Lash Flash

Pros swear by lash combs for separating and preventing clumps. Get rid of excess mascara by wiping the wand on a tissue, eliminating blobs before you start.

An alternative to a lash comb is to have a second mascara wand, clean and dry, which you sweep through lashes to separate them while mascara is still wet. No need to buy one: when you finish you next tube of mascara, swish the wand in a capful of eye-makeup remover, then wash with soap and dry. Keep it clean by washing whenever you clean your tools.

Aimee Adams insists that with modern high –tech mascara formulations, "one coat should be enough to thicken, lengthen, and curl. The more you apply, the more you run the risk of ‘spider lashes’." Skipping that second coat saves times. (And prevents that Tammy Faye Baker look.)

Colored mascaras look great in glossy ads but rarely work in real life, we find (from the authors of this book). The simple rule is: black works for everyone except blondes, who look best in brown/black by day and reserving black for after dark.

Lash-lengthening and/or thickening mascaras use tiny filaments to extend and fatten lashes, but many women find that these shed their fibers and encourage smudging as the day wears on. If this is your problem, switch to a lash-curling mascara instead, or ask at the beauty counter for a mascara that’s "filament-free".

When applying mascara, wiggle your mascara wand in the base of lashes. It’s the mascara placed near the roots –not the tips- that gives the illusion of length.

Total Beauty by Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley