You might have heard about cake mascara from your favorite beauty gurus and makeup artists. This vintage mascara was a beauty staple in the 1930s, before the invention of tube mascara. But it’s more than just a throwback to old Hollywood glam. The cake mascaras of today have a lot to offer and could be a fun addition to your makeup routine.
What is Cake Mascara?
Cake mascara is a type of eye cosmetic used to darken the eyelashes. Invented in the late 1800s, it was originally made from a mixture of coal powder and petroleum jelly pressed into a block or “cake,” and applied with a small brush applicator.
Although it was incredibly popular during its time, cake mascara fell out of fashion as innovations in formula and packaging were made, resulting in the modern mascaras we have today.
However, cake mascara is seeing a resurgence, thanks to beauty brands that have modernized this vintage eye makeup.
How to Use Cake Mascara
Despite its name, cake mascara isn’t just a mascara. This multipurpose cosmetic can be used to:
- Darken and lengthen your lashes
- As eyeliner
- Fill in your eyebrows
What Are the Benefits of Cake Mascara?
Hygienic
It’s no secret that liquid and cream-based formulas are more prone to bacteria build-up. But did you know that mascara is one of the dirtiest makeup products? Mascara carries a lot of germs because of how it’s applied and the area it’s used on.
The bacteria from the air, your skin, and your eyes is transferred to the wand, which is then returned to the mascara tube where the bacteria can thrive in a dark and moist environment. This is why it’s important to replace mascara every three months!
Cake mascara contains less liquid and doesn’t trap bacteria in a closed container, which makes it far more hygienic than regular mascara.
Less prone to clumping
Over time, mascara wands accumulate a lot of build-up on the brush’s bristles because of double-dipping, product drying, and the product marinating inside the tube. With cake mascara, the brush is cleaned between applications and stored separately from the product. This results in less clumping during application. Moreover, its formula is just less likely to clump in general.
Easy to layer
Cake mascara is water activated, which makes the pigment more fluid during application. This makes it easier to apply several coats or touch up throughout the day, whereas doing the same with a cream-based mascara will often look thick, waxy, and clumpy.
Works as eyeliner
The water-soluble nature of cake mascara allows you to dilute the product to any consistency. Mixing it with slightly more water creates a runnier formula that you can apply like a liquid or gel liner. It’s also buildable, which means you can apply more layers until you achieve the desired pigmentation. With the right brush, you can easily create any eyeliner look.
Can be used to fill your brows
Cake mascaras can also be used to darken and fill your brows. Use an angled brush and rub it on the cake until the bristles are fully-coated. Use short strokes to fill in any empty spots in your eyebrow area. Then, load a spoolie brush with the product and comb your brows with the powder to darken them.
How to Apply Cake Mascara
Step 1: Choose the right brush
Cake mascaras are typically sold with a brush or spoolie. If your mascara doesn’t come with an applicator, you can use a spoolie brush or clean mascara wand.
Pro Tip: Bend the head of the mascara wand to a 90-degree angle so that it’s perpendicular to the handle. This will allow you to apply mascara in harder to reach areas, such as the inner and lower lashes.
Step 2: Curl your eyelashes
Curling your lashes is optional. But if you have straight lashes that fall downwards, this step can really open up your eyes!
Place the eyelash curler along the base of your lashes, then squeeze it in a pulsating motion. Start at the roots, then move towards the middle of the lashes, then at the tips. This will ensure your lashes curve nicely from end to end, rather than bending at an angle.
Pro Tip: Don’t curl your lashes after applying any type of mascara, as the makeup can stick to your lashes and the curler’s rubber pads, which can rip them out.
Step 3: Dampen the mascara
This next step involves mixing the cake mascara with liquid to get it to the right consistency. You can do this in two ways:
- Wet the applicator with a small amount of water
- Pour a drop of water into the cake mascara
Pro Tip: Alternatively, you can use contact solution as the mixing liquid. It’s sterile and sanitary to use around your eyes.
Step 4: Rub the brush into the cake
Rub the bristles of your brush back and forth on the cake mascara to create a soft paste.
You can add more water to thin out the consistency, but don’t add more than one drop at a time because too much will dilute the product, resulting in a see-through consistency.
Pro Tip: If you see clumps or excess product on the brush, you can scrape it off on the side of the cake or rinse the brush until clean. This will prevent clumping when you apply it to your lashes.
Step 5: Apply the mascara to your lashes
Once you’ve got the right consistency, hold the applicator as you would a mascara wand. Brush the product upwards while wiggling the brush from side to side to that it coats every eyelash. Start from the roots of your upper lashes, then carefully pull the brush through them.
Let the product dry for a few seconds between coats. The consistency of cake mascara isn’t as viscous as cream mascara, so it doesn’t clump as easily. You can apply as many coats as needed until you achieve the desired length and volume.
One coat of cake mascara will darken your lashes for a subtle look. Two coats will darken and lengthen for fuller-looking lashes, which is perfect for the daytime. Three coats will give you a dramatic effect that’s great for the evening.
Pro Tip: Cake mascara is not waterproof. Avoid applying it to your lower lashes as it can run quite easily.
Step 6: Fix any mistakes
Cake mascara is more prone to smudging than regular mascara, so if you’ve smudged a bit on your face, don’t worry! You can easily clean it off with a cotton swab and a bit of water, makeup remover, or micellar water. If you’re wearing eyeshadow and don’t want to ruin your makeup, use a cotton swab dipped in a bit of lotion and twirl the tip over the smudge.
Additionally, you can use an eyelash comb to ensure that each eyelash is coated and separated for a more polished look.
Where to Buy Cake Mascara
Unlike regular mascara which can be purchased in most drugstores, cake mascaras are a bit more difficult to find. Certain cosmetics stores such as Sephora may carry cake mascara. Smaller indie brands also offer this product, which you can find on websites like Etsy and Amazon.
source https://degreesofvanity.com/how-to-use-cake-mascara/
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