By Getty Images / LumiNola
An essential step in any makeup routine, the application of mascara is taking a new turn in the age of TikTok. Too creative to make do with the classic technique, the social network's users have now taken to 'mascara cocktailing.' This 'revolutionary' method involves building up layers of different products to get long, thick, voluminous and full eyelashes, just like falsies.
An essential step in any makeup routine, the application of mascara is taking a new turn in the age of TikTok. Too creative to make do with the classic technique, the social network's users have now taken to 'mascara cocktailing.' This 'revolutionary' method involves building up layers of different products to get long, thick, voluminous and full eyelashes, just like falsies.
Beauty trends come thick and fast on TikTok, and always bring something new. The latest trick is 'mascara cocktailing,' which has scored more than two million views in just a few weeks. Here, users of the Chinese social network have been particularly ingenious, not for spotlighting this trend, but for succeeding in making a viral hit out of a beauty trick as old as time -- or at least as old as the invention of mascara. And yet, videos are multiplying at pace on social media, lauding the merits of this foolproof trick that promises long, full and voluminous lashes.
Two mascaras are better than one
This trend is rooted in the simple assumption that the perfect mascara does not exist. It is impossible, say TikTokers, to find a mascara that does a perfect job of making lashes both long and voluminous. Inevitably, they felt it necessary to develop a technique to overcome this. And the result is 'mascara cocktailing,' promising a look worthy of false eyelashes in no time... because even the Chinese social network's users admit that applying falsies isn't that easy.
The advantage of this method lies in its accessibility, but also in its affordability. As well as being very easy to recreate alone in front of the mirror, it does not require an unlimited budget. Before starting, however, you need to do a little shopping to find the perfect mascaras to optimize your beauty routine. The goal is to get a mascara formulated for volume, a mascara formulated for length, and maybe even a third one to serve as a primer. Once you've got all the products you need, all you have to do is head to the bathroom to try out your new routine.
A cocktail of products
From foundation and concealer to blush and maybe even highlighter, your makeup routine remains the same until the crucial step of mascara application. Here, this involves applying a primer, a lash care product, or even a clear mascara designed to naturally lengthen lashes, then switching to, say, a mascara that's supposed to make them fuller and more voluminous. But that's not all. 'Mascara cocktailing' consists precisely in adding a third layer, a mascara formulated for XXL lashes, to get a look worthy of the most sophisticated red carpets.
This trick is already a hit on the Chinese social network and seems to go against the trend for the more natural looks seen time and again since the Covid-19 pandemic. All of which serves as a reminder that less is more here, as it's essential to not be (too) heavy-handed with each mascara to avoid clumps, or even the panda effect, and keep the look as natural as possible.
