How To Get Your Mascara Just Right, Every Time

Mascara seems pretty simple, right? It's easy to fall into the habit of grabbing a tube of black, swiping on a couple of coats, and moving onto more pressing things (like, um, that second cup of coffee). But, as a series of GIFs published on The Cut demonstrates, you could be just a few steps away from changing your mascara game forever.

First step: If a natural look is what you're after, get thee a fan brush. Makeup artists swear by them backstage, as they give more control (and allow you to get even closer to the roots) than a traditional mascara brush does. For super-defined lashes, you'll want to use a smaller wand and hold it vertically to target individual chunks of lashes. Who needs to go faux?

If, on the other hand, you're going for super-dramatic fringe to complement some serious liner, use this tip spotted at Cushnie et Ochs: Apply one regular coat of mascara, and then redip the brush and apply to the lashes at the outer corners, pulling the brush up and out to create a feline shape to the eye.