We all know the frustration of getting a smudge of mascara on our eyelid after having spent ages doing our eye makeup. Instead of removing all your eye makeup and starting over, use this hack to rescue your eye makeup and save you time.
How to fix it when mascara gets on your eyelids? Once the mascara is fully dry, use a pointed cotton swab or angled makeup brush dipped in Micellar cleansing water to gently clean away the mascara. Then touch up your eye makeup if needed.
I am sure that you can easily imagine the scenario, perhaps it even happened to you this morning.
You have perfectly blended a stunning eyeshadow look and finally mastered your sleek, sharp winged eyeliner. Then, when you go to apply a few coats of mascara to finish off your eye makeup, you end up getting a smudge of black on your eyelid.
The good news is that there is no need to clean off your makeup and start from scratch. I’m here to tell you not to panic. So, put down the mascara tube and check out the step-by-step tutorial below.
What You Need To Remove Mascara From Your Eyelids
Take a deep breath and set out what you’ll need to save your eye makeup look.
- Thin, angled makeup brush or pointed cotton swab
- Makeup remover
- Eyeshadow for touch-ups
Let It Dry
You have likely made this mistake before. I know that I have out of frustration and impatience.
However, one of the worst things you can do when mascara ends up on your eyelids is to immediately try to wipe it away.
All this will do is cause the wet mascara formula to smear around and make things a lot worse. Think of wiping wet mascara as blending it into your eyeshadow, ruining your hard work.
Instead, you want to wait for it to dry. When you do, you may even be able to carefully wipe the spot off without any real effort.
Grab Your Tool
In order to remove mascara without ruining your makeup look and having to start over completely, you will want to work with a precise tool.
This can either be a thin, angled concealer or lip liner brush that will allow you to remove the mascara without removing too much of the makeup around it or a pointed cotton swab/cue tip.
A regular cotton swab will likely leave you with a blank spot on your lid that’s sorely lacking eyeshadow.
Carefully Remove
Dip your tool of choice in a makeup remover, for instance, Micellar Cleansing Water. Carefully apply it to the mascara until it’s no longer visible.
Touch Up
Ideally, you shouldn’t have much touching-up to do thanks to your precise removal technique. However, if you do notice a small area that needs a bit of eyeshadow, go in with a small, clean eyeshadow brush and reapply as needed.
How To Apply Mascara Without Getting It On Your Eyelids
Now that you know how to fix mascara on your eyelids, you’d probably like to know how to avoid this mishap in the first place. Here’s a simple hack I learned years ago.
What you’ll need:
- A Business card, playing card, or debit card
- Your favorite mascara
Position Your Card
Before you apply your mascara, you need to grab a card. This can be a credit card, business card, or any card you have at hand.
Place it behind your lashes, as close to your lash line as you can. This will be a buffer between your mascara and eyelid.
If you don’t have any cards, you can also use a teaspoon, round side facing out.
Apply Your Mascara
While holding the card with one hand, use your free hand to sweep on mascara as you normally would.
Don’t rush, take your time. The most common cause of mascara mishaps is rushing.
Fortunately, if you do make a slip-up while applying your mascara, the card will prevent the mascara from ending up on your lids. This is what makes using a card such a good idea when you are still learning to do your makeup.
Wait It Out
While we are on the topic of rushing, give your mascara a chance to dry before continuing your makeup.
If you are too quick about getting to the rest of your makeup routine after applying mascara, you may end up getting some on your lid. This is because your focus will be on your reflection in your makeup mirror rather than on your still-wet lashes.
Instead, leave the card in place and give the formula a minute to fully dry. If you remove the card too soon and the formula is wet, it could end up transferring or even flicking mascara to your lid or even beneath your brows.
Bonus tip
If you are applying mascara to your lower lashes and worried about getting it on your under-eye area, you can use the same method and place a card beneath your bottom lashes.
Just place the card as close to your lash line as possible and remember to wait for your mascara to dry afterward.