Applying mascara is essential for many of us out there. I never leave the house without using mascara. Mascara is one of those items that complete an entire makeup look, it opens up the eyes by applying a few coats on. It can be worn on its own or with other makeup looks. It definitely gives your eyes a beautiful look.
So, here’s how to prevent your mascara from smudging?
- Use a lash primer
- Try out waterproof formulas
- Powder the eye area before applying mascara
- Do not rub your eyes
- Try clear mascara
- Do not pump your mascara
- Use a comb to bush out clumps
- Clean up mascara smudges with q-tips
- Make your favorite mascara waterproof
- Try using smaller mascara brushes for the bottom lashes
As much as I love wearing mascara the only pet peeve with mascara is that it can give you raccoon eyes. The reason for the mascara to smudge boils down to the oils around the eye area and sometimes even the formulation. The oils around the eye area can break down the mascara formulation and cause the mascara to smudge.
Sometimes from my own personal experience, it could also just be the formulation of a mascara that may cause it to smudge. This can be really annoying and terrifying to look at in the mirror during the day and find that your mascara is all over your eyes. There are a few tricks that I have learned to prevent mascara smudging over many years…
1. Using a Lash Primer:
When applying mascara and having to deal with smudging and flaking of mascara it really can look like a nightmare once you see yourself in the mirror. The one item I found that worked like a charm was a lash primer. Lash primers are usually worn under your mascara and are usually a white color.
A lash primer allows your mascara to adhere to the lashes and gives which gives your mascara more longevity which prevents flaking and it also gives your lashes more volume more than your normal mascara would. Most lash primers go on as a white color and the reason being is because it allows the pigmentation of the mascara to come through a lot stronger.
I personally found that Loreal Paris does some of the best lash primers the ones that I personally use and recommend is Voluminous Loreals Lash Paradise Base and Loreals Voluminous white primer. Both these primers give the lashes volume and allow your mascara to adhere to it all day without any smudging and flaking.
2. Water Proof Formulas
Another way to prevent your mascara from smudging is by using a waterproof formulation. I personally don’t use this every day, but I do use it when I am out in swimming pools and the oceans. Waterproof formulations don’t smudge once they are on the lashes.
It’s a lot harder for waterproof mascara to be removed off the lashes during the day. Depending on how oily your skin is it can end up slowing breaking down the formulation which can cause it to smudge. Otherwise using waterproof mascaras are a great way to allow your mascara to last all day during special occasions like wedding and in swimming pools and the ocean.
3. Powdering
Having oily eyelids can be the cause of mascara smudging. The oils from our eyelids either produced by our skin or just our normal skin care products can make the eyelids or around the eyes oily. When any oils are in contact with mascara it can breakdown the formulation creating the mascara to smudge.
Therefore the best way to prevent mascara from smudging is by applying translucent powder on the eyelids and under the bottom lash line. A translucent powder will absorb any oils making the skin less oily which will prevent the mascara from smudging. The powder I use for powdering the eye area is Coty Airspun Face Powder or Laura Mercier Loose Setting powder.
Both these powders have a translucent finish and are great for applying and baking around the eye area. This one trick of using a translucent powder before applying mascara can make you fall in love with your old mascara again.
4. Do Not Rub Your Eyes
One of the main reasons why mascara flakes off during the day is because we may have rubbed the mascara off when we rub our eyes. Rubbing our eyes when mascara is applied slowly breaks the formula off as its dried on the eyelashes. This causes the mascara to flake off. Try your best to not rub the eye area as this can remove the mascara and even cause irritation to your eyes.
5. Do Not Pump Mascara
Many of us have the tendency of pumping mascara before applying it to our lashes. What we don’t realize is by consistently pumping the mascara wand into the tube of mascara it traps air into the mascara tube. This can change the formulation of our mascara which can dry out the formula. Once the formula dries out this can cause the mascara to clump which can cause the mascara to flake off once applied to the lashes.
6. Try Clear Mascara
Clear mascara is another option to prevent any smears from occurring. There is no pigmentation in clear mascara but it will give the eyelashes a “wet look” when applied to the lashes. Clear mascara have a multi purpose use that can also be used on the eyebrows to help tame them. This is a goof proof and smudge proof product worth checking out.
7. Comb Out Clumps
After mascara application has occurred, its worth going over the lashes with an eyelash comb & brush. These types of makeup brushes usually works well in combing out any clumps that may reside on your eyelashes. When clumps are formed on the eyelashes its more likely to either flake off or smudge off the lashes. Its worth taking the extra minute or two to gently comb out any clumps to eliminate flaking.
8. Clean Up Mascara smudges With a Q-Tip
If your anything like me where you want your lashes to look thick and volumizing every single day you will apply more than one coat of on your eyelashes. Most of the time I always end up smearing mascara either on my eyelid or on my lower lashes. When this occurs I usually wait for a minute to clean off these mascara smears with a Q-tip.
It’s best to wait to a few mins so that mascara to dry up because it’s easier to remove the smudged mascara off the eyelids and the bottom lash line. Depending on the formulation, I add a drop of oil-free micellar water on the tip of a q-tip. I then use this q-tip to remove excess mascara smudges off my top eyelids and bottom lash line.
9. Make Your Favorite Mascara Waterproof
Sometimes our favourite mascara may not come in a waterproof formulation, but there is a quick tip that will help make your favourite mascara waterproof. We now know that waterproof mascara allows your mascara to last longer hence making your favourite mascara waterproof.
Step 1 apply your favorite mascara as you normally would and wait for your mascara semi-dry
Step 2 apply waterproof mascara on top of your favourite mascara- this will make your favourite mascara waterproof and allow it to last longer.
10. Use Smaller Mascara Wands On The Bottom Lashes.
Applying mascara to the bottom lashes can make a difference in the eyes appearance. Many people out there do skip this one step. The reason many people skip this step is that normal mascara wands are difficult to apply mascara on the bottom lashes because it can create more smudging and can be very messy. Its best to look at mascara wands that are smaller because you can have more control will mascara application on the bottom lashes.
Looking into a mascara wand such as Clinique’s bottom lash mascara will help control the mascara application. Another mascara wand that helps apply mascara to the bottom lashes is the It Cosmetics tightline 3 in 1 Black Primer Eyeliner Mascara.
I personally found that I was able to coat each bottom lash with this tight line mascara brush because it’s thin and has bristles that coats each lash evenly (this formulation also comes in a waterproof formulation which means it won’t smudge!).
In conclusion, when it comes to having beautiful eyelashes and wearing mascara it doesn’t have to be messy and unflattering. There are a few main things to remember such as when applying mascara to the eyelashes we have to remember the product can be broken down due to the oil secretion from the skin or simply from oil-based products such as our daily moisturizer and eye creams.
We can still wear our moisturizing products but should consider applying a translucent powder around the eye area to help absorb any oils that may be sitting on top of the skin. Another thing to consider is looking at waterproof formulas that can help the longevity of the mascara, which will help prevent mascara smudging and flaking.
Lastly, it’s also a good idea to use an eyelash and eyebrow comb out through your mascara to remove any clumps that can later become mascara flakes. Preventing your mascara from smudging all boils down to our how we decide to maintain our mascara application.