Beauty: The Buzz about Vibrating Mascara

Are vibrators really necessary? Is this what women really want?

Mascara with a shaky-shaking motorized wand seems to be de rigueur at the moment. Lancome, often credited with being the best source of good mascara, was the first on the market and now even drug store brands have jumped on the vibrating wagon.

The question is — why? Is a vibrating device that operates right next to your exposed and vulnerable eyeball really a good idea?

The zig-zag motion that is the essence of the vibrator is mimicking what most make-up artists know to do in the first place — as it turns out, mascara is supposed to be applied with a bit of a back-and-forth shake to prevent clumping and to ensure good coverage.

Claudine Baltazar, make up artist of Artist Group Limited, says the vibrating mascara requires less work and gives full intensity but “it’s not completely clump free as it claims and is quite stiff.” Baltazar is still on the fence about the new mascara fad, “at the moment I’m deciding if it’s worth the switch.”

The vibration is subtle enough that it does not interfere with your hand’s ability to hold steady during application (there is a little less vibration in the handle than in a cheap vibrating toothbrush), so no, you will not be jabbing yourself in the eye.

If you are curious but unconvinced about the vibrating mascara, there are inexpensive option. Try a brand such as Maybelline, which offers a decent choice for $14- $20, to see if you really appreciate what the vibration does for your lashes. Baltazar says the only difference between the cheaper brands and more expensive is that the more expensive brands “did not flake.”

Of the pricier versions, Baltazar prefers Lancome’s Ôscillation ($39); another option is Estée Lauder’s Turbo Lash ($34).

Or, for whatever price you are used to, you could simply learn the makeup artists’ zig-zag. For professionals like Baltazar, this low-tech technique does the trick just fine.

— Tianna Robinson