An Ode to Clear Mascara

Did I mention that I'm back to being bleach blonde? Oh I did. Did I also mention that my once seemingly light, mousey brown brows now look dark, glaring obvious and out of place on my face? Oh I did. My bad. Well it's not all doom, gloom and mismatching facial hair (are eyebrows facial hair? More importantly do you care?); since my regular brow products are coming off a little too stark, I have went back to basics. All the way back. I'm talking about reaching for one of the first ever beauty products my slightly, overprotective Mother ever allowed me to purchase, let alone use. Yes, I am of course talking about the humble, unsuspecting but ever useful clear mascara.

Out of personal preference, I have been skipping any tinted brow products; now don't get me wrong, I adore bold brows on others but when staring back at myself with full, deep brows, I do become a little startled and way, way out of my comfort zone. It's just not a look I can rock, or at least not with confidence. The other problem is that my now almost white blonde hair, means my brows no longer fade into the background and do require maintenance of some sort - even if that is a half-hearted on my part. Enter clear mascara.

An Ode to Clear Mascara

Recently I have professed my love for Charlotte Tilbury's Legendary Brows in Clear, which still stands - mainly because the teeny, tiny, little brush grabs every single brow hair and all but forces them into whatever style your heart desires. However at £18.50 a tube, it is reserved for special occasions rather than popping out to the Supermarket - the glamour never ceases around these parts. For day-to-day use, I'm not as demanding; as long as it tames my now evidently bushy eyebrows and doesn't dry to a crispy, uncomfortable finish I'm good - truthfully the cheaper the better as I do have a habit of loosing mascara - of any type - on a weekly basis. At the moment I seem to be purchasing a tube of Miss Sporty Clear Mascara (£2.99) each time I as much as look at a Superdrug store but do you know what? It is a great, bargain find that more than delivers what you'd want and expect from a clear mascara. Basically I'm all but saying the next time you are in the market for such product, this is the one you should take home.

Brand preferences aside, can we please touch on how great clear mascara generally is? Not only can you slick, tame and set your brows with ease with the magically natural finish but you can also use it for it's intended use - to subtly tint and perhaps curl and lift your eyelashes. Heck if you are in a jam, particularly on a windy day you can use the clear gel to tame fly-away hairs on your head - it of course goes without saying that should you do this, you should then reserve such tube for any further hair emergencies rather than using it near your eye area again. Hashtag pink eye.

If you can - and it is easier said than done - source a reasonably priced waterproof clear mascara, you can use it as a water-tight setting gel be that for eyeliner, mascara or any other brow product you may use - great if like myself you have an oily complexion and generally as good as any dedicated setting gel you'll find on the high street.

If you have yet to add an unassuming tube of clear mascara to your daily make-up bag, do it and do it soon - you won't regret it.

Is there any other underrated beauty staple that deserves a post all of its own?