7 DO’S & DON’Ts When Picking a Mascara For Your Public Speaking & Performances

Make sure your eye makeup doesn’t move while you’re on stage

When you need the trust your mascara to hold up during your big events, grabbing any old waterproof mascara isn’t going to cut it

You need your makeup to support you 100% during your public speaking and performances. There's lots of factors that can get in the way, and when it's showtime, there's no time to clean up mascara or worry about it moving.

What are some good ways to ensure your mascara performs as well as you do? 

Here's 7 things your mascara needs to do if you’re hitting the stage:

     1. Make sure your mascara shows up in your venue's lighting

Whether you're indoors or outdoors, stage lighting is notorious for washing your features out. Street makeup may not be enough unless you're in a somewhat dark venue.

If you’re in an intimate venue, you may be able to get away with your regular look. For larger venues, where your audience will be seeing you from farther away, make sure your mascara shows up enough by applying it more heavily. Don’t forget to trace your natural lash line with liner to boost their definition!

We DON’T recommend showing up in your normal day-to-day makeup.

We DO recommend defining your lashes more heavily to have natural-looking features on stage.

     2. Make sure your mascara withstands sweat

You might be prone to sweating. You might not sweat. But your time on stage is not the time to hope that your lids won't perspire. Stage lights are notorious for heating things up. And when the lights speed up your sweating, your sweating will shorten your mascara’s life.

That's just if you are standing to present. If you're doing any high octane performing, like dancing and acting, your lashes need to be especially fixed.

So, does that mean you should use a waterproof mascara? Not necessarily. Sweat is composed of your body’s natural oils, not just water. That means even your waterproof mascara isn't safe.

We DON’T recommend picking a “waterproof” mascara and assuming that it won’t move.

We DO recommend prioritizing a “smudge-free” mascara (like one with a tubing formula).

     3. Make sure your mascara withstands oil 

Many women have a combination or oily skin type. That's why raccoon eyes and mascara in lid/under eye creases are so common. Yes, even the “waterproof” or “water-resistant” labeled mascara.

think about it. Generally, to remove mascara, you use a balm or oil-based makeup remover. Plus, the removers labelled “oil-free” are generally talking about the acne-causing oil. If those formulas are going to melt your mascara, what are your skin’s natural oils going to do to your mascara? (Hint: they’ll melt it too.)

We DON’T recommend applying additional powder makeup to soak up sweat. This increases your risk of creasing.

We DO recommend using a mascara that isn’t oil-based, such as a real tubing mascara (like blinc!). Oil-based mascaras (most traditional and waterproof mascaras) are prone to coming off in the presence of more oil.

     4. Make sure your mascara withstands whatever cosmetics you’re wearing

If you’re hitting the stage, it’s unlikely you’ll only be wearing mascara. It's important that everything you're putting on your face plays well with each other. None of your face creams, serums, oils, or sunscreens should make your eye makeup smudge, run, or clump.

We DON’T recommend forgoing sunscreen, eye cream, etc. to try to help eye makeup “stay put.”

We DO recommend using a primer in addition to your other cosmetics to help your eye look stay on.

     5. Make sure your mascara is gentle on your lids and lashes

This is especially important if you do frequent public speaking events or performances.

Stage makeup and eye makeup that sets like concrete is excellent for the moment. But frequent use puts you at high risk for dermatitis and clogged pores. It also requires quite a bit of TLC to remove. And there’s no way you can afford to forget to remove it completely before bed.

We DON’T recommend regularly using false lashes or waterproof mascara for frequent stage events.

We DO recommend using a longwear mascara that’s designed to be gentle on your skin—even with long days, hot lights, and missing a makeup removal.

6. Make sure your mascara sheds absolutely NO flaking

When you’re on stage, the only thing in your eyes should be your engaged audience. 

Mascara specks and flakes are painful and extremely distracting. How can you ensure that your mascara isn't going to flake?

• Don't use mascara over 3 months old. The age makes the integrity weaker..
• Don't use mascara that's ever accidentally been left out.  When mascara dries out, even just a little, it becomes much more prone to flaking when it's applied.
• Use a tubing mascara. This encases each lash in a tube that sets in a single piece. It's not like traditional mascara, which acts as a paint that's subject to moving and mixing with whatever might touch it.\

We DON’T recommend adding lots of layers of mascara to achieve a full look. That’s a recipe for frequent flaking.

We DO recommend using a tubing mascara, which does not flake it all.

Our original UltraVolume tubing mascara can even be layered like a traditional mascara. And if you’d like the volume of your favorite mascara, but the benefits of a tubing mascara, you can apply any of our tubing mascaras over a layer of traditional mascara to keep it from flaking.

7. Make sure your mascara has zero smudging

Even if your audience can't see you from where they're sitting, you never want a video projection or cameras to pick up on any makeup that’s strayed from its place. If you have hooded eyes or extra creases, a smudge-free mascara will serve you even better.

We DON’T recommend regularly spraying setting spray on your lashes. Yikes! You don’t want that in your eyes.

We DO recommend using a tubing mascara that’s designed not to smudge in the first place.

Find the longwear cosmetics you need for your performances

Shopping for a mascara that performs as well as you do on stage? Start shopping our tubing mascaras and ultra longwearing cosmetics right here. From mascaras to primers to shadows, we’ve got you covered.

 It’s time to stop worrying about makeup faux pas and feel confident performing!

Visit Blinc's Website to take a QUIZ and find the best tubing mascara for your lash type and desired looks. You can also shop Blinc at Target.com, Sephora.com, or Amazon.com.