8 MASCARA HACKS FOR STATEMENT EYES

HOW TO apply mascara for statement eyes

Whether you’re going for an intense smoky eye, or just looking for your eyes to pop above your face mask, the way you use your mascara wand can completely transform your makeup. the CODE Magazine reveals the professional tips and tricks for making the most of your mascara.

Without a doubt our favourite makeup product, after lipstick, is mascara. And most of us remain ever loyal to the one that delivers the desired result. However, your humble mascara wand can be used in many ways and transform your makeup look.

As Vincent Ford global makeup artist for Nars reveals, “When it comes to mascara, most women think that wearing it is just something you do, and they use it, in the same way, every day, and yet when it comes to eyeliner, lipstick or blush, they think about how they can change it around and create different looks.” (Source: Net-a-Porter)

So, if you let your creativity flow, you can create an intense smoky eye or the perfect almond-shaped cat’s eye by using the right mascara in the right way. You can even forget false lashes. 

Also, Ford admits that he never uses false lashes on clients or models, as “they make the eyes look heavier”. Instead, he layers up different textures and uses the want in different ways to achieve any look. So, it’s how you apply the mascara that matters.
Here are his tips on wielding your mascara wand for truly amazing lashes.

FOR AN INTENSE Smoky eye

Ford suggests working the wand sideways, back and forth (like brushing your teeth), right in at the lash root and mid-length. This way, you give density at the base of the lash and create a lovely frame to the eyes. The result is even better for blue or green eyes if you use a really dark, carbon-black mascara.

FOR THE PERFECT CAT’s EYE

To achieve the classic Lauren Bacall elongated eye, you just sweep the wand out, almost horizontally – sideways, not upwards – through the lashes. Use a volumizing mascara, as these tend to be wetter, so they hold the lash in place better when they dry. Volumizing mascaras aren’t good for length, but they are great for intensity and creating shapes like this with the lashes.

TO MAKE YOUR EYES LOOK BIGGER

Start by using a regular mascara on your top lashes. Then, use a volumizing mascara to open up the eyes, just in the very centre of your lashes (above the iris). The secret here is to hold the wand vertically and apply the mascara so it just coats, thickens and accents those middle lashes.

Fake a false-lash flick

Use your regular mascara and then finish with a coat or two of volumizing mascara – but only on the outer, upper lashes. This process gives impressive thickness to the lashes and an extra flick to the eyes.

The 1960s big-lash look

Use an everyday mascara first, then a volumizing one, holding the wand down vertically and sweeping it up through alternate sections of the lashes – not every lash as this gives that separated, doll-eye lash look.

Layer up your mascara

Use an everyday mascara first, through the length of your lashes, and then go in with a volumizing one – but use it just for the base of the lashes, at the roots.

MIX’N MATCH

It always looks prettier to have more feathery lashes on the bottom lid, so try to use a different mascara on the top and bottom lashes. Or, use a mascara specifically designed for bottom lashes or use a liner brush, thin and flat-ended. This way, you get “great, intense coverage, especially if you have very fair, blonde or red lashes, and you always get that gap of light hair right at the root.”