Have you tried mascara cocktailing yet? Expert tips for getting it right, every time

Mascaras are one of the most underrated makeup products in your vanity kit. Much like Harry Potter’s coveted Elder Wand, the mascara wand also houses magical powers. Use it wisely and it can transform your lashes. Abuse it, and you can say hello to the clumpy curse. Layering your lashes with multiple coats of mascara doesn’t just leave you with spidery eyes, but also doesn’t serve the purpose of lifting, lengthening, or volumising. Step in TikTok’s latest trend: mascara cocktailing, an interesting way to achieve fuller lashes, without making them look unnatural. We got two celebrity makeup artists to share their version of this viral makeup trend. 

What is mascara cocktailing?

Mascara cocktailing involves the use of different mascaras and wands to create longer, more volumised lashes, naturally. It’s all about mixing and matching the right wands with the right formulas to create the perfect lash look.

According to celebrity makeup artist and founder Simply Nam, Namrata Soni, this TikTok trend isn’t actually a new one for professionals. She says, “As artists we have always been mascara cocktailing. Using different mascaras and wands is super effective and easy.”

Mehak Oberoi, artist in residence for Bobbi Brown India adds, “It’s overhyped right now because I have been doing this all my life. First, I use a lengthening mascara and then a volumising mascara. The benefit in doing this is that you achieve the look you desire.”

Two is better than one…but, why?

Each mascara wand and formula comes with its own benefits––some lengthen, some define, some volumise. When you mindfully combine two mascaras together, you get the best of both worlds. Cocktailing your mascaras in the correct manner allows you to achieve long and lifted lashes, in just two to three coats (without them clumping)––something that wouldn’t be possible with a single mascara. 

The insiders’ recipes

Namrata Soni’s Cocktail—The Long Haul

Ingredients:

1 lash curler
1 defining mascara (precision brush)
1 volumising mascara (soft wavy brush)

Method:

Step 1: Curl your eyelashes close to the root, hold your curler closed for five to 10 seconds, move halfway down lashes and curl again. This will give you a wide-doe-eyed look.
Step 2: Use a mascara that separates and defines your lashes to avoid clumping. Start at your roots and brush it in a zigzag motion upwards to separate the lashes.
Step 3: Wait for the first coat to dry.
Step 4: Add two more coats, so that each lash is evenly coated.
Step 5: Apply massive amount of volume with the volumising mascara. This will make them dense–– apply it in the same manner as the defining mascara, but just one coat.

Namrata’s Tip: Intensify the look by adding a second coat of mascara only to the tips of your lashes. And don’t forget one coat of mascara on your bottom lashes too!

Mehak Oberoi’s Cocktail—The Quickie

Ingredients:

1 lengthening mascara
1 volumising mascara

Method:

Step 1: Apply the lengthening mascara first, starting from the root.
Step 2: Push your lashes up with some volumising mascara.

Mehak’s Tip: Cocktail with the thinnest wand that is made for lower lashes––use it very close to the root, so that it pumps up even more.

Product recommendations 

1. Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara
2. Simply Nam Clean Lashes Mascara
3. MAC Extended Play Gigablack Mascara
4. Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
5. Diego dalla Palma My Toy Boy Mascara
6. L’Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara
7. FAE Beauty Brash 2-in-1 Brow Gel + Mascara
8. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara