Cake Mascara: How To Apply It & More
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Does your mascara look too unnatural? Does it clump? Do your eyelashes stick together or become so stiff that it's uncomfortable? Does your mascara become unuseable long before the tube runs out? Do you wear fake eyelashes and want to liven them up?
You may be a candidate for cake mascara.
Cake mascara comes in pressed cake form, just like eyeshadow or blush. To use it, you add a tiny bit of water. Back before wet mascara was invented, cake mascara was the standard. It helped create that vintage Hollywood glamour look. (Marilyn Monroe, for instance, used cake mascara.)
It's still commonly used by makeup artists, because it gives them more flexibility and precision in creating a look. It's economical, because one cake block lasts seemingly forever. And since it's stored in dry form, you don't have to take it out and show it to security personnel at the airport. (One less thing to worry about!)
Which company makes the best cake mascara? That will depend on what you're looking for. Natural ingredients? Used by makeup artists? Used by celebrities? All the cake mascaras below get high marks from users.
t.w.i.n.k. Beauty Lash Paint (all-natural, vegan... Great for sensitive eyes!)
La Femme Professional Formula Cake Mascara (reviews)
Longcils Boncza Cosmetique Cake Mascara Marilyn's choice (reviews)
Isadora Build-Up Cake Mascara (reviews)
If you're a hardcore DIYer, you can learn how to make your own cake mascara here.
It takes a little practice to learn how to use cake mascara. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll have more control than you do with tube mascara. The key skills are knowing how much water to add, how long to wait before use, and how many layers you'll need to get your preferred look.
First, put 1-2 drops of water on the cake block. (A dropper might be useful for this.) The number of drops necessary will depend on the air humidity. In most cases, only one drop is needed.
Some people wet their brush, then use it to moisten the cake, but we recommend against this. It makes the brush too wet, while not getting the cake moist enough for proper mixing.
Let the water sit to soften the cake. This can take anywhere from 15 seconds to 5 minutes, again depending on air humidity. You'll know it's ready when the water just barely begins to be absorbed.
Now use your applicator to mix a brush-sized length of mascara and water together. (Note that the type of applicator you use has a very dramatic effect on how your lashes look. See our Applicator section below.) Apply and wait for for your eyelashes to dry. This first layer should be more like lash dye than mascara. It has a very natural look.
As your lashes are drying, it's helpful to use an eyelash comb to separate and arrange them. Be very careful. A single sneeze or jerk of the hand could cause serious eye injury!
If you want a fuller look, add another layer. Generally speaking, lower lashes should receive fewer layers than upper lashes. You may need to add another drop of water to the cake, since it tends to dry out quickly. Follow up once again with your eyelash comb.
You can do this a number of times to increase volume. Just be forewarned that the more layers you add, the more likely that your lashes will stick together or flake. Three layers are generally safe, and should give you long, dark looking lashes while maintaining a natural look.
When you're all done, use a dampened cotton swab to wipe off any mistakes. Follow that with the dry end of the swab, so that your damp skin doesn't cause the mascara to smear. If you can leave your makeup out, let the cake dry before storing it again. Also thoroughly clean and dry your applicator and eyelash comb. This keeps things as sanitary as possible.
Here's a tip you won't find anywhere else (at least not at the time of this writing). Your cake mascara will probably come with an applicator, but these usually fall short of what you'll really need. The best applicator is something you'd never expect... interdental brushes! These are tiny round brushes intended to be used between your teeth. The kind you want are the small, disposable type not much bigger than a toothpick.
Interdental brushes work well for several reasons. They can easily be bent to the correct angle to pick up an even coating of mascara. The angle can be adjusted for application. And when you're done, you can bend the brush straight again for cleaning and storage. Most even come with caps to keep the bristles clean when stored.
But that's not all. Interdental brushes can be bent and rebent many times before they break. When they do break, replacements are cheap... very cheap!
The shallow depth of the bristles ensures that you won't be applying a thicker coat than you need. And their small size means that they're purse friendly. In fact, for those brands of cake mascara that come with an applicator inside the case, interdental brushes should fit into the applicator's space quite nicely.
Another applicator solution is the one you use now. When your liquid mascara runs out, take out the brush and push only the bristle portion back into the tube. Bend the brush handle slightly to achieve the proper angle to use with your cake mascara. You want to be able to rest the bristles flat on surface of the cake block. If you don't have a mascara wand handy, but would prefer to use one as an applicator, you can buy disposable mascara wands in bulk.
Cake mascara isn't for everyone or for every situtation. It...
- typically takes longer to apply than tube mascara.
- requires practice to achieve your desired look.
- is not as convenient when you're on the go, because you need water to moisten it.
- may smear with certain skin types, although this can be avoided by powdering your lashes first.
That's it! If you think cake mascara might be for you, you now know how to make the most of it.
