Getting your mascara just right is akin to a beauty hole-in-one. Once you’ve found the clump-free, lengthened, voluminous lashes formula that works for you, it’s plain sailing. If, however, you’re yet to find your groove – or, if you’re suffering from heatwave-induced smudging – we’re here to help with a handy TikTok trick, no less.

TikTok users have been coating their mascara brushes in loose powder, inserting the wand back into the tube and then applying mascara. The technique has gained thousands of views, with users claiming it amps up the effect of mascara by dramatically increasing the length and dimension of your eyelashes. 

However, as you may have guessed, coating your mascara in loose powder and inserting it back into a tube is a surefire way to cross-contaminate your beauty products – not good when you’re using it near a sensitive area like your eye. 

Not only that, but loose or pressed cosmetic powder is designed to dry up excess oil and moisture – introducing it to your mascara wand and tube could lead to a clumpy mess that can’t be used. A waste of money, indeed. Fortunately, former beauty editor, founder of Naturium skincare brand and beauty expert Susan Yara is on hand with a better, more hygienic way to use loose powder as a lash primer. 

“I already have thoughts about this but let’s try it,” says Yara. “Obviously, I knew this technique was going to work. You’re essentially creating a priming effect with your mascara. But, there are issues that come with this technique. 

“One of the issues is that if you’re dipping your mascara brush into loose powder like that and then putting it into your tube of mascara, within a week you could be destroying the formula of your mascara. So, it’s just going to dry out, and then, by the following week, you won’t be able to use it anymore because it’s just going to be clumpy and stuck in there.” 

Instead, says Yara, “I’m going to show you a similar technique that you can get similar results with.”

“Take that translucent powder and instead of dipping your actual mascara brush into it, you just need a fluffy eyeshadow brush. You dip into it [the powder], you don’t need too much, then close your eye and dust your lashes. It will give a very similar effect, but it won’t be too much powder and you’re not going to be transferring so much powder into your actual mascara tube.”

The other issue with dipping the mascara wand into powder is that you’re not allowing the comb to do the job it’s designed to do; namely, un-clump, curl and comb through your lashes, removing excess product.

Going to try it? We recommend following Yara’s method – you’ll get more use from your product and a more defined final effect. That’s a win in our book. 

Main image: Getty