The traditional bristles work well at coating each lash with the mascara. The formula is relatively thick but nice and smooth. I personally did not need to use the tip of the wand to separate my lashes as they already were beautifully defined. When using the rubber tip of the wand I found that it actually caused my lashes to stick together – not exactly what I’d hoped for. I think this is because a lot of formula collects on tip of the wand. I’ve played around with the wand but I have not found it to be all that useful or effective.