Fakeup Vs. Makeup: Falsies Or Mascara?

Mascara is an everyday must-have - without it, your eyes can look tired, small and dare we say a little bit beady! But there are so many types of mascara on the market that it can be virtually impossible to decide whether you should go for a volumizing brand, a lash-lengthening formula or a curl and lift mascara. If you're unfortunate enough to have stubby little lashes that don't improve much with mascara, you might have to turn to false lashes, brush on lashes or even lash extensions to get the flutter that you want.  Read on to find out whether you should go for mascara or falsies - or if one of the in-between options would be a better choice!

Getting the Most From Your Mascara

Mascara is every girl's best friend. If you don't have any time to apply any other makeup in the morning, a swish of mascara on your upper and lower lashes will instantly make you look more "done".

There are a few tricks to getting the most out of your mascara, including:

• using an eyelash curler to give shape and curl to the lashes before you apply the mascara
• swishing the wand around inside the tube using a side to side motion instead of pumping it up and down will reduce clumps and clumping, meaning that your mascara goes on more evenly
• placing the wand at the base of your lash line, then wiggling it gently from side to side up the lashes - this means that it goes on evenly and separates the lashes effectively
• letting the first layer of mascara dry before applying the second layer
• using just a few thin coats of mascara instead of one thick layer means that your long lashes will look completely natural

Brush On Lashes

There are a few new products on the market that give you the best of both world - mascara and false lashes. One of them is quite literally a tube full of fibers that looks just like a tube full of cotton wool fibers. You apply mascara, then whilst your lashes are still wet, apply the brush on lashes followed by a layer of mascara to cover up the fibers and to straighten them out. These are literally false lashes that you brush onto your eyelashes, and they are fab. But they do have a couple of cons.

See Also: 6 Common Mascara Ingredients That Might Be Dangerous For Your Health

They are also fairly difficult to remove and will probably require a waterproof makeup remover - makeup wipes are usually completely ineffective. They also tend to be expensive when compared to disposable false lashes, although they are a great DIY alternative to lash extensions.

Lash Extensions

Eyelash extensions are the easiest way to get longer lashes without having to apply false lashes or mascara every morning. The whole process is a little bit time consuming, but generally, it'll provide you with some fantastic results. A beautician will apply eyelash extensions to your lashes individually, using a little bit of lash glue and individual false lashes. These lashes bond to your own eyelashes, giving them extra length and color. They tend to last for around 5 weeks and drop out as your own eyelashes drop out. They're also super handy if you have sparse lashes, as they fill in the gaps.

If you have an event coming up, they're also great as they are far more natural than false lashes - plus, you don't have to do anything fiddly before the big day.

And Finally... Falsies

False lashes are now far better than they were just five years ago. They used to be a strip of lashes that were virtually impossible to cut through, with fiddly glue that used to get into your eyes and glue your eyelids shut. Now, they're incredibly thin and easy to apply and you can also buy them with strips of adhesive on them - so that you don't have to apply any eyelash glue. Because they're thin they're also really easy to cut to size and that means that they look more natural - and with the perfect fit for you, you don't need to worry about any overlap.

Our advice with falsies is that you hold them up to your lashline before applying them to see how much you need to trim off for them to fit properly. Once they're cut to size, you can then snip them into smaller "chunks" for a much more natural look. Generally, we'd advise cutting them into three, although you can cut them into more than that. Cutting them to size is also really important if you're layering up your lashes as otherwise, they won't stick.

When applying your lashes, start with a layer of mascara. Let it dry, then apply the lashes. If you've cut the lashes into three sections, apply them to the outer corners of each eye, trimming them so that they appear to get longer at the outer corners of your eyes - this will really open them up and give you a wide-eyed, fluttery lash look. If you're applying them all in one, use tweezers to pick them up and then press them very firmly onto the lash line. Apply another layer of mascara once the glue dries, and then if there is still a gap between the lash line and the false lashes, use an eyelash curler to bond them together more firmly. 

See Also: 6 Steps To Longer Lashes

It's glamorous and it'll also help to make your lashes look lovely and long.

So, fakeup vs. makeup? Who wins? It all depends on the time you have - mascara and brush on lashes are now almost as effective as false lashes and they take less time - but falsies are fab for parties.