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Because It’s Worth It
By Vanessa Yeo • UrbanWire
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After watching Natalie Imbruglia, in jaw gaping awe and green envy,
bat her seemingly never-ending, eye-framing, thick long lashes in
the recent L’Oreal
advertisement, I have spent the last month in search of the perfect
mascara.
A short survey among close friends and mascara junkies proved that
though we girls love the product, we know nothing much about the
differences in formulas or which will suit us the best.
The Low-down
What a Girl Wants
Mascara Care
Evil Twins
Achieving The Look
The First Mascara
The Low-down
To break down the different kinds of mascaras and give you an idea
of what to expect the next time you decide to fork out money for
your lashes, here are the most commonly used terms to describe the
effects and what they mean.
Lengthening Mascaras essentially extend the length
of your lashes for a long, soft effect. These are great for ladies
who have thick but short lashes.
Volumising Mascaras increase the fullness of your lashes, without
lengthening them. Best used for dramatic effects or for those blessed
with long lashes which only need the extra plumping.
Glossy Mascaras are high in pigments to keep lashes
looking shiny and healthy instead of fragile. They do not lengthen
or volumise in an obvious way. For the minimalist girl, this will
not make you look too dolled up. Best for the lucky lasses who have
long lashes.
Water-proof Mascaras are great for people on the
move and particularly for athletes. Given Singapore’s humid
and unpredictable weather, water-proof mascaras fit the bill for
most local women.
What A Girl Wants
After making a list of the possible contenders for my “Ultimate
Mascara” challenge, I set off on my quest for “The One”.
T.G. Goh, ]who has done make-up for local fashion magazines and
heads a team of make-up artistes in the Artists at Work Gallery,
lent me a hand at discovering which mascaras were worth their hype.
According to T.G., Maybelline
has the most effective mascaras that deliver what they promise for
a fraction of what you would pay for a high-end brand. He said,
“Maybelline has
the best. I am currently using their Full N Soft mascara, which
is very good because it separates well and gives definition.”
Another drugstore brand earning high praise by T.G. is the L’Oreal’s
Double Extend mascara. It provides strengthening micro fibres on
one end of the double-sided wand and a colour magnifying formula
on the other for the longest lashes you can imagine!
If pricier mascaras are what you’re looking for then T.G.
suggests Chanel mascaras or
M.A.C.’s Pro Lash
Mascara which he says, “is one of the best mascaras around.”
Though 50% more expensive, high-end mascaras tend to retain the
textures of their formulas longer, thus reducing flakiness after
frequent use.
 
Mascara Care
To prolong the shelf-life of your mascara, T.G. suggests, “wiping
the wand clean after use and keeping it in a cool place because
heat causes clumps.”. You may also want to avoid pumping the
wand in and out of the bottle because once air gets trapped in your
mascara, it will harden up more quickly and become harder to apply.
The general rule is to discard used mascara after 2 to 3 months
of use to avoid nasty eye infections. For those who wear contact
lenses, toss out your wands 1 to 2 months after use to lessen discomfort
from use.
Evil Twins
For penny-pinchers, here are the budget doubles of high-end brand
mascaras. The cheaper counterparts provide just about the same effects.
Save |
Splurge |
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Fasio Waterproof Mascara |
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Achieving The Look
The prep work to ensure great lashes and achieving the eye-batting
looks you want, whether subtle or dramatic, is simply lash care.
Drugstore brand Vaseline helps keep lashes soft and glossy in between
mascara application. Making sure you’re not overzealous with
the eyelash curler, which weakens your lashes.
It is also recommended that you use the proper eye make-up remover
to clean off mascara after use. If the mascara of your choice is
waterproof, than an oil-based remover will effectively remove the
product without harming your lashes. Regular mascara washes off
with soap cleansers.
Seeing how it is very possible for you to intensify your lashes
without burning in a hole in your pocket and learning to preserve
the life of your mascaras, I say it’s high time you got out
there to bat those pretty lashes!
Side Bar
The First Modern Eye Cosmetic
o Maybelline Cake Mascara,
introduced in 1917 became the first modern eye cosmetic for daily
use.
o The company founder TL Williams created this from idea his sister
Mabel gave him
o Invented an easy-to-use product to darken eyelashes, which could
be sold for to a wide market.
o Cake mascara was first promoted and sold solely by mail
o It was so popular that women started asking for it in drug stores.
o Today, one Maybelline’s
Great Lash Mascara is sold every 1.5 seconds
o The company has 13 different mascara formulas
For more information on the history of eye make-up, visit
Maybelline.
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UrbanWire.com" Ngee Ann Polytechnic Singapore
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