i love makeup, but i don’t like wearing a lot of makeup.   or shall i say, i don’t like to look like i wear a lot of makeup.  there are a few products that i, now (at my age), consider a daily necessity.  mascara being one of them.  tinted moisturizer, bronzer, mascara and lip gloss are on my everyday list.  a little bit of each of them can go a very long way.

do you remember wanting to wear mascara as a kid?  lip gloss was no big deal and kind of a given, but when you were allowed to wear mascara than you were officially allowed to wear makeup.  do you remember what age?  i think it was 9th grade for me (this is a current conversation in our house right now, actually).  my young mascara of choice was maybelline water proof.

these days i wear mascara  because my eyes are always looking a bit tired, come morning time.  if you have kids, or just stay up way too late, like me, than you probably can relate.  with the help of an eyelash curler and a good mascara, full eyelashes and bright eyes are a sure possibility.

and, while I’d like to wish that my lashes looked like the lovely above, they simply don’t….so i get by with a little help from my favorite mascaras.  if you are looking for a great curl (as pictured), one of my favorite tricks is to heat my eyelash curler with the blow dryer, for a few seconds (make sure to test the temperature on your hand first), and then curl my eyelashes before applying mascara.  this trick really opens the eyes up and is a great base before applying makeup.  the other must is to simply buy a good product.

A  F E W  M A S C A R A  F A V E S  /

1/ tarte lights, camera, flashes statement mascara (also in waterproof)
2/ kevyn aucoin volume mascara
3/ rimmel london lash accelerator
4/ dior show mascara
5/ benefit BADgal lash

 do you have a a favorite mascara?  or any eye opening tricks?

p.s. this tip for making your mascara last is good one to keep in your beauty bag.

images / pinterest

post in collaboration with tarte cosmetics.  all opinions are my own.