The other day I spoke to my BFF, my confidante, and my advisor since the age of twelve. Conveniently my advisor friend is now a Psychiatrist, which makes her advice to me over the many, many years quite professional. Yes, I have been receiving professional advice for free, and a lot of it. This is the perk of having a Psychiatrist for a good friend. But do you know what she asked me in our last phone conversation? “How do I apply mascara? It always smears all over the place, makes a big mess, and then I end up washing it all off.”   “What?” I ask. This cannot be. I was horrified.

How can any BFF of mine not know how to apply mascara, especially after so many years of freely granted wisdom on everything from slaying my first kiss to slaying a husband? The question haunted me.   “Please, write a blog on it!” she requested. “This will be your payment for my psychiatric advice.” Of course I will. I need my therapy!

Here is my blog:   First thing’s first. Look for a mascara formula that matches your personality, your mood or the event. Are you going to work? Is it for a party? Mascaras come in every formula from sheer and natural, to thick and voluminous. There are primers that build the lash before you even apply the mascara, and there are mascaras that you can’t even tell are on. Look at the box and read the description.

Choose your color. There are brown mascaras that give a subtle natural look, and there are bright colors such as blue and pink for a trendy makeup look. There’s brown black and blackest black. There’s even glitter mascara for some extra sparkle.  

Choose your brush. Some mascara brushes are made to create length, while others thicken lashes. Some brushes claim to eliminate clumps. Usually a lash lengthening formula is paired with a brush that will individualize each lash and give the illusion of extra length. The formula should not be thick or clumpy. Brushes that thicken lashes are paired with a thick formula that fattens each lash. The box will say what the mascara is supposed to do. We can only hope it keeps its word.  

Lastly is application. When you pull the mascara wand from the tube, there is usually a glob that sits on the end of the wand. Either scrape it off inside the tube, or wipe it off with a paper towel. If the wand looks too saturated for repair, dip it back in the tube and try again. The mascara brush should not have gobs of mascara on any part of it. Then apply. Brush under the lash, even over the lash, and in between if you must, and don’t forget the tips. The more saturated the lash, the thicker and longer it will look. You can apply two and even three coats if you’d like. If you want natural, just sweep a quick tint of color and be done with it. If you see any clumps you can either keep brushing with your mascara brush until they’re gone, or use a clean mascara comb to eliminate excess mascara, and separate lashes. When applying mascara to the bottom lashes, lightly sweep your mascara brush from side to side, and eliminate any clumps.  

Now can I have my therapy, please?