Mascara and False Lashes – Defined

Lash Out on Lashes

I won’t soon forget my husband’s reaction to seeing my mother without her normal, heavy eye makeup. Emerging from their bedroom during a family vacation, Mom looked “normal” to me. However, my husband quickly turned to me with a stricken expression and asked if my mother was alright. Wondering why, I looked at her sharply and realized, with a chuckle, that she was without the usual mascara and false lashes that so defined her look.

It made me wonder then, and now, why she never went for false eyelashes or updated her makeup routine. Decades after that moment just described, she still spends a great deal of time struggling to curl her lashes and dollop on her discount brand mascara. Thinking about this lately also made me start to think about modern mascara and false lashes and how radically they’ve improved over the years.

And you, good reader, are the beneficiary of all of that thinking and research! In this guide, I offer you all of the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about mascara and false lashes, including the perennial “which is better?” (Spoiler: Both have merits that we can all benefit from…so, neither is better than the other!)

I start with mascara as that is the most common choice, but if you are like so many others, after learning about the many options in modern fake lashes, you might find yourself adding them to the routine, too.

Mascara 101

One of the first things to know about mascara is that it is among the oldest cosmetics: “Before mascara, women used synthetic dyes to color their eyelashes. They mixed ingredients like ashes with elderberry juice…to create a natural colorant.” I guess that means we cannot complain at all about even the discount priced formulas since they don’t use anything like that formula just described.

This approach to mascara did not change until the 1830s when the formula was “updated” to include petroleum jelly and coal dust. Almost 100 years after that, Maybelline offered many women the first cake mascara. And after that things changed quickly, and by the 1950s Revlon was unleashing the very first commercially made mascara applied with the brush included.

Yet, as the formulas for mascaras have changed over time, so too have the brushes. There are the “stock” designs you find in almost every standard tube of mascara, but then are the specialty shapes. So it isn’t just the contents of a tube or pan of mascara but also the brushes that have changed.

Yet, why is it that the “spiral brush” is still in use today, and just what on earth are all the newly other kinds of merging wands for? Many skeptics wonder if there really is any difference in the effects these wands create, and the answer is a resounding yes.

Related: Take a Vacation from Your Beauty Routine

Mascara Brushes Make the Difference

An article in Cosmopolitan UK said that the differently shaped wands offer “curling, to volume, separation and length” among other outcomes. They even went so far as to create a sort of encyclopedia of common shapes and what they are meant to do. These include:

• Traditional – Available in plastic and bristle designs, both work well for adding fullness and volume.
• Comb – These are for those with spare or short lashes and this design actually ensures that every lash receives a good coating of mascara without also suffering from clumping of the product.

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  Pointed – These have a noticeably pointed tip rather than a blunt end like a comb or other styles. That tip is a tool and meant to help you get into the tips of the lashes and separate, lengthen and define them. NOTE:  Cone shapes are not the same as pointed, and the cones are meant to hit the lashes at the outermost and innermost corners of the eye.

• Curved – These are for those of us who need or want some curling of the lashes and so the curved angle of the brush (which can be subtle or extreme) is going to ensure that curling is achieved. However, you must apply the product from the root of the lash to the tip for the greatest effect.
• Inverted cone – If you are not one with a steady hand, this is the style for you. It is designed to help you get to the roots of the lashes, which give the eyes a brighter appearance. This style can also help with volumizing and lengthening formulas.
• Block or rectangle – This is the old-fashioned design still in use today and it works well with for those who need to achieve a bit of lengthening or adding some volume.
• Corkscrew or bubble – This is a lifting and curling wand that hits individual lashes and gives them a boost. Spirals are similar and give both volume and curl.
• Super skinny – This is a defining wand and is going to help with short lashes or for those that need to heavily coat every available lash.
• Oversized or jumbo – This is the brush used to give thickness and pairs best with a formula designed for that purpose.
• Hourglass – This silhouette magically gives volume and lift to lashes and is described as creating a fake eyelash effect without the use of fake eyelashes.

Related: How to Curl Eyelashes with an Eyelash Curler

How To Choose

Clearly, a lot of science and engineering is at work with these brushes, and if you want to choose the right one for your specific goals, then you need to consider the shapes we just outlined above. As an example, if your goal is to make your lashes look longer without also adding fake lashes, you can find a formula designed to do so and then use an hourglass, inverted cone or bubble if that is not the style of the included brush.

As we said, there are two ways to get the results you want from mascara and that is to seek out a formula that does what you need (curl, lengthen, and so on) AND be sure the brush is designed to optimize that formula’s results. Actually lengthening or adding volume to your lashes is not an authentic option. There are prescription formulas that promise such results, but that is a bit extreme when you have fake eyelashes so readily available!

Before we look at them, let’s take just a few minutes more to consider one of the glitches that many experience with mascara, which is removing it painlessly and easily. Though trends in smoky eye exist, leaving mascara on overnight or not removing it fully is unhealthy for the eye, the lashes and your overall look. As one beauty expert noted, “removing your makeup can be a catch 22. If you’re not gentle or using the right formula, it can put a…strain on the delicate, wrinkle-prone skin around your eyes.”

It can also thin out the lashes as you rub and tug to free them of the clumps or hardened makeup.

So What Can You Do?

Most will insist it is a two part process that involves cleansing the face and then doing formal makeup removal. However, there are some caveats to this advice:

• Remove eye makeup prior to cleansing the face
• Never use the cleanser for your face to remove eye makeup
• Use only a gentle eye makeup remover, and specifically one that is oil based so that it can cause the mascara and its pigments to break down and be fully removed during later cleansing. Also, an oil-based product wipes on easily and does not require any scrubbing or pulling to get rid of mascara.
• Use Q-tips and natural cotton pads to spare your delicate skin from any abrasion and strain.
• Pat and press the pad with the product down and around the eye area, allowing the compound to dissolve into the makeup. then gently massage around the eyes wiping downward
• Life is also easier if you skip the waterproof formulas as they are far more difficult to remove and stressful to the eye

For a lot of people, the process of applying and removing mascara is simple, and for others arduous. Plus, it doesn’t always get the results desired. For instance, those with short and/or thin lashes may not like the amount of product needed to fill them out. That is why fake eyelashes are a good option.

Fake Lashes 101

Just like mascara (as we know it) dates to the 1800s, so too do fake or false eyelashes…at least treatments and products that were early cousins of what we enjoy today. By 1911, their design had been perfected and it was a woman named Anna Taylor who actually patented the first pair. In just five short years, they were a common item in most makeup kits and by the 1930s they were, as one writer said, “everywhere”.

Initially, they were extremely delicate in nature and often made of silk. Today, as one journalist explained, “They come in a variety of materials…Depending on your price point and what you feel most comfortable wearing, there are a bevy of options…popular eyelash materials are human hair, plastic, and mink.” Their prices can range from as little as $5 for a decent pair to over $30, and you’ll find they come in any number of links and styles.

There are full lashes, little filler lashes to use for specific effects and even over-the-top fake eyelashes for special events and even such times as Halloween. The trick to wearing them is knowing how to choose them for your needs and then how to apply them most effectively. And the question, do you wear mascara AND false lashes?

Using Fake Eyelashes

The most common question asked when the topic of fake eyelashes arises is “how do you put them on?” Applying them takes a bit of practice, but it usually becomes so simple that any worries or struggles disappear shortly. To wear them you will need:

• Fake lashes – As we said, choose them based on your goals (maybe you want incredibly full and long lashes, perhaps you just wish to supplement whatever it is you have naturally, or maybe you want to fill out the edges…there are fakes for all goals) and your price point. Now one big question is whether or not you can reuse them. The simple answer is yes; but remember that not all of them are “created equally”.  As one writer said, “the number of times a pair of strip lashes can be reused isn’t totally up to the materials. The way you take care of your falsies can also have an effect on how long they last” NOTE: You need to measure any strips and trim them before you try to apply them.
• Gear –  Scissors, eyelash glue, eyeliner, mascara, Q-tips, and your makeup brushes (specifically a eyeliner brush with a thin end to make applying the glue much easier)
• Patience

Related: Our 5 Best Eye Makeup Tips For Beginners

The Steps Are Super Simple:

1. Apply any eyeliner you will typically wear
2. Take the lashes and hold either end while wiggling it to make it less stiff.
3. Use this trick to get perfect alignment: “Line it up with where the rim of your iris begins, or hold up a pencil from the edge of your nostril to your eye” and align it there.
4. Apply a tiny strip of glue with your makeup brush to the strip of fake lashes and wait for roughly 30 seconds before applying.
5. Stick them on and then work from the center outward to get the best alignment. Let the clue dry and then do any touch up on the eyeliner and apply mascara. NOTE: Yes, it is best to use mascara and eyeliner as they both help to conceal the line or band of the lashes.
6. Clean up any blunders with a Q-tip
7. Removing them is easy and should always be done before going to bed. Just keep a spare mascara wand on hand and use it, dipped in an eye makeup remover. Run this over the band of lashes and you’ll find it loosens the glue and allows the lashes to be gently peeled away and kept safe for a few more uses.

Pros and Cons of Mascara and Fake Lashes

So, as you can see, mascara is fast and simple. It comes in a wide range of formulas, remains in place all day and is one of the ideal answers for everyday applications. On the downside, it can smudge and may not give you the kind of volume and lengthening you want.

Fake lashes come in a wide range of designs and take only a few minutes to apply (once you’ve mastered it). They are ideal for those with sparse or thin lashes and enhance your makeup options. Though they take some time to master, you’ll find plenty of uses for them.

With all of this in mind, you can see why you’ll want to add both mascara and false lashes (along with specialty brushes and formulas) to your options, since you can get a lot from both of them.

More Great Mascara and False Lashes Resources:

This is what all the different shaped mascara brushes actually do to your lashes

The Ultimate Guide to Fake Lashes, From Someone Who Used to Be Terrified of Them

The Easiest Way To Remove Mascara Quickly So You Won’t Wake Up With Raccoon Eyes