Curling your lashes is one of the most overlooked beauty secrets. Most women skip this step out of fear. After all, an eyelash curler looks like some sort of contraption you’d see at a doctor’s office, not in your makeup drawer. But the truth is that curling your lashes is one of the easiest ways to open and brighten your eyes, without a whole lot of effort or layers of makeup.

First and foremost, you want to curl your lashes before you apply mascara. Curling your lashes when they’re coated with mascara can weaken the lash and cause damage.

To start, wiggle the curler so that every single lash is through the mouth of the clamp. I find that blinking a couple of times works best. When you see that all of your lashes are sticking through the other side of the curler, gently squeeze the handle and pulse it closed three times. It’s important to make sure that you really give that handle a good pump. Most women shy away from this step and don’t hold the curler with a firm grip, but I promise it’s the best way to get a good curl -- especially on straight, stubborn lashes.

Next, wiggle the curler halfway down your lash so that it’s resting in the middle. Repeat the squeeze and pulse. This step is critical to giving your lashes a natural curl as opposed to a crimped look.

Now, follow with a couple of coats of your favorite mascara. Don’t panic if you can feel your lashes tickling your eyelids -- that just means you curled them correctly. And don’t get frustrated if you don’t get it right the first time. Spend two minutes practicing every day; before you know it, you’ll be curling those lashes and brushing your teeth at the same time!