Mascara

I have tried a fair amount of mascaras in search of "The One"- the one that gives long full lashes without too much flaking, smearing, and most importantly (to me) without clumping!!!

A background: my lashes are already quite long and fairly full, but bleach out quickly and are nearly invisible without mascara. The right mascara definitely gives my lashes a wow factor. I don't do fake lashes (i just don't have the patience) and honestly think it should be illegal for mascara ads to use fake lashes- it feels like false advertising to me.

Tips & Tricks:
1) I have found that handedness does, in fact, matter when it comes to applying mascara. For a long time, I had a problem where my right eye always came out better than my right (i'm right handed). When I use my left hand for my left eye and my right hand for my right eye, both sets of lashes come out perfect!

2) using a darker shadow color in the corners of your lids or drawing your eyeliner thicker at the outer edges creates a backdrop for your lashes that makes them look fuller.

I have tried a lot of mascaras: jane be pure, maybelline, the "pink and green tube", lash stiletto, covergirl, silk naturals, sheer cover, lure beauty, etc. ALL fell short of expectations in some way (they flaked, they didn't give enough volume, they clumped big time, they had really weird applicators, they took forever to dry, they came scented, etc.) and I absolutely refuse to spend $20+/tube for some of the more popular brands.

I present to you, the holy grail: Avon Supershock Mascara

I only buy this when it's on sale- it's often part of a BOGO promotion and at the time of this posting is on sale at 41% off ($4.99/tube). This mascara is regularly priced at $8.99/tube and can also be found on amazon (i have found the black at $2.99/tube on amazon). I buy the regular (not waterproof) version in brown. It's a nice large tube with one of those great spiky brushes that tends to curl, coat, and separate all in one.

Caution: While both the regular and waterproof versions give you wow lashes, the waterproof version is "wetter" to begin with (read as: takes longer to dry) and is what i call a "tubing" mascara, which means that when it comes time to remove this mascara you can pinch the base of your eyelashes and little rubbery tubes of mascara will slide off your lashes. It's not my thing ergo i buy the regular version, but feel you should be informed that the formulas are different.

Also, another fun little product from Avon is their mistake proof mascara- which I buy specifically for the eyemakeup remover end which has a doefoot applicator and removes mascara smudges easily.