Eyelashes ♡

Eyelashes are probably my favorite thing to amplify, and I do so everyday! I've loved mascara for a long time and I've  tried a ton of tricks to get the longest, darkest, boldest, and least clumpy eyelashes from root to tip.

1. Curl

My first suggestion is to always curl your eyelashes before applying mascara. I recommend e.l.f.'s eyelash curler- it's sturdy, it's effective, and it's only $1! It can be found in the elf section of the cosmetics aisle at Target or on elf's website.

 

e.l.f. Eyelash Curler

The technique I use to curl is to first get as close to my lash line as possible and "pump" the curler 5 or 6 times, and by pump I mean squeeze it. Not too hard, don't want to pull your eyelashes out! This makes my eyelashes stand straight up and appear much longer. I do this on each eye and usually go back and do it a second time, more towards the center of my lashes, which creates the curl.

2. Mascara

A good mascara can be hard to find. Personally, I've fallen in love with the spiky mascara wands because they get in between each lash unlike the old-fashioned mascara wand. They have the ability to comb through lashes which coats in between them and also minimizes clumps. The two mascaras I swear by are Covergirl Volume Exact and Rimmel Sexy Curves. I also like Covergirl's Lash Exact a lot, but I'm more prone to the volumizing one. And, of course, I always choose the blackest black available. Both of these mascaras have that spiky wand and really nice formulas! Except, Sexy Curves can be quite wet and messy when you use it the first few times but don't give up on it. Once you're on your 4th or 5th day of wearing it, it's more manageable.  

Covergirl VolumeExact Mascara, Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara, & Covergirl LashExact Mascara

As for the technique of applying mascara, the trick is to start right down at the lash line. I take my wand, wiggle it into the base of my lashes, and actually twist/spin it away from my eye while pulling it upward so that the wand distributes all of its mascara. That method is the best way to really coat those babies. Just get the base of every lash like that- wiggle and twist. But to really define your eyelashes, you need to go back and focus some mascara on the tips. To do this, I make my eyes half-lidded, wedge the mascara wand into the center of my eyelashes, and sort of blink my eye while also pulling the wand up. Do this all across the tops of your lashes and they should be coated. Make sure you get mascara on the inner and outer lashes, from top to bottom. Use as many coats as you feel comfortable with! If you find that your mascara is clumping or being difficult, let it dry and then continue building, this is the best way to have neat lashes.

3. Bottom lashes

I always put mascara on my bottom lashes, although some people don't. Typically, I just lightly wiggle my wand from side to side over them but I do kind of have long lashes down there so that technique doesn't provide full coverage. To really get my bottom lashes, I wiggle it left and right and pull down. Then, once I have a light first coat, I actually put the wand underneath my bottom lashes, between them and the skin under my eye, and do the twist/spin thing again but in the direction that my lashes are going (away from my face). This is tricky because you can't let that wand touch the skin under your eye while you do this or you'll have a mess! But if your lashes are long enough, it does make all the difference.

4. Afterward

Let your lashes dry before doing anything else to your eyes. No eyeshadow, no liner, nothing right now. Just let them dry fully, so like 3 minutes. Do your hair or foundation or something. Once they're dry, you can go back and clean them up. You probably have some mascara on your skin around the eyelash lines, that's okay. What you need is one of those eyeliner pencils that have the sponge on the end. I use that little white sponge to rub off the mascara from under my eye and my eyelid and it works every time!

5. Miscellaneous tips

• Don't get professional brand mascara, it's always overpriced and is usually not even as good as drug store brands.
• Using 2 different types of mascara is said to give a better result when trying to get a falsie look.
• Use a needle to separate clumps, but don't do this unless you have a very steady hand! This does work, but be careful.
• It's best to do mascara after your eyeshadow and liquid liner because the eyeshadow will get on the tops of your lashes which dulls the effect of the black mascara and just looks messy. And the liquid eyeliner is just really hard to apply when your big spiky eyelashes are in the way! It's hard to get a smooth line with them there so I usually do liner before mascara.

That's all, I hope you enjoyed my tips!