‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Offred’s Tear-Proof Mascara Is Only $7
When The Handmaid’s Tale premiered in 2017, it took the world by storm. Since then, it has garnered more and more viewers as fans follow the story of the handmaids every week. Handmaid’s Tale is based on Margaret Atwood’s bestselling novel with the same name. Actor Elisabeth Moss often has scenes where she’s crying, yet her mascara never streams down her face thanks to a surprisingly affordable product. Find out which tear-proof mascara Moss wears on the Handmaid’s Tale.
The premise of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale‘
The show follows Moss’s character June, or Offred as she is referred to in Gilead. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a futuristic totalitarian world where the world’s birth rate is drastically declining due to pollution. To prevent the population from going extinct, the nation of Gilead seeks fertile women they call handmaids, forcing them into a life of sexual slavery.
The handmaids are taken away from their loved ones to facilitate the population increase. Each of them is dressed in a red cloak and a white bonnet and gets paired with a commander. Commanders are men of importance in Gilead. A handmaid’s life is very restricted. Some women referred to as “aunts” teach the handmaids how to behave in the presence of their commanders.
If a handmaid breaks a rule, they face severe consequences, including mutilation or, in extreme cases, death. Viewers see the show through the protagonist, June’s eyes. The Handmaid’s Tale paints a scenario for viewers to see the brutality the handmaids face in Gilead.
The show’s plotline is dark and twisted, which fits the dystopian society the handmaids are forced into. Viewers see Offred trying to stay alive in her new world and survive her commander while still dealing with having been separated from her family (husband and daughter) and her loved ones (best friend, Moira).
Moss plays the central character on ‘Handmaid’s Tale’
Moss began acting in the ’90s with Bar Girls playing Robin. She followed her appearance in the 1990 film with a TV mini-series role in Lucky Chances. She made her film debut in Suburban Commando and landed more roles on Picket Fences playing Cynthia Parks and Girl Interrupted in 1999.
She also appeared in The West Wing, Anywhere But Here, and The Joyriders. After her cameo on Grey’s Anatomy, Moss added more credits under her belt with appearances on shows like Mad Men and started producing after Mad Men went off the air in 2015.
Moss joined the Handmaid’s Tale in 2017 as the titular handmaid, June/Offred, and as a producer. The star made her directorial debut when she directed three episodes of the show’s fourth season.
Why doesn’t Offred’s mascara wear off even when she cries?
Some scenes of the Handmaid’s Tale can be gut-wrenching to watch. Moss often has scenes that involve her crying, but if you look closely, her mascara never streams down her face. According to PopSugar, whereas the ladies in the Handmaid’s Tale wear minimal makeup, the makeup artists behind the scenes have to get creative with Moss.
This is because she has blond eyelashes, and they have to use the Maybelline Volum’ Express the Colossal Waterproof Mascara, which only costs $7 at Target. The mascara stays on the star the entire day and doesn’t move even when she’s delivering tear-jerking performances.
However, when the camera gets extremely close to her face, the makeup artists have to take her mascara off so there is no mascara running when the camera is up close. If you want June’s typical no-makeup look, opt for the brown shade, as it looks more natural and minimal.
