Mascara
Understated Beauty Tool
The Metal Eyelash Comb
Clumpy, thick, spider lashes are a beauty nightmare for most women. Old mascara can be the culprit, as well as application techniques, but don’t worry! Perfectly separated lashes are lot easier to achieve than you can imagine.
It’s much easier to prevent a mistake than to fix it, so follow these easy steps tips to get separated lashes every time:
1. Make sure your mascara is not expired
Mascara has the shortest shelf life out of all your makeup. 4 months is the maximum amount of time that you should keep your mascara tube around, and that is only if you take great care of it! Don’t pump the wand in and out because it forces air inside the tube, causing the mascara to dry out and become a bigger breeding ground for bacteria. Keep your mascara fresh and you will avoid dry clumpy eyelashes.
2. Wiggle It!
The magic is in the application. When applying your mascara, place the want at the base of the lashes and wiggle it left to right all the way up to the tip. The wiggle motion keeps the lashes separated.
3. Get rid of excess product on the wand.
When you pull the wand out of the tube, check it to make sure there is no excess product build up on it. Too much product on the wand will mean too much product on your lashes, and too much product on your lashes will result in clumpy-ness. Wipe excess mascara on a tissue, or on the rim of the tube to ensure you get just enough mascara on your eyelashes.
Ok, So You Missed a Step, Ignored a Rule or Used Old Mascara and Now Your Lashes are Thick, Clumpy Galore. What Now??
Meet your new best friend: The metal eyelash comb/separator!
You’ve probably seen or even owned a plastic eyelash comb. They come in most brush sets, but this one is a little different, and SO much better! The teeth are metal, which force them through the clumpy build-up of mascara coated to your lashes. Comb through two or three time and say good-bye to spider lashes! Seriously, it’s that easy! I use it a lot when my models sneak off to the bathroom to apply more mascara. They think they’re pulling a fast one on me but I’m not blind! haha Combing through their mess with this tool has saved many photo shoots.
Just BE CAREFUL! Sharp+Metal+Eyes= No Bueno. 
Fun Fact! Julia Roberts uses a safety pin to separate her eyelashes when she applies her own mascara!! She brought this real-life detail to her character in Charlie Wilson’s War! Please don’t try this at home. A metal eyelash comb is much easier lol.
If only Tammy Faye had known about this magic wand…
Review: L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara
L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara:
The Best of the Best
I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest mascara, but I keep running back to good ol’ L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. It’s like one of those relationships where you have been together so long and end up breaking up to “see what else is out there.” Inevitably, 2 weeks later you come running back to the one you know has been right for you since the start. This is how it is with me and Voluminous haha. It has everything I need in a mascara, and it does the job just right.
I’m not a huge fan of spending tons of cash on a mascara. I use it everyday, and I’ve got a lot of lashes, so shelling out $25 every month for a new tube is ridiculous. At about $7.50 a pop in almost any drugstore, L’Oreal Voluminous had me at “hello.” Not only is it cheap (and I love cheap), it works! It doesn’t clump and keeps my lashes soft. I hate when a mascara gives you spider lashes that are so stiff you’re afraid they’ll break off any second..
L’Oreal Voluminous gives amazing thickness, separation and length in only 2 coats. Talk about DRAMA. I have no complaints, and it is my go-to mascara on most photoshoots. No smudging, no flaking, no problem.
Their new shade is called Carbon Black and it is ah-ma-zing. They say that it’s a “shade blacker than black.” I also like the version with the curved brush A LOT. It gives excellent curl to your lashes, but my only gripe is the curved brush doesn’t come in the Carbon Black shade (that I’ve seen). So, I have to sacrifice 
Before and After: L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black
If you haven’t tried L’Oreal Voluminous, give it a go and let me know how you like it!
