Instead of mascara, the beauty community has a new way for enhancing lashes

I really love the energy of the beauty community and the people who play with pigments, try anything that inspires them, and unintentionally encourage the rest of us to be a little braver, more creative, and more playful. In that burst of ideas, trends sometimes appear that first make me laugh, then confuse me, and eventually win me over. Sometimes in exactly that order.

One of them is a trick that promises defined lashes without mascara, with an effect that perfectly matches the nude-lash aesthetic and highlights the natural beauty of the eyes. It sounds brilliant, right? Sometimes it’s worth pausing to ask yourself: is this just another cute TikTok idea, or something that actually makes sense?

How to make your lashes stand out without mascara?

Courtesy of Brandon Maxwell

Instead of mascara, beauty enthusiasts suggest using Vaseline. All you need to do is apply a thin layer to your index finger and gently sweep it over the tips of your lashes. The result is that chic wet-lash effect. Your lashes become glossy, almost like right after you wash your face, which makes their pigment and shape stand out even more. The key word here is thin layer.

But petrolatum-based balms aren’t created for eye care. When I first saw this trend, I wasn’t exactly at ease.

Is it safe to apply this kind of balm to your lashes?

In short, not really. Petrolatum balms aren’t formulated for the delicate eye area. They’re too thick and too greasy, and they can blur your vision, which is probably the least glamorous thing that can happen during a beauty routine. Even if trend-lovers say you should apply the balm only to the very tips of your lashes, blinking and the warmth of your skin can bring it closer to the eye’s mucosa, and that’s something we definitely want to avoid.

On top of that, petrolatum-based products aren’t ophthalmologically tested or meant for such a sensitive area. If there’s one thing we shouldn’t experiment with, it’s our eyes.

While the idea of defined lashes without mascara is appealing and was one of the most popular summer trends, especially if you love a nude, minimalist look, sometimes it’s better to stay on the safer side. Trends come and go, but eye health isn’t something worth testing out of simple curiosity. If you want naturally enhanced lashes, reach for products that are actually formulated for that area.