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It happens all too often. Your eyeshadow and eyeliner look flawless. You begin applying the final magical touch of mascara and then, in a flash, your entire look is ruined because that mascara wand made contact with your eyelid, leaving inky black splotches that are impossible to remove without also removing the rest of your eye makeup.
Before you moan and groan and reach for your makeup wipes, take this advice from Sarah Mohamed, bridal makeup artist at Blushing Brides Boston: purchase the right tool ahead of time so you can clean messy mascara in a snap. “One of my most glorious discoveries, years ago, were dual-pointed (AKA ‘precision’ pointed) Q-tips,” Mohamed says. “These are very commonly used by anyone and everyone who finds themselves applying makeup on the regular, whether on themselves or someone else. You’ll find that these come in one of two varieties: one end looks like a your typical household Q-tip, while the other is pointed; the second variety has two precision points.”
Mohamed recommends keeping a bottle of lotion-based makeup remover in your makeup bag at all times to combat a smudge situation. “Take the Q-tip’s pointed end, dip it very sparingly into the eye makeup remover,” she says. “Gently dab at the smudge until removed. When completed, go over to re-blend and fix. You’ll never know that little smudge was there.”
If you blinked too soon and got mascara dots in your under-eye area, Mohamed says you can follow the same procedure with your precision Q-tip: “Re-blend with your powder brush to remove any sheen, and you’re good to go.”
For more beauty tips and news, check out a step-by-step guide to removing your eye makeup (without removing your eyelashes) and the most effective way to remove lipstick (because makeup wipes taste gross).
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[Photo: Imaxtree]
