One of the mascara mistakes you might be making is not changing your mascara often enough. Mascara does not have a long shelf life. It generally needs to be changed about every 3 months. You absolutely don’t need to go longer than 6 months on a tube of mascara. Not only will it dry out but it can become a place for bacteria to grow.

Not removing your mascara at night creates two problems. One, it leaves your lashes hard which makes them more prone to breakage while you sleep. It also prevents you from having a good base to start on the next day’s mascara. Mascara will never go on well over yesterday’s makeup. Take time to remove your mascara at night to give your lashes the best care.

Sometimes you’ll get a gob of mascara on the end of the wand when you pull it out of the tube. If you aren’t careful, this’ll lead to clumps in your lashes and smearing on your face. This can easily be avoided. Simply wipe the excess mascara off when you pull the wand out. You want the mascara spread out over the bristles, not on the end of the wand.

You’re really missing out on some magic if you aren’t coating both sides of your lashes. Coating both sides will make your lashes look fuller and darker. Start with the upper side. Zigzag your wand over your lashes on the topside several times before you move to the underside. You’ll probably find that you need fewer coats on the underside and won’t have to work on your bottom lashes much at all.

Turning your brush vertically can give you a whole new application technique. It gives you more control in placing the mascara on your lashes and allows you to concentrate on smaller, more specific areas. This is a wonderful way to make sure you get the lashes at your inner corners. Vertical application also works well on bottom lashes. It usually works best to first apply your mascara horizontally then apply it vertically.

Letting your mascara dry in between coats can be a recipe for disaster. What usually ends up happening is that your lashes get dry, crunchy and are no longer moldable. It’s okay to give them a minute or so in between coats but you don’t want to wait much longer than that. What I usually do is do one eye, move to the other and then back to the first one. I keep up this sequence until I get the look I want.

Pumping your wand will make your mascara dry out much quicker. You’re forcing air down into the tube which isn’t a good thing. Push the wand in once and pull it back out. You should get enough mascara on the wand for a good coat this way. If you aren’t, then it’s probably time for a new tube.

I hope these bits of advice help you to avoid mascara mistakes. What’re your best mascara tips? I can’t wait to hear from you!