Celebrity Makeup Artist Explains How To Achieve Long, Full Lashes Without The Clumping

Eyelashes can really help frame your face, and mascara can give a dramatic or natural look, depending on your style. But there are countless brands of mascaras to choose from, and even the most expensive options can clump and ruin a look. What's someone to do when you've shelled out $24 on one tube and it constantly clumps? While doing research on mascaras with the best reviews is important, it's also important to know what kinds of mascaras are good for your type of lash and what tools to use to prevent clumping.

Thankfully, the first step toward knowing what to do in your lash routine has been answered. Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn, hosts of the "Breaking Beauty" podcast, talked to celebrity makeup artist Kirin Bhatty in their most recent episode and specifically dove into lash advice. So, if you have short lashes and want them to look longer without the gunk and clumps — or you just find it hard to layer mascara without said clumps — Bhatty has some great tips and tricks for you.

If you have shorter lashes, you don't have to go straight to extensions. Kirin Bhatty says you can use lengthening mascara or a volumizing formula to achieve your desired results. "You can cheat the length with volume," she says on the "Breaking Beauty" podcast. So, look for mascaras with volumizing promises or curling varieties. The way you layer these mascaras, though, is important. Bhatty suggests using a lash primer to help add visual volume, adding that you should look into a fiber mascara to really get your volume up. What's more, you can also use Lashify, false lashes that go under your natural ones and are easier for non-makeup artists to apply.

Now that you know which type of mascara to use and you have your primer, you'll want to "build" your eyelash. Note, too, that if you don't have primer, translucent powder helps layer your products just as well. "If you want to do your own, you can do one coat of mascara, any mascara you want," Bhatty says. "Then take a little bit of translucent powder onto the lash, just a tiny bit, you don't want to have clumps, and then you do another coat of mascara on top. So if you don't have a primer, you don't have a fiber mascara, this will work." Easy enough, right?

Even if you have the best products, your lashes can still clump and you won't have the best length and volume you can achieve if you don't have the right tools. Always having spare, clean spoolies and a tiny fan brush are a must for Kirin Bhatty. For instance, if you're using the translucent powder trick, don't dip your whole wand in the powder. Instead, apply it and then put it back in the tube of mascara. Even though it's a viral TikTok trend, and people are doing just that, Bhatty is very against it. The celebrity makeup artist notes that your eye/lash health is important, and just like the freshness of mascara matters, so does not contaminating it. Furthermore, she suggests tossing your tube every three months for the best chance of not getting a stye.

Fresh tools help you paint the lashes with your fan brush and clean the lashes with the spoolie without any cross-contamination or excess product. When building your perfect lash with your products, you want to comb each lash to get rid of excess. These extra tools are truly your key to not getting those dreaded clumps. Bhatty recommends slowly layering your lashes for your "desired effect." You can have natural lashes while also still having full ones with these mascara hacks. Oh, and always have cotton swabs and makeup remover on hand for any accidents or stray marks. Now, with this in mind, you can create the full lashes of your dreams!