How to avoid smudging from your mascara

This is one question that has troubled women from the medieval times to the current scientific world we now exist in. Bet even Cleopatra had her days of racoon-y eyes.

You’ve invested time in researching on the perfect mascara, thronged the malls to find it, pumped chunks of hard cash into that one heavenly mascara raved by everyone, rush home to apply it… and by mid-day you’re a racoon again.

*sigh*

Before you sigh in resignation and brush it off as another promotional gimmick to yet again trick women into thinking this is the best mascara yet, here’re some makeup tips on how to avoid mascara smudge.

Are you using smudgeproof mascara? The terms ‘Waterproof mascara’ and ‘Smudgeproof mascara’ are often used interchangeably because people often think that they both mean the same thing. Woops! Nope, waterproof and smudgeproof mascara are not the same. A waterproof mascara only prevents blotches from water, therefore wearing waterproof mascara can still result in undereye dark stains. A smudgeproof mascara on the other hand, is much stronger because it can withstand oil and water. So those with oily eyelids should go for smudgeproof mascara as waterproof is non-resistant to oil.

Are your eyelashes too long? Well, lucky you! And probably unlucky you as well. Long outer eyelashes that have been coated with mascara can stain the undereye because everytime you blink, the mascara-ed lashes gets in contacts with the area under the eye. And women blink twice as many times as men! To prevent long lashes from staining, curl your lashes before applying mascara.

Do your lashes droop even after curling them? Some mascaras tend to cause eyelashes to droop because of their heavy compositions (literally) and thus cause racoon eyes. Try heating the eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds. Be careful, do not place the curler at your eyes immediately because it can scorch the delicate eyelids. Let it cool for a few seconds before curling. Heat ensures that the curls last longer.

Are you using too much mascara? Remove excess mascara from the wand by gently swiping the brush head against a tissue paper. Remember, less is more, so the less gunk you have on your eyelashes, the easier to apply and the better the results.

Till next time!