I discovered the magic that is mascara when a woman at the Bobbi Brown counter in the Maine Mall offered to do my makeup. She swiped a thick white coat of primer immediately followed by mascara and the results were GLORIOUS.
I was obsessed and alternated between the mascaras that didn't give me raccoon eyes by noon - Trish McEvoy, blinc, and DJV - these all have a faux lash tubing effect that I highly recommend if you're someone who struggles with running mascara (try any of these Byrdie recs).
It wasn't until I was introduced to lash extensions that I realized just how annoying the process of mascara can be - the constant curling, then applying and then removing (Micellar Water is the best remover I've found) only to start it all over again.
Lash extensions can be pretty incredible when done right, I'd wake up in the morning and voila! Perfect lashes. However, they can also be horrifyingly scarring when done wrong (aka do your research, because well, eyes!) After about a month fake lashes lose their luster and begin their ugly, awkward, falling out phase which is really not cute. I also feared I was losing eyelashes and decided that ultimately lash extensions just looked way too high maintenance for me. Back to square one.
I heard about Latisse but read articles that it changed people's eye color. Idk about you, but that's a serious deal breaker for me.
It wasn't until I saw the serum Babe Lash at my salon that I decided to try one. After three days I noticed a subtle purple hue on my top lash line, it wasn't crazy but it was noticeable because I'm so pale. It disappeared after two days of not applying so I did every other day and saw solid results after a month.
Which brings me to my recent lash serum trial that was gifted to me by a friend who just became a Rodan & Fields rep. After a little research I saw that this particular serum was priced at $150. YIKES. Not in my budget. My expectations were high and I saw significant results within two weeks. However, this time I noticed another subtle darkening but this time around my eyelids rather than the being isolated to the lash line. It wasn't an alarming shade but I thought it gave me a slightly tired appearance? This wasn't noticeable after putting on some makeup but this seemed counterintuitive as most of my motivation to use the serum was to lessen the use of makeup.
After further research I noticed other reviewers having similar reactions to their lids and lash lines and finally found an article that suggested applying a VERY small amount to the lash line, we're talking tiny. Most applicators deliver a shit ton of product - you don't want that amount on each eye. They say to remove any excess and you shouldn't be waking up with crusty (so gross) product. In full transparency I thought more is more with something like this, not like I'm Jackson Pollock'ing my eyes or anything but you know I was maybe a little heavy handed. ANYWAY, I noticed much better results but still needed to do an every other day application.
Anyone freaked out by serums and chemicals in your eyes (understandably) or if you don't have a $150 lash budget but are still intrigued by lash lengthening products I read interesting and very conflicting results from using castor oil - I'll save you the time by saying most dermatologist have said this method doesn't work. HOWEVER, someone's having enough luck for it to be relevant enough to be discussed by The Cut, In Style, and Buzzfeed.
Or, you can go the sustainable, affordable, au natural way which is where all of this research has led me - bare lashes. I actually have great luck with just curling them and then applying a TINY amount of Aquaphor (Vaseline works too) to hold them in place. This really works believe it or not and am always shocked how long they remain curled. Currently in the market for an eyelash curler, any suggestions?
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