True Blue Baby I Love You...

I've recently fallen in love with blue mascara.  I already wear black eyeliner as one of my staples for every day makeup, and, if time allows, I'll add some colored eye shadow.  However, I don't always have the time in the morning to play around with eye shadows.  So I needed a quick alternative to add a little color to my eyes.  Thus, began the search for the perfect blue mascara. 

I pretty much approached my search blindly, buying Buxom Lash Mascara Special Effect Blue Noir ($18 Sephora) (1) simply because it was the first blue mascara I saw in Sephora and it had this bright blue color which would be perfect for my dark eyelashes.  I really like the hour-glass shaped brush; it is able to reach almost all the eyelash hairs after two applications of the first coat.  Also, it's not made with too many chemicals, which I think adds to the lightness of the formula.  One major issue with this product was the smudging.  It holds up for a couple hours, but by the end of the day, I found that I had blue raccoon eyes (not the look I'm going for).  And the oddest thing was that the smudging on the bottom of my eyes was difficult to remove!  The blue color was only visible in certain lights.  Since I have dark eyelashes, I might as well have been wearing black mascara.

My next two purchases of blue mascara were more successful.  The first was Lancome Definicils High Definition Mascara in Navy ($24.50) (2).  The color is pretty visible particularly at the tips of the eyelashes.  There was no smudging or clumping; and it lasts all day.  It is pricier than Buxom's, but considering the brand and being a top-rated mascara, it's a good buy.


Third's always the charm, right?  Maybelline's Great Lash Washable Mascara In Royal Blue ($4.49 Target, $5.29 CVS) (3) is the best one out there.  Clump-free; smudge-free; all-day wear; amazing color that is visible from the roots to the tips; and super cheap!!!  Maybelline's Great Lash line has actually won several Beauty awards from Allure, Teen Vogue, Essence, and Woman's Day; so for a drugstore product, it certainly has earned its place in the world of makeup and in my makeup bag :)
 

Tips

1.  Do not pump the mascara wand in and out of the tube.

2.  For a second coat, do not wait until the first coat is dry or else you'll get clumps.

3.  Whether the mascara is waterproof or not, after each full coat, wait 5-10 seconds before your first blink.

4.  Make sure the area around the eyes is oil-free to prevent smudging.

5.  When applying, use a zig-zag motion (left to right) starting at the roots in order to get maximum separation of lashes and to prevent clumps.
6.  Black mascara is a universal standard.  Definitely keep one in your makeup bag! (I'll have a post on my favorite black mascaras soon!)