It may be far fetched to say I use to get nightmares about eyelash curlers and curling my lashes, but for the longest time, I always thought eyelash curlers looked more like a torture device than something that you would use for beauty. The same rule generally applies for anything that involves iron (curling, straightening, etc). I had a not-so-pleasant first experience trying to curl my hair. But that's a different story.
So back to eyelashes~ Now if you're blessed with full, long lashes that naturally curl, then gosh, you don't know how much I envy you. While I do have a lot of lashes in Asian standards, they suffer the same dilemma that most Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean girls experience: (I say that because I have Indian and Filipino friends who have the most gorgeous fullest, darkest lashes ever. Their lashes hit their glasses for goodness' sake.) STICK STRAIGHT LASHES. They're the type that point straight down and usually won't hold a curl unless you put some effort into it. Not only that, most drugstore eyelash curlers do nothing to my lashes, partially because the curvature of the curler where you would rest your eye is much too curved for my flat eyes.
Therefore I spent the sophomore and junior years in college battling with a sub-par curler from e.l.f. And I'm not saying their curler isn't good because it was worth the price. I think they're about $3? And they came entirely by luck after having another girl's package sent to me by accident, while mine got thrown over to her. Anyways, they told me I could keep it and resent my package. They worked pretty well--as in they curled the middle and missed the front and ends. I also needed to do a lot of squeezing to make sure my lashes got curled and perhaps that contributed to the reason why I broke both of them towards the end of my third year of college.
So I was down an eyelash curler and having no eyelash curler pretty much makes my mascara obsolete because no matter how much mascara I put on, if I didn't curl them beforehand, they weren't going anywhere. I decided it was time to make an investment in a more high-end eyelash curler. So I scoured the internet, read up on plenty of reviews on what brand was good for efficiently curling those stubborn Asian lashes. And finally, after deliberating between the cult-favorite Shu Uemura and Shiseido, I went with the Shiseido.
Shiseido Eyelash Curler, sephora.com, $19
The Shiseido lash curler is by far my favorite eyelash curler, atm, but then again I never had many to compared with before. They do the job and they do the job right without much effort. They grab all my lashes and without applying too much strength I am able to get them curled and they last all day without mascara.
As for mascara, I'm currently using a combination of two. I first apply the Physicians' Formula: Organic Wear, which gives my lash a very natural look without weighing them down too much. Sadly, it's not waterproof, so it can be a problem whenever I apply eye drops. After that, I layer on my Fairy Drops Platinum. This mascara is one of those fiber mascaras that encircle your lashes almost in like a tube-like manner. It's fairly waterproof, but it comes off in warm water. I also use this on my lower lashes because the Organic Wear one tends to smudge on my bottom lashes.
This is what I use, but I know it won't work for everybody. But usually the trick in making sure your lashes won't fall is to use waterproof mascara. The waxier ingredients used to make waterproof mascara gives a better hold for stubborn curls. A fair warning about waterproof mascara: they tend to make your lashes very dry and possibly brittle. So I usually use them with caution, only on days or for events that I know needs extra holding power.
So for all the readers who feel as though nobody understands the pain behind those pesky lashes, know that I have experienced it myself and that you are not alone. The whole process of finding a good curler and a good mascara is all about trial and error. Don't give up hope because somewhere out there is the perfect one just for you.
Fairy Drops Platinum Mascara, japanla.com, $24.95
Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara, physiciansformula.com, $9.95
Posted by goldust on February 16, 2012 at 11:16 AM EST #
Posted by Cleo on February 16, 2012 at 01:28 PM EST #