Meet the New Multi-Step Mascara Regimen

It's no secret that makeup has become very specialized lately, and with specialization comes multiple steps. People think nothing of using six products to contour or slathering on 12 products in a Korean-inspired skin care regimen. Now this "more is more" philosophy is moving up to the eyes, and more specifically, to lashes.

It all started with Latisse, the prescription eyelash growth promoter that launched in 2009, and subsequently inspired a thousand over-the-counter copycat serums. Not coincidentally, that’s about the same time the Kardashians, in all their false-lash-wearing glory, got really popular. According to Karen Grant, beauty analyst at NPD Group, mascara is the number one product used by women across makeup categories, and is number three in sales for prestige brands, behind foundation and lip color. Bottom line: women want nice lashes.

Mascara does a really good job of enhancing lashes, but it’s far from perfect, as evidenced by the endless number of formula and brush combinations that currently exist. It was only a matter of time before adjunct products popped up to fill the perceived void. Eyelash primers, which are applied as a base layer pre-mascara, emerged shortly after eye shadow primers got really popular, according to Grant, and they’ve been around for a few years now. A rep for the product development team at Fiberwig, a popular Japanese mascara brand, wrote by email, “Depending on the product, it may be necessary to use multiple products in your application routine. This has been a common practice in Japan for years.”

Clinique and Lancome both offer popular versions of lash primers. Urban Decay had one and discontinued it, but the company has since re-released a newly formulated version called Subversion Lash Primer due to popular demand, according to founder Wende Zomnir. The company calls it “foreplay for your lashes.” It adds weight to your lashes and conditions them.

Makeup artists swear by primers, and I’ve become a convert too. Nick Barose, Lupita N’yongo’s makeup artist, wrote in an email that he uses them to enhance volume. Marni Burton, a celebrity makeup artist, calls it a “regular” step in her usual application process, and she recommends that you use one if your mascara is more drying. Generally, primers coat and soften and help the mascara stick better. I’ve been rotating a few different brands and I’ve noticed that my lashes are softer and more supple throughout the day. By day's end, my lashes no longer feel like they're so stiff and brittle they might actually crack off.