Curl-effect mascaras use curved brushes and formulas designed to hold lashes upward. They work — and the mechanical curler you use beforehand does considerably more.
Why curl matters
Straight lashes that point downward make the eye look smaller and more tired, regardless of how much mascara is on them. Lifting them opens the eye more than any eyeshadow technique.
For anyone with naturally straight or downward-pointing lashes, this is the single highest-impact step in eye makeup.
Using a curler safely
The rules are simple and the consequences of ignoring them are lost lashes:
- Always on clean, dry, bare lashes. Never over mascara — a curler on coated lashes snaps them, and this is the most common cause of lash damage
- Clamp at the base, hold for five seconds, release
- Move to the mid-length, hold, release. Then near the tips if you want a softer curve
- Gentle pressure. Squeezing hard creates a hard right-angle bend rather than a curve
- Replace the rubber pad when it develops a groove — a worn pad cuts lashes
Never pull or twist while clamped.
Then the mascara
A curl formula holds the shape the curler created. Apply at the roots with a slight wiggle, then draw upward with a lift at the tips.
Two thin coats. The second while the first is still slightly damp.
If the curl drops
Common, and usually one of these:
- Lashes were not completely dry or clean — residue from remover or oil prevents the curl setting
- Too much mascara, whose weight pulls the curl down
- A worn curler pad
- Humidity, which nothing fully solves
A waterproof formula holds curl noticeably better, at the cost of harder removal.
Removal
Hold a saturated pad against closed lashes for a few seconds, then wipe downward. Rubbing thins lashes over years.
Replace mascara every three months.
The full composition is in the Faberlic catalogue. For the range, see the mascara guide.