LogFAQs > #968717972

Mascara is a high difficulty application, its difficult or impossible to course correct once it starts going wrong, theres no real way to alter it like with eyeshadow and liner, and if you need to get it off then everything else is coming off too. That said, its my absolute favorite and I usually wear it even on my rare no makeup days. Ive tried over a dozen varieties so Ive come across about 5 that I really like.

Ill go ahead and rank my top 3 and I have a couple tips to get better results. First off, Im gonna say, I dont see a need to own or even ever wear waterproof mascara. Its much more difficult to use, it usually smells bad, and it takes DAYS to fully come off no matter which solvent you use. Completely useless imo.

3 - Idol by Lancme

This one is a light coverage mascara and its wand is curved with shallow bristles. This doesnt give you a ton of volume or length, but allows for really precise control with decent separation. The curved wand is tapered to a near point as well, which lets you easily cover your inner lashes.

2 - Climax by NARS

This is a little heavier than the Idol but still pretty light in comparison to a lot of formulas. Its wand is round and thick, with a bluntly tapered end for a bit of extra precision. This brush has deep, widely spaced plastic bristles that are very beginner friendly with their ability to prevent clumping. This stuff just feels awesome to use, it applies very evenly and the separation is awesome. You get a quite a lot of additional volume and slight length from it.

1 - PERVERSION by Urban Decay

Ok, ok. THIS one is undoubtedly my favorite, so far this is the only one in my collection Ive already had to replace. First off, the wand is so luxurious, its another thick round, this time with no taper; however, this one is made of 100% natural bristles, so its like a high end paintbrush in texture. The formula is rich and creamy, and while it takes a bit of knack to get used to, it applies so evenly and gives you a bunch of big sexy volume and length. You can pair it (or any other mascara tho) with their Subversion primer to get even more huge looks. This one is a little more advanced in the technique needed to prevent clumping and achieve separation but with a bit of practice youll be an ace in no time!

HMs - High Impact by Clinique, Wild Lash by Urban Decay

My top tips for mascara use:

Warm it up! I dont do this anymore cuz it will eventually become a waste of time, but its a good trick in the beginning because it just makes it more difficult for the medium to clump since it will become much less viscous in response to the heat. I was just pass heating it with the blow dryer for about 30 seconds, or running it under the hot top for about a minute while I applied other things.

Wiggle that wand! As youre passing the wand vertically through your lashes, gently moving the brush side to side will help ensure that you get even coverage and will help you separate the lashes and keep them separated.

A little is enough! When you pull the wand out of the tube you should be able to feel that theres a really firm lip on the inside of the aperture, this helps keep the tube sealed to preserve the product, but its also used to control how much mascara youre pulling at once. Basically, if you tilt your brush when you pull it out you can scrape off the majority of the medium on one half of the brush. You can then use that more lightly coated side using the normal technique, but building up the application more slowly just gives you a more neat, aesthetically superior result.

Keep a clean wand on hand! You can actually get free wand ends from Ulta, or they make a specialty item thats overpriced as shit for this. If you have a brush that doesnt have any mascara on it, you can use that before your lashes are set to work out any clumps and do some last minute shaping and separating. If your mascara has already set and gotten dried clumps, you can sometimes use the brush to pull them apart, but more likely you may need something a little sturdier, its super sketch but Ive definitely used tweezers to do that a ton of times lol.

Sorry for the rant, I just love mascara and I want everyone to love it and have fun wearing it.