wishlist series: MASCARA (non waterproof)

I often get asked to recommend products that I use and love as it can be quite overwhelming when faced with so much choice, as I get to try lots of different products through my job, my clients trust me!

I have started a series to help you navigate your way through the 1000s of products out there and simplified it to 3 budget options: A Bit Spenny, In The Middle and Budget Babes.

Hopefully this no-nonense guide will help when you want to refresh items your makeup bag.

If there is anything you would like to see included in the Wishlist series, just get it touch!

MASCARA

Mascara is by far the most popular product that people want a recommendation for.

Why? Because it's most peoples desert island product. If you could only wear one makeup item, what would it be...? For me it's definitely mascara. The difference a swipe of black (or brown, or a jazzy colour, if that's your jam) is HUGE! For those us of not blessed with long or dark lashes, a mascara makes all the difference for giving you that wide awake, big eyed, more defined look.

Apparently 89% percent of women and men who wear makeup, wear mascara. It's big business! Even those who consider themselves non-makeup wearers usually own or wear a tiny touch of mascara, it's a universally loved product.

Some things you should know about mascara:

It has a short shelf life.

Most mascaras will expire after or around 3 months. Being a liquid product it's not going to last as long as say a powder compact but also every time you use it you push air down into the sealed tube which provides a perfect home for bacteria to grow. So, after a few months it's likely that your mascara tube has gathered enough bacteria, that it's best to replace it with a fresh one - if you've ever experienced Pink Eye (a makeup artists nightmare and very sore eye infection that results in a pink eyeball) then you'll know you want to ditch that bad boy by month 3!

It can dry out quickly.

How do you apply your mascara? Do you pump the wand in the tube to pick up more product? STOP! This is forcing more air into the tube with each pump which will dry out the mascara and make it clumpy but also can encourage more bacterial growth - see above.

You can achieve more volume.

If you apply your mascara with one upward stroke from root to tip and leave it there, you are only doing half the job! Place the brush right in at the root of the lash and comb through to the tip of the lashes with a zig-zag motion. This will also coat the sides of the lash resulting in more volume. You can also apply mascara on the top of the lashes for a 360 degree coating. Avoid too many coats on the top of the lash as this can make the lash op heavy and you will lose any curl.

Buy travel size.

If you don't wear mascara regularly then consider buying a travel size so you don't waste lots of product when it comes to replacing after 3 months. Also this means you can try the more high end products but for a high street price! I've included a link to the travel size of the Marc Jacobs mascara in my wishlist series.

Do you have a product that you would like to me to focus on for the wishlist series?

DM me: https://www.instagram.com/ellehitchensmakeup/

There are two 'A bit more spenny' entries this month as I couldn't choose!

**I was not paid to recommend these products they are just things I use regularly and wanted to share**

To purchase these products, click the links below. These are affiliate links which means that I will earn a small commission but it will not cost you anything extra.

I have scoured the internet to link you to sites that are the best price (at the time of posting)

MARC JACOBS VELVET NOIR: https://bit.ly/3dIecZ8

MARC JACOBS VELVET NOIR (travel size): https://bit.ly/2YgedNA

NARS CLIMAX: https://bit.ly/3h9eVor

NARS CLIMAX (travel size): https://bit.ly/2ASZcJo

EYEKO BLACK MAGIC: https://bit.ly/2BSJXRi

EYEKO BLACK MAGIC (travel size): https://bit.ly/30EqjTB

MAYBELLINE COLOSSAL VOLUME: https://bit.ly/3dMKPot

Do get in touch and tag me in any posts, if you try these products and love them!

Elle x