Anyone who wears makeup, be it fully glammed up to barely any (ever) will tell you that if they could choose only one cosmetic product to take to a dessert island, it would be their mascara. Mascara is great because it's one of the base products we have that no matter what can ONLY enhance our natural beauty. So of course, if you're appart of the makeup wearing crowd, you'll have a tube of it laying around somewhere.
The point of coating our lashes is to lengthen, thicken, seperate, and make it seem as though we have more than we already do (traditionally, lashes are meant to act like guide lines, drawing attention into our eyes). The problem is more often than not, we get sucked in by ads for some new mascara that is 'so much better than the one we already have' (offering to instantly give us amazingly defined, thich, and lush lashes), even though in reality, the girls are wearing false lashes and the mascara probably isn't that amazing.
So, here is where I give you the truth on why your lashes aren't quite looking the way they do on TV, and a customizeable way to fix this.
Bare Basics
To be honest, if you don't already have 'va-va-va-voom' giant lashes to start out with, no ammount of building and product is going to make them look five times bigger. The key is to work with what you have and build off that in a realistic way. Since lashes (just like our hair) grow in a cycle, it's natural for us to have short, medium, and long lash lengths. It's also natural for lashes to fall out occasionally, as a new one will soon take it's place. Though if you do notice your lashes are lacking a bit, a simple solution such as taking silica is pretty effective. Silica is a daily vitamin you can take, that is one of the key building blocks for hair.
A diet, rich in silica, calcium and iron, will help reduce or prevent lash loss. Raw oats provide natural silica.
On the other hand, another option is caster oil which can be purchased from your local pharmacy for under $4 (including tax). This is a topical product that you would massage into your lashes two to three times a week overnight to boost hair growth. It's also nice because you can use it on your nail beds, and roots of your hair, or eyebrows to stimulate hair follicals and fill in sparce areas. I used it for a couple weeks on the head of one of my brows that was slightly off from the other, and it worked like a charm.
The Kind of Product you Need Vs. Want
Mascara Wands.. Size DOES Matter
Now it's time to think about your own lashes, go look in a mirror and analyze them. Different lash lengths, thicknesses, and ammounts required different sizes and shapes of mascara wands. The first key aspect is that your overall wand size to be about the same size as your natural lashes. The second part is, the bristles should be spaced accoring to your natural lashes. Optimally, the bristles should be of a harder rubber matterial to ensure even coverage and a smoother glide. Depending on the way your lashes grow, you can make a slight bend in some wands to accomidate the natural curve of your lash line, but this isn't necessary, or even beneficial to most people.
On a side note, I get a lot of questions about the 'star burst' style of wand ( a small ball with spikes, made popular by Givenchy Phenomin'Eyes Mascara and the L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara ) and whether or not I would reccamend it. It's a bit of a tricky answer for a tricky product. Though this wand-type is ideal for getting into the outer corners of your lashes, it is the worst thing ever for getting the rest of them. You cannot use it as your only mascara, it's really just a pricer accessory to make the outer corner a little more even.
Waterproof Mascara FYI
For example, if you're constantly useing a waterproof mascara, you really should get something new (reguardless of brand). Waterproof mascaras, all across the board cause your lashes to become more brittle and break more frequently due to their drying properties and ingrediants. Hence why waterproof mascara should only be used for when you REALLY need it (weddings, water events, funerals, days when something bad might happen, or while watching 'The Notebook' xD). Something to really scan the ingrediants list for is 'water', you want a water based mascara because it will add hydration to your lashes, and not dry them out. As well, using something water based means that it will be easier to get off, and cause less trauma to your lash beds when it's time to take it off.
Lash Shapes
The ideal lash shape is faned out, going from the innder lashes being slightly fanned towards the outer corner of your eye, (just under 90 degrees) to the outer lashes being almost horizontal. A curl is also ideal, and easily achived with the use of lash curlers if you don't have a natural curl.
Though the idea of curlers can be a bit intimidating if you've never used one, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Personally, I hate big lash curlers, they look like death traps as far as I'm concerned and really never do much on my eye (reguardless of proper use). So, when I recently found out about a new lash curler type, I was thrilled. The Preo Eyelash Curler is a design that's been around for a while, and available from different brands. Though it is traditionally used for asian lashes, it will work wonders on anyone. It's a lot smaller and easier to use (not to mention looks a lot less like it'll cause you damage). You just bring it up to your lashes and press down from the base, working section by section. 
A Couple More Things to Keep in Mind..
If you have allergies to wheatgerm or latex, make sure to read the ingrediants on the back on the packaging, as these are pretty common compounds used. Though rest assured, your friends at Clarins have developed a latex and wheat free mascara that is perfect to accomidate your eyes.
Though mascara technically lasts as long as you keep using it, you really should be tossing it after three months of people open (i'll even let you stretch it to four months as I often do). It's just after that time period, the essential oils that help to keep your product bacteria free have all but dissipated, allowing it to dry out and breed diseases. You'll know it's gone bad when a serious stink starts to appear and the mascara goes on a lot clumpier.
The point of coating our lashes is to lengthen, thicken, seperate, and make it seem as though we have more than we already do (traditionally, lashes are meant to act like guide lines, drawing attention into our eyes). The problem is more often than not, we get sucked in by ads for some new mascara that is 'so much better than the one we already have' (offering to instantly give us amazingly defined, thich, and lush lashes), even though in reality, the girls are wearing false lashes and the mascara probably isn't that amazing.
So, here is where I give you the truth on why your lashes aren't quite looking the way they do on TV, and a customizeable way to fix this.
Bare Basics
A diet, rich in silica, calcium and iron, will help reduce or prevent lash loss. Raw oats provide natural silica.
On the other hand, another option is caster oil which can be purchased from your local pharmacy for under $4 (including tax). This is a topical product that you would massage into your lashes two to three times a week overnight to boost hair growth. It's also nice because you can use it on your nail beds, and roots of your hair, or eyebrows to stimulate hair follicals and fill in sparce areas. I used it for a couple weeks on the head of one of my brows that was slightly off from the other, and it worked like a charm.
The Kind of Product you Need Vs. Want
Okay, so I know you may love the look, morals, or idea of a mascara you're using. Maybe it's because it's an all natural product and you're a vegan, or because you love a certain brand and would just prefer to shop from them, or even really dislike a brand and don't want to even attempt to use their line because of previous problems. Well, you're going to have to suck it up sweetie and try something new. If your lashes aren't working for you, there is clearly a reason and now is the time to confront that. If you find you have naturally thick lashes, then a 'volumizing' mascara shouldn't be your main concern. If your lashes are naturally longer, adding length isn't something you necessarily need. Mascara is meant to be an all consuming thing, meaning you will get a boost in all desired areas, you just need to determine which area you need it most.
Thickening mascara is for:
- long lashes
- thin lashes
- sparce lashes
- uneven lashes
- short lashes
- uneven lashes
- thin lashes
- adverage length lashes
Mascara Wands.. Size DOES Matter
On a side note, I get a lot of questions about the 'star burst' style of wand ( a small ball with spikes, made popular by Givenchy Phenomin'Eyes Mascara and the L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara ) and whether or not I would reccamend it. It's a bit of a tricky answer for a tricky product. Though this wand-type is ideal for getting into the outer corners of your lashes, it is the worst thing ever for getting the rest of them. You cannot use it as your only mascara, it's really just a pricer accessory to make the outer corner a little more even.
Waterproof Mascara FYI
For example, if you're constantly useing a waterproof mascara, you really should get something new (reguardless of brand). Waterproof mascaras, all across the board cause your lashes to become more brittle and break more frequently due to their drying properties and ingrediants. Hence why waterproof mascara should only be used for when you REALLY need it (weddings, water events, funerals, days when something bad might happen, or while watching 'The Notebook' xD). Something to really scan the ingrediants list for is 'water', you want a water based mascara because it will add hydration to your lashes, and not dry them out. As well, using something water based means that it will be easier to get off, and cause less trauma to your lash beds when it's time to take it off.
Lash Shapes
The ideal lash shape is faned out, going from the innder lashes being slightly fanned towards the outer corner of your eye, (just under 90 degrees) to the outer lashes being almost horizontal. A curl is also ideal, and easily achived with the use of lash curlers if you don't have a natural curl.
Though the idea of curlers can be a bit intimidating if you've never used one, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Personally, I hate big lash curlers, they look like death traps as far as I'm concerned and really never do much on my eye (reguardless of proper use). So, when I recently found out about a new lash curler type, I was thrilled. The Preo Eyelash Curler is a design that's been around for a while, and available from different brands. Though it is traditionally used for asian lashes, it will work wonders on anyone. It's a lot smaller and easier to use (not to mention looks a lot less like it'll cause you damage). You just bring it up to your lashes and press down from the base, working section by section. If you have allergies to wheatgerm or latex, make sure to read the ingrediants on the back on the packaging, as these are pretty common compounds used. Though rest assured, your friends at Clarins have developed a latex and wheat free mascara that is perfect to accomidate your eyes.
Though mascara technically lasts as long as you keep using it, you really should be tossing it after three months of people open (i'll even let you stretch it to four months as I often do). It's just after that time period, the essential oils that help to keep your product bacteria free have all but dissipated, allowing it to dry out and breed diseases. You'll know it's gone bad when a serious stink starts to appear and the mascara goes on a lot clumpier. A great mascara that has been around for DECADES without much change is The Great Lash Mascara by Maybelline. Though a lot of their products are either hits or misses, this has truely stood the test of time. I fully reccamend it to anyone.
To check out how a couple different mascaras stack up, check out my 'Drugstore Mascara Reviews' post.
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