Mascara 101

Your eye is your window to the world, they say. People use many things to beautify their eyes; making people got drawn in charms, making it attractive as people will look into your eye directly when they see your façade. Your eyelash is a part of your eye and mascara is one of the most important things in makeup and that usually use as a product to lengthen, darken, thicken and define your eyelashes. Mascara has been used since around 4000 BC in the Ancient Egypt following by the Romans, Greeks and to the Middle East.

Nowadays, there are lots of types of mascara that even yourself is confused about what exactly they do and stuff, then you have come to the right place!

We will discuss everything you need to know about your mascara here in Mascara 101 from the formula, color and wands.

Let’s get started!

1. Smudge-proof and Water-proof

Alright. You have already heard about all these claims that say smudge-proof and water-proof, right? But wait, what actually is it? The claim says it all, actually. The thing you want to avoid while using mascara is the raccoon eyes which means black all over your under eye. Water-proof and smudge-proof mascara helps you to keep your eye on point even when you are sweating like crazy during the gym. This kind of mascara is suitable for you who like to have outdoor activities. However, you need to take notes that water-proof and smudge-proof mascara are sometimes hard to take off with only water or regular facial wash so you need a lip and eye makeup remover to remove it completely. Reminder: You need to take off the mascara completely because it can harm your eyelashes. Your eyelashes might even fall off or scratch your cornea so TAKE. IT. OFF!

2. The wands

The most overwhelming part of mascara is the wands, for sure. There are tons of different types of wands that you can choose from curved wand, ball tipped wand, pine cone wand, bottom lash wand, rubber bristled wand, thin and straight wand and thick bristled wand. Now, let’s break it down one by one and discuss the usage of each wand.

- Curved wand: curved wand is used to curl your lashes up. Some of curved wands can also volumize your lashes so it will look more dramatic and thick. It holds your eyelashes in place so you will have the wide-awake dolly look.

- Ball tipped wand: as the curved wand curl the lashes all together, ball tipped wand have this separate ball tipped to concentrate on the corner lashes so it allows you to make a cat eye look.

- Pine cone wand: cat eye look lovers usually pick this kind of wand to lengthen the corner of their lashes because it will the corner lashes look longer than the front part lashes.

- Bottom lash wand: As the name suggest, this mascara wand is specified for your bottom lashes. The wand is more compact and slim compared to the wand for your upper lashes.

- Rubber bristled wand: this wand is made of rubber instead of synthetic fibers. This wand gives lashes depth because the brush are made of stiffer materials.

- Thin and straight wand: This mascara wand coats your lashes individually so it doesn’t really lengthen or that any special stuff but instead coat it even so your eyelashes will look neater.

- Thick bristled wand: Thick bristled wand looks like a caterpillar in some sort of way, haha. This wand makes your lashes look denser to it actually is. It’s great if you have short sparse lashes.

3. Shades

Different shades of mascara gives your different kind of ambience and aura. The black gives you the natural look, blue gives you the aura of great Gatsby while brown gives you the puppy eyes look. However, you need to take notes that there are 2 shades of black which is black and real black. The black means it still have the brown tint on it so it look natural just like your real hair while the real black is pure black tint so it’s good if you want to make a more drama look to your makeup.

There are some important notes for your mascara. You have to throw out your mascara after 3 months of use because the formula and consistency might not as great as you buy it the first time and might harm your lashes. You also need eyelash primer if you want your mascara to last longer. Don’t forget to use eyelash serum as well if you use mascara on a daily basis to keep your lashes healthy and nice.