Happy Thursday! Hope your afternoon is going well!
So it’s time for a new installment of Beauty Booty, which I promise will be shorter than last week’s 3000 words on flawless skin. But I can’t say I won’t be just as passionate when talking about how to make your lashes lovely!
Eyelashes are one of my favorite things to flaunt. I’d sell my voice to Ursula or eat a poisoned apple to have the eyes of a Disney Princess. To me, batting your eyes is one of the best rights of being a girl. (If you don’t know how to bat them, learn–it’s a lovely thing to do, one that I picked up on from watching my BFF Beth apply mascara. She just like, blinks, and suddenly looks like the kitty in Shrek.) But if you’re not genetically blessed with a full row of eyelashes, there are plenty of things you can do!
For gorgeous eyes, start with the cheapest, easiest step: put in eye drops! Red eyes are one of my pet peeves. If you are going out at night, I promise, you probably need eye drops first! Eyes get tired during the day. Blood vessels show. A few drops can turn them snowy white again. My friends who dabble in the Mary J turned me onto Rotho V Eye Drops. It took me forever to find them (at Wal-Mart, turns out) and, at $5, they are more expensive than most, but they effect is just wonderful. Get the Ice Drops and prepare to be kind of amazed. Eye drops are a staple in my purse and desk; they can make you look refreshed in a heartbeat.
If you’re starting with shadow, I prefer to cover the whole lid with concealer or foundation first (just a dab). This soaks up oil and keeps shadow from creasing, which is such an annoying thing. I like Sephora brand shadow. It’s a little cheaper than MAC, which is another favorite of mine, and my go-to for special occasion shadow. I also made the switch and started using a darker shade of brown for everyday. Taupe is all well and good, but it just doesn’t do the trick. Taking it one shade darker really works!
Next, I like a really good dark brown liner that’s kind of creamy. If you nestle it down at your lash base, it really helps give you the Bambi look. I currently cannot be without Maybelline Define-a-Line eyeliner in Brownish-black. The texture is perfect! For more dramatic eyes, Tarte EmphasEYES black liner is incredible because of the skinny, flat tip. You can use it to line the inner rims of your eyes, which is hard to do with most pencils. If you’re going for the doe-eyed look, use the creamy, thicker liner on just the outer half of the eye, thickest at the outer corners (though I don’t advocate wings).
Next it’s time for an important, nay, crucial step: curling the lashes. I’m always amazed by women who don’t do this every day! Think of your eyes like a store…uncurled lashes are like an awning hanging over. Curling them opens the eye UP! The Shu Uemura lash curler is the gold standard, and my standard requested stocking stuffer every year. It’s $20 but I think it’s worth it; if that’s not your cup of tea, any curler is better than none!
After curling, it’s time for mascara. Ahh…mascara. I could go on and on and on. I’ve tried so many. Here are my top picks:
1. Lancome Oscillation. When this came out, everyone scoffed. (Everyone always scoffs at my new beauty adventures!!) But let me tell you, it’s the real deal! You hold down a little button, and it whirs away, giving you the loveliest, fullest lashes. There is an Estee Lauder one–don’t get it. Lancome wins this round!
2. Maybelline Lash Stylist. Maybelline just knows mascara. The only reason this is not my number one is because it’s too dramatic for everyday wear. This is an “Are those things real?” mascara (but in a good way!!)–the trick is to apply it right. It comes with a tiny comb. Instead of brushing it through your lashes like some, it’s better if you sort of set the comb against the base of your lashes, and then set again a little futher up, and then set again. It’s hard to explain, but that’s the best I can do. Do not let it dry between coats. Once it’s set, it’ll clump if you try to apply it again. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, but once you do–bam!
3. Benefit Bad Gal. I like this for its fat brush–I definitely think it gives good volume and color. I used to wear it every day to work.
4. Maybelline Define-a-Lash. A newcomer, and a goodie! I like this if I’m just rolling out of bed and running around town. I also accidentally bought the waterproof version and I have to say it’s pretty good! It survives Spinning! I think this gives really nice fluttery eyelashes and adds length.
You can always use more than one mascara to get a desired effect. Combining a lengthening and a volumizing can give you banging eyes.
The icons: DiorShow and Maybelline Great Lash. These are superstar best-sellers for a reason. I love them and go back to them frequently, but I’m just not able to commit to one tube forever.
One letdown: FiberWig. Didn’t do it for me!! Oh and Maybelline Lash Stiletto–amazing ad campaign, huge disappointment.
Technique is important with mascara. First, always apply from the outside corners inward. This makes sure the outer lashes get the most product and look darker, which mimics nature. Two coats is standard, but for extra glamour, you can do a third swipe on just the outer corners.
I was able to try a sample of LashFood earlier this year, which retails for $120, and I have to say, I was disappointed. I had such big hopes! It’s a conditioner you apply twice a day, and I was not impressed with the results.
Then I started dabbling in falsies. I have always had a really hard time applying them, but then I found the right person to help: a drag queen!
She explained that instead of trying to get them on with the eye open, which is what I always have done, you have to close your eyes and squeeze the eyelashes right to the base of your real lashes–squeeze really hard for 10-20 seconds. It takes a lot of practice, so be patient. (I tend to get one eye but not the other, and get really pissed.) I always trim false lashes in half too…generally the strips are too long to get a natural look. The lashes that come individually are the hardest to apply; I’ll leave that to the experts. Drug store lashes are fine for a fun night on the town, but go with Make Up Forever or Shu Uemura for a big event.
If you’re getting married or are just crazy, you can do what I did this spring and get eyelash extensions. This was the best thing I’ve ever done in terms of a beauty experiment. (Way more fun than laser hair removal!!) I went with my intern Bryn last spring during Spa Week to Albina’SPA in NYC, where we got the $180 treatment for $75 (and NYC ladies, they are pretty cool about giving the discount at other times, so if you want, give it a try and say I referred you). The amazingly talented owner glues on each individual lash with a permanent glue. The only bad part was when she sterilzed the eye area and I got a little in my eyes. (Do not squeeze your eyes when she’s doing this!) It took about 30 minutes, and she did a great job. She talked to me the whole time about how everyone’s eyelashes are different, and why some people’s are too heavy or long or short to apply the extensions in certain ways.
Once they are on, you can’t wear mascara. This was semi-devastating to me, until I realized I didn’t need it! The effect is subtle: it’s just like having really perfectly curled, clump-free mascara’d lashes at all times. You wake up in the morning and it’s like BAM! You go to the gym: va-VOOM! They look even better when you’re looking down, so get ready to flirt up a storm. You have to be careful with the eyes: wash gently (I didn’t get my eyes wet in the shower, I just cleaned them with Q-tips), don’t wear mascara, skip eye drops, and never ever rub your eyes. I also had to give up my sleep mask, but I survied!
The one area of the lash frontier I have yet to conquer is Latisse. I’ve been into this for a while, and I was pretty excited when it got FDA approval. You have to get your dermatologist to prescribe it, and it’s $100 for the prescription (obviously not covered by insurance). They also refuse to give press samples to magazine girls. It’s the number one can’t-live-without item on my birthday list, so here’s hoping my mom comes through! I will definitely provide a full report if I get it, but I’ve heard good things from the people I know who’ve used it.
Once you get your lashes as long, thick, and dramatic as you possibly can, practice batting. A girl who knows how to use her lashes can really stand out in a crowded room. I always thought brown eyes weren’t as pretty as blue until I turned my mascara routine up a notch–now people comment on them! Whether your peepers are blue, green, hazel, or brown, a little effort goes a long way.
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