Lash Painting Is the Makeup Trick You Need to Try for Clump-Free Mascara

03.07.2025, 22:06 allure.com

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For as long as I've been a beauty editor, I've had an unpopular opinion: There is no significant difference in the application performance of different types of mascara wands. Whether it's spoolie-like bristles or silicone spikes, uniform size and shape or swirling like a spiral, I've always felt like the difference between whether or not my mascara clumps hinges almost entirely on the formula itself. And even with my favorite mascaras, I still end up doing some major post-application recon with a lash separator. But it turns out there is a mascara wand that makes a huge difference—it's just not the one that comes with your mascara, and it looks nothing like it either.

A couple of makeup artists recently turned me on to lash fans, or mascara fan brushes, and, with them, the concept of lash painting. Rose Siard of Rose and Ben Beauty recently shared a prototype for her own lash fan and used it to demonstrate the remarkable difference it can make when using it to apply mascara on notoriously tricky bottom lashes.

“If you hate bottom-lash mascara, it's because most wands deposit a ton of product,” Siard says while suggesting a fan brush like the one she's using on herself. "This is something pros use all the time, and obviously, it's a lot more hygienic because we can clean it afterwards.”

She also notes that, in addition to bottom lashes, this kind of brush is great for hard-to-reach areas on the upper lashes like the inner corners. “You have a lot more control because you have length,” she says, referring to the long, skinny handle.

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Makeup artist Kate Talbert also posted about this alternative application technique recently, as she's a big fan, too. (No pun intended.)

“One of the problems we have with mascara, especially on the bottom lashes, is that you can't get each and every lash. And if you do, oftentimes they're over-coated, which leads to clumpiness and smudging,” she says. “Painting your mascara on eliminates all those things.”

After demonstrating how she paints her bottom lashes, she moved on to the top. “I'll go in right at the base, and this is going to give them a little bit of a tightline effect, so it's going to add some definition,” Talbert says, “I love it because you can just get each little lash.”

Talbert is using the Bdellium 730 Bent Lash Fan, which is only $14, but we're also quite fond of the Kevyn Aucoin Angled Fan Mascara Brush.

Does it take an extra two, three seconds? Maybe. Honestly, not really," Talbert says. “But it's a hundred percent worth it.”

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