Mascara: What You Need to Know

by Valerie Gladstone — November 19, 2007

What you need to know about mascara:

• Choose a mascara that fulfills your specific need. There's no such thing as an all-purpose mascara.
• Everyone should wear black mascara, blondes as well as brunettes. The whole point is to enhance the shape of the eye and define the lashes, and that will only happen if it's visible.
• Don't pump the mascara before you apply. It can load too much product on the brush and dry out the mascara, which causes clumping.
• Instead of wiping the wand against the rim of the tube to remove gunk at the tip, press it between a tissue to wipe away any excess.
• Lengthening mascaras will elongate your lashes, but the type of brush is just as important. A brush with combing bristles will lengthen when used with the right formula, plus simply darkening your lashes can extend them.
• When eyelashes get bleached out by the sun, darkening the tips makes them more visible and appear longer.
• Applying mascara on your lower lashes is the finishing touch for a smoky eye, as long as you're not too heavy handed. For a little definition every day, run the wand tip very lightly along the lower lashes.
• Apply mascara halfway through putting on your makeup in the morning. You can apply one coat before shadow and concealer and one after you're done.
• If you use an eyelash curler, use it before you apply mascara because the mascara can stick to the curler, causing some lashes to be pulled out.
• Three good choices: Clarins Wonder Length Mascara, Lancome Courbe Virtuose (both at Sephora.com) and Maybelline New York XXL Curl Power (drugstores)