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The pendulum of beauty trends is constantly swinging. One day we’re embracing naked manicures, the next, my feed is flooded with maximalist nail art. And for the last few years, no-makeup makeup has been in a fluctuating battle with full glam. I, for one, have always landed firmly in the minimalist camp. I’d rather let my hair air-dry than scorch it with hot tools, and I prefer letting my skincare do the heavy lifting instead of piling on makeup.
So when the beauty zeitgeist shifted away from colorful mascara and the revival of 2016 eyeshadow looks recently, and toward ghost lashes—the trend of skipping mascara altogether—I was first in line to hop on it.
I inadvertently joined the mascara-less movement last month while I was in the South of France. It was far too humid (Euro summer heat is not for the faint of heart) to bother with a mascara that didn’t stand a chance against hours of walking uphill on cobblestone streets in 90-degree weather. My version of heat-conscious glam consisted of concealer and SPF—the last thing I wanted was to swipe on mascara that would inevitably smudge the second I started wiping sweat off my face.
But going mascara-free didn’t end when I came home. I loved the minimalist look so much that I stopped wearing mascara altogether, regardless of the weather. While eliminating one formula from my daily routine felt like a small beauty tweak, I noticed a surprisingly big shift in the way I approached makeup altogether.
I wear less makeup in general now
For the last year, I had already started weaning myself off black mascara, opting for brown mascara because it felt more subtle and complemented my light eyes. It was a lot less dramatic than a stark black mascara, especially on days when I was already streamlining the rest of my makeup routine.
Now, since mascara has been fully exiled from my daily rotation, I find myself naturally leaning into an even more pared-back approach. I no longer feel the need for a skin tint, bronzer, cream eyeshadow, and whatever else a full makeup look entailed. My natural lashes and a curler are all I need to complete my eye look.
My everyday routine now features concealer, a dab of blush, eyebrow gel, and whichever lip oil is sitting in my purse when I leave the house. I can finally carry my entire makeup routine in the palm of my hand.
Plus, spending five minutes coating every lash, making sure each hair was perfectly separated and clump-free, used to take longer than all the other steps of my makeup routine combined. Removing this one meticulous step has saved me time, not only by eliminating mascara itself but by naturally reducing the number of products I reach for.
This has also become an unexpected game-changer for my acne-prone skin. The domino effect of skipping mascara and embracing less makeup overall means fewer layers of product sitting on my skin (or clogging my pores) throughout the day, which is always a win.
My lashes are healthier
Before replacing mascara with an eyelash curler, I had decent lashes. I could go bare, but mascara definitely helped accentuate and lift them. But my biggest qualm with mascara was always the removal process. It seemed to come with a few casualties; whether I was using micellar water, a cleansing balm, or a tubing mascara, I’d inevitably notice a few lashes fall out during removal. And even if I double or triple cleansed, I’d still wake up with smudged black residue under my eyes the next morning.
Since ditching mascara, I rarely experience lash shedding. Without daily application, rubbing, and removal, my lashes feel stronger and appear fuller naturally. Now, an eyelash curler gives me the lift I used to rely on mascara for.
Final thoughts:
Will I ever wear mascara again? Probably. But I’ll reserve it for major events instead of spending precious time every morning separating and de-clumping my lashes. A curler and a minimal makeup routine have been all I needed over the last few weeks to hop onto the ghost lashes trend, thus minimizing my makeup routine and lash shedding.
Why Trust Cosmopolitan?
Jasmine Hyman is the assistant beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers makeup, skincare, and beauty trends. For this story, she stopped wearing mascara for one month to document how the change affected her beauty routine and lash habits.
