How To Apply Mascara To Enhance Your Natural Beauty

Mascara is one of those pivotal, can’t-live-without-it makeup items that can drastically, or subtly, update your look in just one swipe. Whether you’re fair-featured with blonde eyelashes and want to add definition and open up your eyes, or have shorter eyelashes and just want to lengthen them, mascara enhances your natural beauty.

Below, you’ll find tips for applying mascara so that you still look like you, only better.

How to Choose the Right Mascara

The right mascara makes all the difference when perfecting your no-makeup makeup look. 

If you’re looking for definition, pick the blackest mascara you can find (and ours is the blackest of the black), which will make your eyes pop. 

Our Mascara is buildable, too, so you can use a little to keep it natural, or layer additional coats for a bolder look. Plus, it contains vitamins E and B, which help to keep your lashes long and healthy. (Studies confirm vitamin E helps support eyelash growth, and when applied directly to lashes, can keep them strong.) 

If you want more volume, go for a volumizing mascara. If you're looking for lush and long lashes, you may want to use a lengthening mascara on your upper lashes. 

Perfecting Your Technique

Using mascara to enhance your natural beauty and look more well-rested comes down to choosing the right product and how you apply it. If you have The Mascara, you already have the right product to lift, separate, and volumize lashes in one fell swoop, making the application that much easier. (Our mascara wand also has a curved head, which will help the bristles cover your lashes evenly and add extra curl if you are not using an eyelash curler.) 

Start underneath your eyes and gently roll The Mascara wand up the lashes. To help your lashes fan out, use the end of the wand to hit the lashes on the outside of your eyes. Depending on your mood, repeat this 2-3 times. Tip: If you are applying extra coats of mascara, wait about 10 seconds to let your mascara dry between coats. 

Use an Eyelash Curler

Sometimes you need an extra boost to really help open up your eyes, especially if it’s early in the morning. Before applying your mascara, use an eyelash curler to prep the lashes for your mascara—this can enhance the mascara’s effects, helping your lashes look longer and thicker. 

Consider Using Liner

If you have time, a little eyeliner can help thicken the appearance of your top lashes. The Best Pencil will become an indispensable part of your makeup bag and routine. 

Depending on your desired look, you may want a sharp, crisp line for a natural and subtle look. If you want a more dramatic effect, opt for a thicker, smudged-out line.

Start your line from the outside of your eye, moving your way inwards. Follow along as close to the lash line as you can. Once you finish the line, you can fill in any spots. You can also add a dramatic flick at the corner of your eye for a slight cat-eye look. 

(The Best Pencil also won a 2021 Allure Best of Beauty Award in the clean category. Any of our six shades are highly pigmented and ultra-dense, so the hardest part will be choosing which shade you like the best. It’s firm enough to make a crisp line but soft enough for the sensitive eyelid skin. (Read: No tugging.)

Defining Your Brows

Defined and clean brows are a key step in helping enhance your natural beauty. Fill in your brows with The Brow Pencil to add fullness and dimension. You control your look, whether you’re going for a full and shapely brow, or just simply want to fill in bare patches for an even look. 

Use your pencil to square off the inner edge of the brow to add definition and to lift the brow, opening up the eyes. Finish your look by extending the outer tip of the brow, which creates the perfect frame for the face. 

The Eyebrow Brush is your go-to tool when you want a bold brow. Start with the spoolie end and finish up with the flat side to soften and spread with control. You can also use the brush to line your eyes or the spoolie to separate your lashes. 

How to Apply Mascara Depending on Your Eye Shape

Experimenting with different mascaras and the way you apply your eye makeup can help you find the techniques and products that best suit your eye shape and enhance your natural beauty. 

Here are a few tips for applying mascara on different eye shapes:

Almond Eyes

Use mascara to further enhance the natural shape of your eyes by applying it to both the top and bottom lashes. 

Round and Close-Set Eyes

Create an elongated shape by focusing in particular on the outer lashes.

Wide-Set Eyes

Applying extra coats of mascara to the inner lashes draws attention near the tear duct, making eyes appear closer. 

Hooded Eyes

Focus on applying mascara to the roots of your lashes instead of covering the entire length of the lash. This helps lift the lashes and increases their visibility. Applying mascara to the bottom lashes helps the eyes appear wider and more open, too. 

Last Thing: Clean Up

If you find little smudges of mascara on your eyelids after you’ve finished applying, lightly dampen the end of a cotton swab with warm water and gently wipe away any excess product. 

Add Mascara to Your Everyday Beauty Routine 

Looking put together doesn’t have to take a lot of time, or require a lot of products. Focusing on your eyes is the best place to start, and by adding just a swipe of mascara to your lashes, it’s one of the quickest ways to enhance your natural beauty and look more awake.