As busy women with careers, family and LIVES – the one thing we do NOT have time for is mascara that travels down your face. The most common complaint that I hear from my friends and clients is that they just cannot find reliable mascara that won’t flake, smudge or run. One of my best friends recently said to me - “With every mascara I try, I end up with raccoon eyes!" Here are my tried and true tips to eliminate this issue:

1. Primer: Some women have oilier lids than others. Using an eyelash primer or/and eye primer is key.

Lash Primer: Coating your lashes with lash primer does the prep work for your mascara and helps mascara adhere to your lashes.

Here are my favorites:

MAC Prep + Prime Lash ($16)

Clinique Lash Building Primer ($15)

Lancome's Cils Booster XL ($24.50)

Eyelid primer: If you have oily skin, placing a primer under makeup on your eyelid (and under your eye) can help prevent mascara transfer to your skin. *Tip: follow with a powder to keep skin dry and mascara on your lashes instead of on your face.

Here are my favorites:

Urbay Decay Primer Potion ($12-$20)

Laura Mercier Eye Basics ($25)

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($25)

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots ($20)

2. Go waterproof

If regular mascara, lid and lash primers don’t work or you want to avoid them altogether, you can try the waterproof version of your favorite mascara. Waterproof can sometimes be a pain to remove but here are some fantastic makeup removers to make waterproof mascara removal stress free:

Clinique take the day off ($28.50)

Lancome BI-FACIL ($28.00)

Nuetrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover ($5.99-$6.99)

General tip: let your skin and other makeup products, like moisturizer and foundation, dry and set before applying mascara. Also, remember to keep a blotting or setting powder with you throughout the day to refresh your under eye makeup.

Here are some of my favorite mascaras that I have experienced great staying power with:

Lancome Hypnose mascara ($27.50)

Benefit "They're Real" Mascara ($23)

Tarte - Lights, Camera, Lashes ($20)

HOURGLASS Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara ($28)

Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Waterproof Mascara ($6.99)

Finding the right mascara, to a certain degree, comes down to trial and error and personal preference but, I guarantee that my recommendations will have you on your way to Raccoon-free under eyes!

xo Lana