(Oh, and please avoid using excess creams or moisturizers around your eyes during your morning routine.) Daoud also recommends using a translucent powder (opens in new tab) to mattify the eye area: "The best way to prevent mascara from transferring onto your eyelids is by using translucent powder," she says.
Primer is your friend
Then, all three makeup artists agree that setting your under eye area with a bit of setting powder will prevent oils from running onto the area.
Well, the moisture and oil from the eye cream mix with the heat and oils from your skin, rising upwards towards the mascara. Soon enough, it affects the formula of your mascara and breaks down the ingredients, causing smudging and bleeding.
If you are using a water-based setting spray, it is best to apply it before mascara. This will help to keep your mascara from running or smudging. If you are using an oil-based setting spray, however, it is best to apply it after mascara.
Should I use makeup setting spray before or after makeup? Just as primer should be your first step in any makeup routine, setting spray should always be your last step. This is the step that locks in your look, making it so that you don't have to reapply any of your products throughout the day.
It sounds weird, but it's true — baby shampoo is great for lifting off hard-to-remove waterproof mascara. Baby shampoo is hypoallergenic, gentle on your lashes, and safe to use in your eye area. To use: Dollop a dime-sized amount onto a cotton pad or your (clean) finger, and apply it to your lashes.
Use only the tip of your wand when applying mascara to your lower lashes. Apply the product only to the root of your lashes to avoid those ugly clumps. For the inner and outer lashes, try angling your wand vertically — this will ensure that each lash is coated properly.
Luckily, I've found a few simple hacks to get the rest of the product out of the tube. Whenever I seem to be out of mascara, I run to my kitchen and fill a mug with water. I throw it in the microwave for a minute, then place the mascara tube in the mug for a few minutes while I run to get dressed.
Reason being, lash staple underneath your eye can make you look older and at the same time, draw attention to under-eye imperfections such as dark circles, pigmentation and crow's feet *ouch*. So, if you're going in with mascara on your bottom lashes without any concealer, it could be a terrible idea!
To prevent the raccoon-eye look, celebrity makeup artist Hector Simancas suggests using waterproof mascara. “On the top lashes, add mascara only from the middle to the tip of the lashes, not on the root,” says Simancas.
Use eyelid primer.
Even if you don't wear eyeshadow, covering your lids in primer cuts down on the grease on your lids, lessening the likelihood of oil-instigated smears. Urban Decay pretty much invented the whole the shadow-primer category, so—unsurprisingly—their line of primer potions are really fantastic.
L'Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise waterproof mascara
It's affordable, lengthening, and actually works. If you'll be shedding a few tears at a beach wedding and need to look put together all night long, this one won't let you down.
Although it's most commonly used on lips – in the form of Vaseline – as an occlusive, meaning it helps skin retain moisture, it also effectively melts away waterproof mascara.
Applying a coat of waterproof mascara over regular mascara will keep your lash look waterproof, but because there's a foundation of regular mascara, it'll be much easier to remove at the end of the day.
Should You Use a Setting Spray or a Setting Powder? While powders tend to work better for oily skin and setting sprays for dry skin, “if you really want to set and extend the life of your makeup, I recommend using both a loose powder and a setting spray,” Almodovar explains.
What's the difference between setting spray vs primer? Makeup primers prep your skin by creating a smooth, even canvas to use with or without makeup. Makeup setting sprays lock in your look, or in the case of glass skin spray, enhance it.
“Mascara always last after eye shadow and liner as you want to keep it clean with no particles in it,” advises Vogue beauty and health director Sigourney Cantelo. This also helps to achieve a more precise result with your eyeliner: “It's easier to see where you're drawing if you have nude lashes,” she says.