This story first appeared on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign up here. The Strategist Beauty Brief is delivered every Wednesday.
No matter how carefully I apply my mascara, I always end up with some clumpiness. It means my eye makeup can look quite heavy even on light-makeup days, when a fluttery, naturalish look is what I’m going for. In the past, I have dabbled with eyelash combs to try and smooth out the issue — but they’ve always been flimsy ones included in a multipack of brushes. Straight, and truly comblike, they were annoying and intimidating to maneuver around my lashes, teetering far too close to my eyeball for my liking. So, largely, I’ve ignored them and instead relied on teeny-tiny bobby pins to separate clumpy lashes.
Then I came across an ad — one that was heavily targeted — for an eyelash separator unlike any I’d seen before. Instead of being tacked on to the side of an eye-shadow brush, it was its own utensil. It also had a different shape: curved, like an eye. I hate affirming the prowess of my browser’s cookies … but it was just $10, so I ordered one instantly.
Because of its curved shape, you can glide the separator through your lashes without fear of poking your eye out. I like the fact that it’s metal — and not plastic like others I’ve tried — as it makes each prong so sturdy. I need to swipe each section only once, and the metal hasn’t sloped whatsoever; the comb has kept its shape.
As well as separating and combing your lashes, it subtly scrapes away any extra mascara to prevent them from drying too heavily or clumping throughout the day. After combing, I take some micellar water on a cotton bud and swipe each prong to keep them clean. As it’s so easy to maneuver, I’ve also found I can use the comb when I’m wearing false and semi-permanent eyelashes. I’ve noticed that as it actually combs the false lashes in with my natural lashes, it helps the falsies to blend in more seamlessly.
Since discovering this separator about a month ago, I now use it as faithfully as I do my eyelash curler. It’s a tool I couldn’t believe I hadn’t discovered sooner. In fact, I was nervous to pitch the idea to my fellow Beauty Brief writers — it seemed so straightforward that I was certain they had each already owned one and I’d just somehow happened to miss the memo. Now you can be in the club, too.
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