Luscious Lashes

Long, thick lashes are what every girl wants. They frame your eyes and define their shape. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with a perfect set of dark, thick curly lashes. Genetics, age, chemo, whatever the cause, some of us just don't have it. Here are the alternatives:

False Lashes

Ever look at mascara commercials and ads and think that if you buy it you will have those lashes? It's not going to happen unless you put on some false lashes first.

They are very affordable, ranging from $5-20 in stores depending on how fancy you want to get. You can even try Ebay to order multiples from Asia where girls sport false lashes daily. They come in full strips or individuals (which are more like clusters). The strips are easier and faster. The individuals give a more natural look or accents certain spots. These lashes can be reused, just remove glue remnants and store carefully. To clean them, very gently dab a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and lightly sweep over the hairs.

TIP: To avoid looking like you have two rows of hairs growing out of your eyelids, lightly curl your natural lashes first, just from halfway on the hair shaft to the tip. Don't over-curl. The curl in your natural lashes will match the curl in the false ones. Apply the lashes as close to the roots as possible without losing contact with the skin. Very carefully use the flat end of a toothpick to gently dab a little glue to the outer edges of the lash strip as reinforcement. If it looks like a mess, don't worry, the glue dries clear. Lightly sweep one coat of mascara over the entire set to bind your natural lashes to the false ones. Use a liquid liner to finish to blending.

Lash Extensions

Done in the beauty salon, these are more expensive, up to $160 for a new set and maintenance visits anywhere between $25-50. However the benefits are clear: they look real and are fuss free. The esthetician applies each hair one by one and last anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks, shedding with the natural lash or from wear and tear. These cannot be worn with mascara if you want them to last. Oils will separate the lashes from the glue and too much steam will do the same.

Lash Serums

What's the hype around these? They promise fuller, longer lashes and the best part is, they are REAL. They start from a $10 lash conditioning treatment to a $170 serum that was formulated by physicians. Lucky you, I bought into some of these claims and tried a couple myself so you don't have to!

Rapidlash is a $60 tube with very meagre contents. A thin, nightly application is all that's needed and is supposed to last up to 6 weeks. It was created after an ointment for glaucoma patients resulted in thicker, darker, and longer lashes as a side-effect. After 3 weeks, I definitely saw a change. After four weeks people were asking if my lashes were real. That's how long they were! Because of the price tag, I sought an alternative after the tube ran out.

Avance is a Korean lash serum that I ordered from Ebay after doing some research. $8 a tube plus shipping was a steal, not to mention how much more of the product I was getting. I applied this liberally, nightly. My lashes turned out thicker and I guess fairly long but not as long as with Rapidlash. I liked that this was less pricey and the results were comparable.

There are many serums in the drugstore, none of them I've tried but my theory is that if you condition your lashes by keeping them nourished they will take longer to shed, thus each lash is retained longer. I can attest that once I stopped using these serums my lashes shed normally and they didn't reach the same lengths as before. Or I could just be getting old. :(. Applying lash serum has worked it's way into my daily routine now and I won't be stopping anytime soon. :)