If the idea of leaving your house without mascara leaves you in a panic, but you need new ideas on how to make your eyes look bigger with fuller lashes, this article is for you. While we are beautiful with or without makeup, using mascara and other products to boost the look of our lashes makes us feel sexier because it not only accentuates our eyes, but it can help mask things about our eyes that we are self conscious about (like having lighter color lashes when we want darker lashes, or simply wanting to make our lashes look longer and fuller). Whether you need a simple daytime look or a sexed-up evening wear look, these mascara tips will get you the lush, bold, flattering lashes you’ve been looking for. When you use these techniques, your eyelashes become the perfect frame for your eyes. This effect should result in your lashes drawing instant attention to your eyes, which makes for effortless eye contact with whoever you’re talking to. If you're afraid that the only way to get the larger, full lashes and noticeable eyes is to take drastic cosmetic or surgical measures, fear not, there are plenty of ways you can define and enhance your lashes to give your eyes a boost without having any invasive cosmetic procedures. While it may take a bit of experimentation before you’re able to find what works best for your lashes and face, playing around with these techniques will help you to get the best look possible.
15 Tightline Cake Eyeliner
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One of the easiest ways to draw attention to your eyes and make them appear wider at the same time is to use a cake eyeliner. What makes cake eyeliner different than your standard eyeliner is that cake eyeliner has a very dense concentration of pigment. This not only allows you to easily darken your lash line (and draw attention to your eyes), but this more concentrated approach means that you can apply less product while still achieving the even color you want. A great example of an affordable, high quality cake eyeliner is the Tightline Cake Eye Liner by Laura Mercier. This $30 cake eye liner is available at your local Sephora. When you use a moistened brush to apply Tightline Cake Eyeliner, the product will glide on effortlessly. A thinner line across your lid gives a great daytime look that draws just enough attention to your eyes while a thicker, bolder line is great for evening looks. With this high impact eyeliner in place, you can use minimal mascara to maintain a softer look, or go with a mascara that stands out to give your eyes a more magnified effect.
14 Lash Tinting
Lash tinting (or dying) is a way to make lighter colored lashes look darker. Lash tinting is a service offered at various salons and beauty spas. Because lash tinting involves making your lashes darker through dying them, it’s important to have your lashes tinted by a professional. Not only will this ensure your lashes are tinted as safely as possible (as there is a risk of getting dye into your eyes which does pose potential risks), it will also allow your stylist to give you a tint that is going to look natural and enhance your eyes. Shop around for a salon or spa that is experienced in lash tinting to ensure your lashes are in the care of someone who is professional and confident in their lash dying skills. Lash tinting color lasts approximately 3 weeks.
13 Lash Extensions
Lash extensions are just what they sound like, they extend the length of your natural lashes. Having longer, fuller lashes gives a dramatic effect to your eyes. According to a Huffington Post article titled “Lash Extensions: Tips You Need to Know Before Heading to the Salon”, lash extensions are available in different lengths (between 6 mm and 17 mm in length) and materials (mink, silk or synthetic), and are applied with a specially formulated glue that will adhere the extensions to your eyes without the risk of damaging your eye should the glue somehow come into contact with your eye. Like lash tinting, this procedure should be preformed by an experienced technician who can comfortably apply the extensions and let you relax during the process. When you leave the salon, you will have naturally looking full lashes that will be sure to bring attention to your eyes.
12 Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Serum
[caption id="attachment_9136" align="alignnone" width="680"] Image courtesy of Rimmel London website[/caption]
When you want long lashes without the price tag of salon methods, Rimmel London’s Lash Accelerator Serum is a great alternative. Sold at most any drug store, Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator promises to give you longer, fuller lashes at home using the serum, which comes in a convenient pocket-sized package, much like a mascara container. Rimmel London’s website notes the serum’s secret is a GROW-LASH complex that will give continuous conditioning to your lashes while also giving them a renewed strength and promoting growth. This specially formulated gel is a fast and efficient way to help promote longer, healthy lashes.
11 Eyelash Curler
A classic tool in any makeup artists arsenal of makeup bag, an eyelash curler takes your natural lashes and brings them up a notch. With an eyelash curler, you can give your lashes a more dramatic curled effect, making them appear longer. Applying your favorite mascara to curled lashes only dramatizes the curling more. This quick, painless (don’t blink!) and inexpensive way to liven up your lashes and bring attention to your eyes can be your best friend in a quick pinch. You can curl your lashes most anywhere that has a mirror and it only takes a few seconds. The important thing to do when curling your lashes is to relax. When you press the clamps together and raise them toward your eye to curl your lashes, keeping your eyes relaxed and still will ensure your lashes will curl easily without the risk of puling on your lashes and causing discomfort.
10 Eyelash Primer
Eyelash Primer is another great inexpensive way to enhance your lashes by giving them a quick pick-me-up and lengthen them at the same time. Available at many price points and carried at both drug stores and beauty supply stores alike, eyelash primer works by lengthening your lashes and applying fortified vitamins and minerals that help promote healthy, long, and full lashes. Like any other primer in the makeup world, an eyelash primer is considered a first step in setting up your forget-me-not eye look. After using a primer, you can apply your favorite makeup, mascara or other go-to eye products to play up your eyes, knowing they’ve got a great foundation to keep your look going as long as you are.
9 Angle (or bend) the Brush
Ever find yourself frustrated because your mascara constantly clumps on your lashes from uneven application? While some mascara brushes are curved to provide an easier application, sometimes a curved brush isn’t enough to help you get the even application you’re looking for. One way to make any mascara brush work more seamlessly is to bend the end of the brush. Cosmopolitan magazine notes that this allows for easier application. The only downside is getting your brush back into the container after applying your mascara, as bending it several times could break the shaft. For a less risky fix when you’re not close to the end of a mascara bottle is to simply angle the brush to give a different effect. Cosmo notes that angling the brush horizontally will give a more dramatic look as this allows you to apply more product at once.
8 Mix Up Your Mascara
Shopping for your ideal mascara can be daunting. With endless mascara choices to choose from, it’s easy to feel lost and not know which product will give you the best results. While all mascara brands have their pros and cons, and many offer different enhancements (like lengthening, volumizing, separating, etc.), the only way to know what mascara is the best for your lashes is to try out a few. Whether you go to your favorite makeup counter and have a consultant walk you through some different mascaras or you hit up your local drug store and practice at home in front of the mirror, playing around with different brands of mascara will help you find what looks best on your eyes and what feels most comfortable for you.
7 Take Your Makeup off Every Night
Makeup is a great way to accentuate your natural beauty, but at the end of the day your skin needs a break. While we’ve all fallen asleep with our makeup still on a few times (or perhaps more times than you’d like to admit), it’s important to make taking your makeup off an important part of your nightly ritual. Whether you just use your favorite cleanser or you prefer makeup remover towelettes, removing your makeup at night will let your skin breathe, keep your skin clean and give you a fresh pallet to work on the next morning (should you choose to wear makeup again the next day).
6 Baby Powder for Thicker Lashes
If you’re feeling like your lashes are looking a bit frumpy, but you’ve got a few containers of mascara laying around that you need to use up before you can justifying heading to the store for new product, there is a way you can give the illusion of an all new mascara (and lashes!) without leaving your house (or at most, running to your local drug store). Inexpensive, easy to find and quick, baby powder (yes, you read that right) can help give the illusion of longer, fuller lashes. A little bit of pre-powder prep, some baby powder and you’ve got a whole new look. Elle magazine notes when you curl your lashes, then apply your favorite mascara, and save the baby powder as your final step, you’re destined to get dramatically larger looking lashes. Just a tiny bit applied with a cotton swab can go along way to amplifying your lashes. Try this trick with your top favorite mascaras to see which combo gives the most dramatic effect.
5 Use Vaseline on Lashes at Night
Of everything you have in your bathroom to help make your lashes look longer and give your eyes that irresistible look, Vaseline isn’t likely one of the items you’d reach for when you want to help your lashes look their best. Believe it or not, this secret weapon has been used to help give the user longer lashes, which can help your eyes look bigger overall. When using Vaseline on your eyelashes, you want to start with clean, dry eyelashes and use a clean cotton swab to get a dab of Vaseline out of the container. This keeps you from unintentionally getting the Vaseline dirty or transferring oils and dirt onto your lashes. You can apply the Vaseline to your lashes by using the cotton swab like a mascara wand, being careful to not get the product in your eyes. Doing this at night is a simple way to treat your lashes while you sleep. The Consumer Health Digest website notes that using this Vaseline treatment often can yield improved lash length in just a few weeks.
4 Eat Food to Promote Lash Growth
Eating healthy is a no brainer when you want to look and feel your best. Eating healthy will give you positive effects on your entire body, including your lashes. What should you eat to help your lashes look their best and keep your skin glowing? Nutrient dense foods. Leafy greens, super foods are great ways to get in dense nutrition to help promote your lash growth. Woman’s Day magazine notes that foods like bok choy, cauliflower, acai berries, chai seeds are great superfood choices. These foods will give you a robust amount of nutrition to help keep your lashes and your skin in their best shape possible. Citirus fruits are high in vitamin c which is also a vital nutrient. If you’re feeling unsure about how to get more nutrient dense food into your diet to help your lashes look their best, visit your local health food store and ask for some tips and recipes to get you started.
3 Vitamin H (Biotin)
Biotin (the common name for Vitamin H) is a vitamin that you may be familiar with thanks to hair product commercials and hair product bottles. This is because Biotin is a vitamin that promotes hair growth, including the growth of your lashes. You can use biotin infused mascaras like Rimmel London’s Lash Accelerator Mascara, and eat foods rich in biotin (which include almonds, bananas, egg yolk, peanuts and whole grains). While deficiencies in vitamin H are rare, Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute reminds us that raw egg whites do contain Avidin, which is a natural biotin absorption blocker. However, cooked eggs do not have this absorption restriction.
2 Antioxidants
You may have heard of antioxidants, but aren’t sure how they play a part in keeping your lashes (and the rest of your hair) healthy and strong. WebMd reminds us that Antioxidants are free radical blocking vitamins that can prevent a host of diseases and illnesses including atherosclerosis and cancer. Two great antioxidant sources of antioxidants are vitamins C and E. These two antioxidants are found in a wide variety of foods, including citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, and carrots. Vitamin C helps keep your immune system healthy while vitamin E helps strengthen your hair and promote growth, which means your lashes are more likely to be healthier and stronger as well.
1 Stay Well Rested
Whether it’s your favorite makeup product or tweaking your eating habits to promote health throughout your body, all your effort will be in vein if you don’t get enough sleep. A lack of sleep can not only put you in a bad mood, but it can have less than desirable effects on your eyes. WebMD notes that a lack of sleep for just a few nights can make your skin puffy, and accentuating your eyes with puffiness or dark circles from lack of sleep is not the kind of attention you want to draw to your face. Catching up on your sleep, eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water and moving your body in ways that keep you happy and healthy will help keep your skin even, keep your vision sharp and help you look your best no matter how much makeup you decide to wear.
Sources: huffingtonpost.com, womansday.com, webmd.com
