on how to easily remove smudged mascara anywhere on the skin. If you have any questions for me, please leave them in a comment below. I’d also love to know what you’re favorite mascara is! Hope you have a beautiful weekend!
~Christina~