I keep cotton swabs for the roots of my lashes. After holding remover on my eye, there is always a little mascara left near the lash line. Instead of rubbing the whole eye again, I lightly roll a cotton swab along the base. It takes an extra minute, but I lose fewer lashes and wake up without black smudges under my eyes.

A cleansing balm works better for me than liquid remover. I warm a small amount between my fingers, gently press it over my lashes, and let it break down the mascara before rinsing. I never pull from side to side. Afterward I use a mild cleanser around the eye area. My lashes stopped looking sparse once I stopped treating removal like a scrubbing job.

The mistake I made for years was rubbing back and forth. Now I soak a cotton pad with a bi-phase eye makeup remover, press it over my closed eye for 20 to 30 seconds, and then slide downward gently. It feels slower, but it removes mascara much better. I also stopped using waterproof mascara every single day, which helped my lashes recover.