Sometimes it only takes a few brush strokes to change the expression of a face, yet mascara often leaves a taste of disappointment. Eyelashes that droop, lack of volume, clumps that appear while you dream of a stretched look, almost as if you had done an eyelash lift.
Makeup artist of Albanian origin, who became famous by working with Kim Kardashian and popularizing contouring, Mario Dedivanovic is today at the head of his own brand, Makeup by Mario, distributed at Sephora. During an event organized by the brand, he detailed a mascara tip that he uses on the most photographed faces in the world. And it all starts with a mistake that almost all of us make without realizing it.
Why Mario Dedivanovic’s tip changes everything for eyelashes
For Mario Dedivanovic, mascara is not a simple detail added at the end, but the very basis of the structure of the eyes. “We often underestimate this product. For me, it is one of the most important gestures to structure a face“, he explained, quoted by Grazia. However, the ritual of many boils down to chaining the passages, hoping that the volume will eventually appear, even if it means finding yourself then armed with cotton and makeup remover to erase everything and start again.
The makeup artist first points out a very common mistake during application. “Many start in the middle of the lashes or just on the tips. This is how you lose half of the effect. If you don’t catch the root, you lose definition, volume and intensity“, explains Mario Dedivanovic. By working from the base, the material is deposited at the level of the eyelashes, creates a shadow which imitates a discreet eyeliner line and gives the impression of fuller fringes, including when the eyelashes are not all the same length. It is on this base that his famous technique for infinitely fanned out eyelashes will be built.
Mario Dedivanovic’s Vertical Mascara Hack for endless lashes
The first step of what Mario Dedivanovic calls his Vertical Hack Mascara is however to use a brush held horizontally. “I start by applying the product horizontally, from root to tip.“, explains the makeup artist. This first pass aims to coat each eyelash from the base, without neglecting the small back and forth movements which help to attach more material. “This will give you a nice volume, but also a nice separation. This will also cover each area of the lash“, he emphasizes.
Once this first veil is laid, Mario Dedivanovic radically changes the angle of his brush, and that’s where the magic happens. “I always start by applying the mascara horizontally, with small, quick movements. Once the first pass is done, I rotate the brush vertically and go up from bottom to top. Fine bristles at the end catch the shortest lashes, especially in the inner corner“, he explains. Held vertically, the tip of the brush literally combs the eyelashes, even the shortest and most rebellious, which lengthens the look and improves the hold of makeup throughout the day. “I now consider (this tip) the ultimate secret to full, voluminous lashes. It may seem trivial, but believe me, extending those lashes makes all the difference“, concludes the makeup artist.
Which mascara and which gestures should be combined with Mario’s trick?
There remains one question that all fans of this mascara tip ask themselves: with which product to put it into practice? Mario Dedivanovic reminds us that the basics never go out of style: “Black will always remain a safe bet“, he explains. “But brown and burgundy really stand out this season“, continues the makeup artist. According to him, “people start to dare, to experiment, and it changes everything“, and these new colors bring a subtle twist without losing elegance. Brown softens the look and gives a very natural result, while burgundy particularly highlights green or hazel eyes.