My first tube of mascara, Volume Express by Maybelline, was a gift from my sister for my ninth birthday. 

I didn’t curl my lashes and didn’t even pay attention to how much I put on. Overall, it was a complete mess. 

Now, I am 14, and my eyelash routine has evolved into seven different tubes of mascara, but I do still have favorites that I will always run towards.

The Falsies Push-Up Angel Mascara by Maybelline: Retail price at under $10. A slight curve in the spoolie with a few bristles makes for a fantastic application. Just this mascara alone will give a light simple long lash look, with a small curl. 

Anti-gravity Highly Rated Mascara by Milani: Retail price at $11. I love, love, love this mascara. It executes the most perfect volume and length without making my lashes too chunky. The applicator has a design that I have learned to love, with a smaller width in the middle and larger ends, helping to get all lashes. 

I do have to point out that before I was using these mascaras I was using Sky High by Maybelline, so when I added Milani’s Anti-gravity, I was scared of the spoolie, but it did not disappoint.

My routine has become a very precise part of my morning. The night before, I will go in—after washing the mascara off my eyelashes completely—with Milani’s Highly Rated Lash and Brow Serum and sleep with that on, then the next morning, wash it off. After I do my skincare routine for the morning, I will first curl my lashes with my Covergirl curler. Next, I apply a thin layer of The Falsies Push-up Angel making sure to focus on the tips of my eyelashes to make them stay up and keep the curl. After letting that dry, I then take my Milani Anti-gravity Highly Rated and apply that all over doing a thicker layer pointing to the ends of my lashes. Lastly, I will apply The Falsies Push-up Angel to my bottom lashes. If needed, I take a spoolie and un-chunk the lashes. 

After doing this routine for so long and learning to love doing my eyelashes, I now think of it as a primal part of my life; it helps me to feel confident—without putting in an hour of work—and makes me feel like I have the control to do my eyelashes how I want. 

Trends will continue to come and go, but for now, I will stick to these.