photos + post by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

Bottom lashes can be tricky… like all lashes, you want most of the product to land on the roots, not the tips (that’s where things become clumpy),  but it’s really hard to do it with a wand. For years I would rotate the wand vertically and use the tip to paint the bottom lashes, then I finally discovered that nothing builds the bottom lashes better than painting the mascara on with a lip brush! You don’t even need a business card underneath to paint against (but you can certainly use one if you want to) because the flatness of the brush let’s you be precise without too much pressure. Here’s how to make it happen:

1. On a washable surface (I use the back of my hand but you can use a clean countertop), roll the wand with a little pressure until there’s enough product for you to load up half of the width of your brush. I rolled off more product in the picture above just for instructional purposes, but you definitely don’t need that much!
2. Grab your flat lip brush and load it up with your favorite mascara like you would a paint brush. You can use a mascara fan brush that is specifically made to paint on mascara, but I don’t want you to have to buy anything when you already have a suitable lip brush in your arsenal.
3. Paint on the mascara by making small strokes, concentrating at the roots. Work on one section of lashes at a time, painting a few coats on each section, with stronger pressure at the roots and lighter pressure as you make your way to the tips.

BONUS: When you concentrate at the roots, it creates the illusion of lining the lash line as well. {Our model Carissa isn’t wearing ANY bottom eyeliner in the pictures above.}