Ask women what makeup they cannot leave the house without wearing and many will give you the same answer:
mascara. It seems that we feel naked without amping up the length or volume of our lashes. But, it seems some of us ladies aren’t applying and wearing mascara as well as we could. Read on for some of the top mascara mishaps and how to gaurantee gorgeous lashes all the time.

Makeup tips: Clumpy mascara
We’ve seen mascara gobbed onto lashes on the runway, but in real life, clumpiness is to be avoided. And the solution is a fairly obvious one: use less product. You can do this, says Greg Wencel, Cover Girl Makeup Pro, by removing the excess product on the wand onto a tissue before applying it. Also, he suggests letting the product set in two separate coats. "Apply one coat on your lashes and then wait a few minutes before applying a second coat," he says. "This will give the second coat something to adhere to, and help create a great build."

If you have a clean, bare mascara wand, you can also use this to reduce clumpiness. Just brush through with the dry wand between each coat before it dries, says Wencel, who is also cofounder of Page One Management.

Makeup tips: Mis-timing your lash curling
Wencel insists that curling your lashes before you apply mascara is a must. "Once your mascara has set to try, they’re stiffer and more brittle with the coating of mascara on your lashes, so it’s better to curl beforehand when your lashes are malleable," he says. He recommends curling once right at the root and holding for 30 seconds (rather than working your way up the length of the lash) to get a great flip right back of the lashes to get a wide-eyed look.

Check out our favourite mascaras — all under $10.

More lash and makeup tips from Cover Girl pro Wencel on the next page …

Makeup-tips-Make-your-mascara-wo.jpgMakeup tips: Mascara smudges on your face
There are a few reasons you may have flaking mascara (your lashes may lie flat or it may your choice of formulation), but there’s no reason you should be walking around with mascara smudges underneath your eyes. Water-resistant or those labelled flake-proof will hold up better against crumbling and leaving traces under your eyes than a regular version will. Try: Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion or Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Waterproof Mascara.

Makeup tips: Don’t neglect your bottom lashes
You should devote just as much time to your bottom lashes as your upper lashes. Try a smaller wand (such as Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara) for easier application so you can get the best coverage. Or if you prefer to stick to the mascara you’re already using, Wencel suggests spot treating your lashes by using the tip of the mascara wand to deposit product at the base of your lashes and then combing through. "This will create a good thick to thin look on the lower lashes," he says.

Makeup tips: Sticking to one tried and true mascara
We all have our favourites, but you don’t have to stick to one as your do-all mascara, says Wencel. You should have two or more in your cosmetics bag so you can change the effect your mascara has whether you’re going to the office or out at night. Use a volumizing one when you want a more dramatic effect, or you can also try wearing two different mascaras at once ("Try a lengthening one on top of your everyday thickening one," he says).

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