WHY DOES MY MASCARA ALWAYS END UP UNDER MY EYES?
We've all been there.
You put your mascara on, love how your lashes look, then catch yourself in a mirror halfway through the day and it's migrated under your eyes.
No one tells you.
So, you quietly rub it away, taking half your concealer with it.
The good news? It's probably not you. Real life gives mascara a hard time.
Most traditional mascaras - even the expensive ones - use a blend of waxes, oils and fibres to create length and volume. They make lashes look fantastic, but throughout the day those ingredients are working against some challenging conditions.
1. Your skin is naturally oily
The skin around your eyes produces oil all day long. Those natural oils gradually break down traditional mascara, making it much more likely to smudge, flake or transfer.
2. Your skincare might be helping matters
Rich eye creams, moisturisers, SPF and creamy concealers all create a smoother, more hydrated eye area. Brilliant for your skin. Less brilliant for mascara. The lashes brush against this emollient surface throughout the day, which causes the transfer.
3. Your eyes water more than you realise
You don't have to be crying for your eyes to water. Wind, hay fever, bright sunlight, contact lenses, tired eyes - or simply stepping outside - can all trigger tears. Traditional mascara often struggles to cope, leaving little black tracks exactly where you don't want them.
4. Your lashes are constantly moving
Every blink creates tiny amounts of friction. If you have long lashes, hooded eyes or deep-set eyes, they're more likely to brush against your eyelids or under-eye area throughout the day.
5. Real life gets in the way
Heat.
Humidity.
Happy tears.
Long commutes.
Busy days.
Rubbing your eyes without realising it.
How To Stop the Smudge
1. Let your skincare settle
If you've just applied eye cream, SPF or a rich concealer, give it a few minutes to absorb before applying mascara. If the area still feels slippery, gently blot away any excess product with a tissue.
2. Curl your lashes
If your lashes naturally point straight ahead or downwards, they're more likely to brush against your eyelids throughout the day. Curling them creates a little more distance between your lashes and your skin.
3. Skip your lower lashes
If smudging is a constant battle, try leaving your lower lashes bare for a few days. It sounds simple, but you'll quickly find out whether they're the main culprit.
4. Translucent powder can help
If your under-eye area gets oily, a light dusting of translucent powder over concealer can help absorb excess oil and reduce transfer.
5. Try a tubing mascara.
Tubing mascaras work differently to traditional mascaras. Instead of coating your lashes with waxes and fibres, they wrap each lash in tiny flexible polymer tubes. Those tubes are far less likely to smudge, flake or transfer throughout the day, and remove easily with warm water and gentle pressure from your fingertips. Not all tubing mascaras are created equal, though. Some prioritise staying power, while others focus on drama. That's the challenge we set ourselves when we created RUM Wrap Party: a tubing mascara that delivers longer, fuller, glossier, beautifully fanned-out lashes - without asking you to compromise.
The Bottom (Lash) Line
Mascara shouldn't be another thing you have to think about during the day.
You should put it on in the morning, forget about it completely, and only think about it again when you're taking it off that night.
We don't think that's asking too much.
