Yup. I have not applied mascara to my lashes in, oh, about five months now. Realistically, maybe twice in five months when we went someplace special.
Moi! Sans Mascara! Ya can’t tell if I’m wearing it or not!
Didn’t bother wearing it when we were in Paris. Nor did I bother applying it during the Holidays. Nor at work.
In France last month! No mascara but lots of lip gloss!
And the infamous drive home from Cincinnati on Christmas Day. No mascara!
There are reasons for this as well as an observation.
First , let’s talk aging. The process has done a number on my lashes. Yeah. It has done a job on my brows too but I can fill the brows in in no time. The lashes are different.
As a child, I was blessed, thanks to genetics with extremely dark and lush lashes. I will never forget in eighth grade when one of the nuns asked me if I was wearing mascara. I also remember answering her “You know my mother. Do you honestly believe I’m wearing mascara”? Instead of being punished for giving a mouthy answer, Sr. Mary Maurice just walked away. She knew I was not lying.
It’s that “nun” look. Judging. Then when you tell the truth. Still judging!
Even as a young adult in my twenties, I rarely wore it. My natural lashes sufficed well. It wasn’t until my forties that I started wearing this dark, gooey, substance in a tube to enhance the lashes I had of yesteryear. And as I hit menopause, among other bodily changes, it dawned upon me that these dark hairs lining my eyes, weren’t as lush anymore. In fact, they misplaced themselves to my chin. Hence, the importance of a tweezer in every room in the house, in the car and in the office.
It’s not lady whiskers. It’s just that my eyelashes have moved to my chin!
I experimented over the years. Apparently, the Maybelline “Great Lash” did not live up to the advertised promise and, seemingly, a full tube was needed to achieve one lash being great.
NO WAY did Great Lash ever make my lashes look like this. That mascara is the worst!
A small fortune was spent on Lancome mascara—which did a decent job but $36 every month or so was way out of my principals. Magazine ads would falsely advertise various mascaras to have your lashes be as thick as the hairs you wax from the bikini line. Caveat—at least the UK had regulations for a tiny side note stating the ad had been enhanced.
Unless you use three tubs of this, your lashes ain’t gonna look that lush. Even on younger women!
And over the years, to make my lashes look full and lush and just like the ones I grew up with I went through many brands.
My current stash of mascara that I don’t even use anymore. The L’Oreal Voluminous is actually the best of the group. It gives volume but by afternoon, you have raccoon eyes. Everyone raves about Thrive mascara but it’s okay. Overpriced. Voluninous Million Lashes–it’s never been used. And Lash Paradise also by L’Oreal–my daughter loves it. It’s good but again, it smears.
I also went through carrying Q-Tips in my purse because in winter, the wind would, and still does, make my eyes tear up. That means runny mascara that needed to be wiped off my under eyes. In summer it sweat, or rather that glistening glow from the heat, would melt the mascara making me search the bowels of my purse for yet, another Q-Tip. Also to wipe the smearing from the bottom of my eyes. And I didn’t use mascara on my bottom lashes for almost a decade! This was runoff from my top lashes.
This would be me after a walk on a windy day. This would also be me in the summer.
Don’t even suggest waterproof mascara. It takes a serious cleaning crew to remove that stuff.
Actually, forget cleaning crew. I would have to sandblast waterproof mascara off my lashes!
And so, I decided to quit mascara. Just quit. Stop using it altogether. And I have no shame nor do I have regrets.
These days I take a gel liner and line in between my top lashes and sometimes line above. It depends what kind of mood I’m in. Then I take another gel liner—one that won’t smear, and tightline. The products last all day. In summer, sometimes the liner from my waterline transfers very lightly to my bottom waterline but it doesn’t look bad.
That’s what I do. I simply line my eyes and waterline!
Point is. I’m tired. As much as I love wearing makeup, and trust me, I do. My makeup makes me feel good and assists me in looking better. It is as simple as that. However, the less I can use these days, the better off I am—price wise and time wise.
I did use Latisse and the generic solution some years back. After six or eight weeks of use, I was happy with the results. But it was pricey and I stopped.
Latisse, as well as the generic brand, work. But it takes time and money. I’m too cheap and too lazy.
I did try lash extensions once. But the maintenance was both expensive and way too time-consuming and there wasn’t really much of a difference as I went with the more natural look.
I went with a more natural lash extension and it looked fine but to maintain the lashes was time-consuming and expensive and I didn’t know what the long-term effect would be on my natural lashes.
I did experiment with false lashes for a moment. The application process was too messy for me. Then I tried the magnetic kind. I’ll be honest—of all the choices available, the magnetic lashes were decent. The only issue was that the magnetic force was never strong enough to last all day. And so, I gave up.
Me. With the falsies. They would fall down and forget about the glue!
My “get ready” time in the morning is precious to me. Because I need to be at the hospital early in the morning for work, I arise at 5:00 AM. Between 5:00 AM and 5:15 AM, I head to the bathroom to do my thing. Then from 5:15 to 5:30 AM it’s that 15 minutes of “putting my face on” while my husband makes coffee. And he knows how to make the best cup of coffee!
When I wore mascara, it was a five-minute process. Mascara primer. YES. I fell into that trap. Then the first coat of mascara. Let it dry. Then the second coat. Let it dry. Then the third coat.
It was ridiculous. As I dive deeper into the aging process, time is now of the essence. Mascara is not. I want time to be my bestie and not my rival. The “less is more” with makeup is something I take into heart.
My five-minute face. Brow gel. Eyeliner. Neutral shadow. Tinted moisturizer. Guerlain’s Meteorites powder to finish and lip balm. Honestly, there’s no need for mascara anymore!
No more foundation either. I think I may have written about this in the past but I’m not ambitious enough to look through archives. Tinted moisturizer has taken the place of foundation…and this is to be continued in my next post!
Are you still wearing mascara? Are you happy with the results? Be honest! I want to know what you think!
I stopped using mascara 15 years ago. Instead I use an eye liner and have never looked back.
HI Frances! Right???????? I’m not noticing a difference without mascara!!!
I totally agree with you. Every once in a while I try mascara again. But it never works out. Shadow stick followed by eye lining with a tiny brush and wet eye shadow (instead of a pencil). Smudge it a bit and that’s good for me.
I love your simplicity. It’s so funny because every single time I decide “meh–I’ll try mascara today” I go to work and by ten in the morning, I’m Rocky Raccoon!
The one thing I can’t do without is mascara! Moisturizer and mascara just make me feel good about myself. I do indulge in NuLash from Nordstrom and it makes a world of difference. I decided after all these years I deserve indulgence – and I have years on you 😉. To each her own. What you spend on shoes or bags, I spend on mascara.
Hi Denise. Good for you Girlfriend! Indulge. I love my shoes and bags so we all need an indulgence!!!
I am 65 and my once lush, long lashes have also thinned and shortened. Regular mascara ran under my eyes making look as if I had been crying. I discovered tube mascara and that problem stopped completely. I use the Elf brand tube mascara from Walmart which darkens my blonde lashes. I use Mary Kay makeup remover to take it off. There is no tugging, tearing or difficulty in removing it even though the mascara is apparently waterproof. The Mary Kay make up remover is inexpensive and fantastic and I have used it for over 30 years thanks to a friend who sells the line. I can’t imagine not wearing mascara as my eyes are one of my best features….without it, I just fade away.
Hi Dagmar! You are the second person who wrote about the elf tube mascara. I’m tempted. Anyway, I didn’t even know that Mary Kay was still around. Years ago–and I mean years, Mary Kay had THE greatest lip gloss of all time–I just went oon the MK website and that particular gloss is no longer available. Too bad!
I use the ELF dupe of the Thrive mascara (same turquoise and black tube) and I swear it works better and lasts longer. A quick squeeze of the lash curler, a coat of mascara, done. My eyelashes are translucent otherwise.
I believe you 100 percent when you say that elf’s dupe of Thrive is better. I was not all that impressed with the Thrive mascara and people RAVE about it!
I always have and continue use Lancôme waterproof. I am 77. I look like a naked mole rat without mascara. I use an oil based remover and that’s also my eye treatment.
Hi Linda! What remover do you use? The double use of remover and treatment is a great tip!
I wear mascara (Lash Paradise) to church on Sunday and when we go out. BUT, I have to spray with IT Cosmetics’ Your Skin But Better Stting Sprsy. Otherwise, I’m a raccoon!
Hi Bonnie. Does the setting spray work well? I’ve always been afraid to spray it near my eyes. But. I use elf setting spray after I powder my face and it stays all day!
I’m never that convinced with my mascara chances – I get my lashes dyed when I remember (I have white hair – except for my chinlashes). The one thing I can’t stand is looking at someone with the big gloopy, craggy lashes – they just look so rank. One of the reasons I think older women generally look better than many younger women is we are into natural and embracing more than just our looks.
Juliet. Chin lashes. I love it and am stealing that! I thought about getting my eyebrows tinted but never get around to doing so. And I agree about the bloopy lashes. They look like tarantula legs!
Great post, thank you. I am a couple of weeks younger than you and I ditched the makeup a few years ago. I just use moisturizer and lip balm. And I stopped with the hair color too, about two years ago. Eau naturelle, and I celebrate it.
Vava. I stopped the foundation. Because my face is so red and pale, I’ve been using tinted moisturizer and love them. I’m also using mostly lip balm for my lips because lipstick just isn’t doing it anymore. It really changes color. It’s weird!!
I wouldn’t leave my house without my mascara and covering my undereye circles…..the rest of the makeup I can do without, but if I don’t wear eye makeup I get all the you look tired comments. I have noticed my lashes are a bit thinner now, but nothing a coat of mascara (one coat) can’t fix. I have been using a cheap Cover Girl brand forever (Full Bloom pink tube – Katie Perry used to advertise it), but it has been discontinued now, and while I stocked up, I will soon have to look for another brand. So many of them flake and smudge. I could never use eyeliner as my eyes are too deep set and now that I am older, hooded, and eyeliner just makes them look worse. If my lashes ever got really thin I would try extensions or Latisse….as I am vain about my eyes.
Hi Joni. TBH, the Latisse is better than extensions. If you are really considering it in the future, get a head start because it takes 6 weeks to kick in but the result is very good. It also sucks when a well-loved product is discontinued. Try the L’Oreal Voluminous it really is good.
Thank you! I will…..I remember reading your recommendations about mascara and makeup in past blogs. And I always enjoy reading about your trips to France and the food because I’ve never been.
I ditched it years ago. Around menopause something happened and it was raccoon city by noon. I saw a pic of an old client without a stitch of eye makeup, looking fabulous and fresh as a daisy, and thought there is a lesson to be learned here. I have never looked back and have never been tempted, even for my kids’ weddings. I do more with shadow combos now and use the dark one for a little eyeliner.
Hi Lisa. BINGO!!! I find the shadows and strategically placed eyeliner does the job! I’m not looking back either!!
Having been a lifelong contact lens wearer I have a healthy respect for mascara ie I only wore it on the highest of holidays. After I had my new lenses installed last year and no more contacts ( thanks cataracts) I started to wear mascara more often. I bought some tubing mascara which is a bugger to get off but looks ok although no where near what the ad promotes! Also the voluminous. I still only wear maybe once a month. I do what you do with the gel liner and it looks good, ha! my new lenses correct my vision for distance so God only knows what I look like when I go out…husband is no help as his eyes were distance corrected as well! Maybe we look like a husband & wife version Absolutely Fabulous when we go out!? I wear eyeliner and lipstick and call it a day. No more heavy make up.
The fewer decisions the better.
Hi Al, LOL! If I were bone thin, I would be Patsy! I hear you! No more heavy makeup at all. Done. Over it. A lot of people recommended tubing mascara but if it’s a pain to take off, forget it. I can’t be bothered!
Which gel liner(s) do you use/recommend?
HI Nancy, REVANT COSMETICS Revant has, hands down, THE greatest liners. They don’t move. And I added the link because I am an affiliate. Either way, it’s good stuff!
Hi, I am 72, contact lens wearer and always wear makeup when out of the house. Simple routine of:
– Bare Minerals Original powder foundation (a light slick all over the face) covers uneveness and no feeling of gunge like a liquid foundation
– Gel liner (any make as long as it is a colour I like) on bottom eyelid only, outside of the waterline (if a special occasion tightline on upper eyelid)
– One good application of Boots No.7 Mascara in Navy (never any other colour as my eyes are grey/blue)
– Lipstick is Bobbi Brown (Hibiscus this winter) and Boots No.7 Highland Mist in summer
I dye my eyebrows and upper lashes in Dark Brown.
Like you and lots of other older ladies, I have been guilty over the years of trying, using and spending £££s on makeup, no more, I am happy with the condition of my skin and current makeup choices. Suppose I am lucky as no ‘panda eyes’ experienced. Thank you for this realistic post, it is always a pleasure to read your blog and the readers comments, keep up the good work. Jan in Castle Gresley, UK
I didn’t know Boots made mascara in navy! I will look for it….if we have it here in Canada…we used to have the Boots line but I haven’t seen it in awhile.
I love your routine Jan. Also, I had no idea Boots made mascara. It’s not easy to find Boots products here in the Philly area!
I too have ditched mascara quite a few years ago, except for the odd special occassion. Only brow pencil and lippie.