4 Reasons Your Mascara Is Flaking—And How to Stop It for Good

Mascara is the ne plus ultra of transformative products—the one item cited most often by models and celebrities as the thing they won’t leave the house without applying. A swipe of its inky contents leaves eyes looking younger and better rested—something everyone from rock stars to politicians to naturalists can get behind. But it’s an effect that goes out the window the moment your most trusted beauty product starts leaving a trail of flaky, ashy dust under your bottom lashes and across your cheek bones. The answer to this makeup faux pas, says makeup artist Jeanine Lobell (whose client roster includes Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain), can be found at the root of the problem. According to Lobell, there are as many as four reasons your mascara may be flaking, with just as many solutions. Here, she walks us through how to outsmart wet lashes, dry mascara, and more.

Your mascara is old.
“The number one offender is that your mascara is old,” says Lobell, who says you can tell when a tube is past its prime when the mascara “looks a little matte, [not] glossy or wet.” Rather than applying and doing damage control on flakes all day, Lobell suggests, “Just toss it and use something else.”

You’re using a fiber-based mascara.
Mascaras that add density using formulas that contain tiny fibrous pigments “give you beefier lashes,” says Lobell, but they’re also more likely to sprinkle unwanted pigment on your face. “It’s a bit of a trade off.” To safeguard against flaking, she suggests going over your favorite lash-building mascara with a waterproof top coat to seal in the formula, or try a white lash-building base first, then add a nonfibrous mascara on top for the same effect without the risk.

Your lashes are still wet.
“You don’t want any water on your lashes,” says Lobell, who warns against applying it right after a shower or dabbing on eye cream. “Your lashes won’t separate properly and the mascara won’t stick properly to your lashes. That will make the bottom lashes smudge for sure.” If you’re too tight on time to wait until your lashes are properly dry, Lobell says a loophole is to dab your finger in translucent powder and run it across your lashes before applying mascara.

You’re not waiting long enough between coats.
“Flaking is a lot about putting on too much too fast,” says Lobell. The soonest you should go back for a second coat is when your lashes are just a little sticky, not wet with product. “You can also try arranging your lashes while your mascara is drying with a clean wand that doesn’t have anything on it.”

 

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