Is mascara worth using?
Mascara is one of the most popular beauty products among women. It is often the only cosmetic in their make-up routine. As much as the right application of eyeshadow or eyeliner requires knowledge and experience, even a make-up beginner should manage to coat lashes with a mascara.
Mascara – properties
Regardless of qualities and colors, a mascara adds definition to the eyes. It can fulfil different functions: thickening, lengthening, lifting or volumizing. These functions result from the wand’s shape and material, and the ingredients of a mascara.
The shape of a wand
In order to get eyelash volume and thickness, you should choose thick brushes so that you can apply more of a product at a time. If your lashes need extension, go for spiral (asymmetric) wands of an irregular shape. On the other hand, if you want to give your lashes a curl, try curved wands which additionally deliver thickness.
The material of a wand
Traditional spirals are made from nylon bristles. Silicone is the basis for others. Our choice – whether to use a nylon or silicone brush – depends on our preferences and the effect we want to achieve. Apparently, silicone wands top nylon brushes. Firstly, silicone bristles are more durable thus resistant to damage whereas delicate nylon wands are easily damaged during every-day use. Secondly, you can quickly clean silicone bristles whereas nylon bristles can get largely deformed when you wash it, which keeps you from effective mascara application. No matter the material, mascara brushes need cleaning. If you neglect it, the wand gathers bacteria, fungi and dust. Thirdly, silicone bristles ideally separate the lashes while the nylon ones fail. To make things worse, they tend to leave clumps.
Ingredients of a mascara
Mascaras contain different ingredients, depending on the functions they fulfil. Hypoallergenic mascaras are free of irritative substances such as petroleum derivatives, colophony, parabens, propylene glycol or thimerosal. They are rich in beeswax, water, iron oxide, pro-vitamin B5 and glycerol instead. Some mascaras are infused with lash-enhancing substances so they condition the lashes – not just deliver color. There are also mascaras designed for false eyelash extensions which need extra care.
