Mascara is probably one of the most important cosmetic products you own. Whether it’s lengthening, thickening, curling, or separating every girl wants their lashes to stand out. The hunt for the best mascara can be a never ending task. Here are some of my favourite tips to make your natural lashes really stand out:

1. If your lashes are straight before you do anything-curl them! Squeeze the curler for at least 5 seconds before releasing.

2. Use an eyelash primer. It works like a base for your lashes to give extra volume and length before you even add mascara.

3. Layer your mascara. Use one for length and a different one for volume, you often get better results than you would from a multi purpose one.

4. To maximize volume push the brush into the base of your lashes and wiggle from side to side before pulling it through your lashes.

5. Apply at least 2 coats I usually do 3 to achieve a more dramatic effect. Don’t let the mascara completely dry between coats.

If your false lashes need to be trimmed to fit your eye, cut from the outer corner and save the piece you cut off. Once your false lashes are glued on take the piece you trimmed and, stack it on top of the lash at the outer corner for more depth.

Image from Monika Robl Photography.

As far as false lashes go these are the best for a natural look. What makes them so wearable, is that the longest length is in the middle rather than on the outer corners. This gives the effect of bigger, rounder eyes, rather than exaggerated length on the corners. #33 lashes are dark brown and not black which also gives a more subtle look. These lashes are made from natural hair, and can be used multiple times.

With so many mascaras on the market it’s hard to know which ones are worth the hype. The variety available at the drug store alone is enough to make you crazy with indecision. So I chose three with different wand styles to do a quick comparison. As with most mascaras, all three will give you a fairly natural look with the initial coat.

Cover Girl Lash Blast with it’s dome shaped, silicone wand definitely gives lashes the most volume. It builds up quite easily after 2-3 coats to deliver much thicker lashes. If you have small eyes the brush can be a bit cumbersome especially around the inner corner. The end result is similar to Dior Show mascara.

Rimmel Lash Maxxx also has a silicone applicator that’s a comb instead of the usual brush. At first I was skeptical of this but it creates very pretty separated lashes. Perfect for soft eye make-up that calls for natural looking lashes. For the lower lashes, holding the brush perpendicular and just using the top of the comb worked out very well too. Since this comb is small it is easy to reach the inner lashes so every lash is coated.

Lash Stiletto I bought because of the name! I love how stilettos elongate my legs so I figured this mascara would do the same for my lashes—which it did although not immediately. Lash Stiletto gets better when it’s older. After about 3 weeks it performed better. It gave my lashes a lot of length and added some volume.

Expert Tip: Open your mascara for a few minutes before using it. This lets the air get into the tube and thickens up the formula so you need to apply less coats.