Eyelashes, people! Let's talk cosmetics, tints, extensions

In My Humble Opinion
1

To begin with an aside, I’m glad I now live in a world where this topic need not be titled something sexist like, “Ladies, help me with my eyelashes.” I don’t care if you are a lady (I personally try to avoid being one). If you like to do things to make your eyelashes thicker, longer, darker, more beautiful … talk to me. Here’s my current state of knowledge and attitude on the options I have tried or at least heard of:

Mascara - I mostly hate it, so if you recommend that, it better be a fantastic product that never clumps or smears, is easy to apply, stays fresh for a long time, won’t break the bank, and can be purchased on line since we don’t have high-end stores here in my remote corner of Hawai’i. I’ve never found a product that meets all these criteria, but then again, I’ve never tried much. My experience with mascara is that shortly after applying it I have grit in my eye and dark circles underneath. Also, my eyelashes are LONG, so if I need sunglasses shortly after application, I end up with gross streaks of mascara on the lenses.

Tinting - Back when I was young and vain, I used to get eyelash tints fairly often. Those were awesome - for a short time and a reasonable price, some sort of long-lasting dye was applied to my eyelashes. It would stick for a month or so, and was like having perfect, waterproof mascara. But I’m not seeing a lot of evidence on line that this is still a thing.

False eyelashes - forget about it! I have no desire to look like Tammy Faye or to deal with the inconvenience.

Eyelash extensions - um, it’s on the internet, but what is this? Is it fairly painless and affordable? Is it better than false eyelashes, in other words: Will I look like a good version of me, or will I look like wolf spiders are sucking my eyeballs?

Other options - no idea, but I’m listening.

2

If your eyelashes are already long, are you going for volume or color?

I use mascara because I am cheap and uncoordinated. It’s easy, reasonably priced, and straightforward and I tend to have luck with applicators that are more plastic-y and less brush-y (if that makes sense).

False eyelashes don’t have to look like Tammy Faye (they can, if that’s the look you’re going for, but they don’t have to). But for me, they’re a lot harder than mascara. When other people do them for me, it’s ok. When I try, the glue gets everywhere, the eyelashes don’t line up right (even after they’re trimmed), it just looks really odd. They also cost more than mascara, but still “reasonable.” Also, I think that false eyelashes look weird unless you’re wearing full makeup. Just mascara looks like a choice. Just false eyelashes looks like you didn’t have time to finish getting ready. (To me)

I just looked into extensions as a lot of people I know wear them. In this area, it’s about $200 for the initial application and about $100/month. It looks great. The people I know are all really happy with the choice. That’s just out of my price range.

3

I’ve been using mascara since I was 14. Every once in a while, I will forget to put it on. It drives me crazy all day. My face looks different without it. I’ve even stopped at Walmart on my way to work a few times to grab a tube when I realized I forgot to put it on.

My lashes are fairly long, so I use a volumizing mascara from Avon. I apply it in the morning and have never had an issue with it smearing or wearing off unless I go swimming, get caught in a downpour, or cry uncontrollably. I wash it off at night before bed.

I’ve never tried false eyelashes. I don’t feel I need them. If I had sparse lashes, I would give it a try. As for tinting and extensions, I wouldn’t spend the money. Mascara works just fine for me.

4

I don’t wear makeup, but thank the Lord I have long, dark lashes. I lucked out!

A few years ago I was having problems with my top lashes curling down. I have no idea why. It was horrible, and no amount of curling kept them in place. I went for a “lash lift” at a salon and that did the trick to keep the damn things up and out of my eyes. It looked a little bit funny on me being that I didn’t ever curl my lashes or put on mascara, and now all of a sudden my lashes looked super good. But eh, it kept them out of my eyes.

It lasted quite a long while, and the curling problem went away, so I didn’t go for another lift.

This new salon opened up by me and I see they do a “lift & tint” so they tint at the same time.

5

L’Oreal Beauty Tube mascara. I won’t use anything else. It stays absolutely put with no smudging and removes with warm water and a little gentle rubbing.

6

Tarataratara hit the nail on the head: Beauty Tubes mascara are very comfortable, don’t smudge or clump, and come off easily with water. The only downside is that I don’t think they’re particularly noticeable on the lashes.

Unfortunately, I’ve found that the gold standard for mascara (in my personal opinion) is Dior, and they’re not cheap. But I can’t think of a brand that more perfectly embodies everything you asked for (makes your eyelashes thicker, longer, darker, more beautiful, never clumps or smears, is easy to apply, stays fresh for a long time, and can be purchased online). My absolute favorite is Diorshow Iconic, because it has a comb-style wand that separates your lashes and fans them out. Diorshow Iconic Overcurl and Diorshow are two other good mascaras.

But I would definitely start with the L’Oreal Beauty Tubes. That mascara is $12, and the Dior mascaras are $30. Just mentioning them in case you ever get desperate enough that you’re willing to break the bank.

7

The eye drops I’ve been taking for 10 years to treat my glaucoma make my eyelashes longer, fuller, and darker. Sometimes my lashes annoyingly brush up against my eyeglasses. A friend who takes the same drops has his wife trim his eyelashes periodically.

They are now available by prescription to promote eyelash growth under the brand Latisse.

And that’s pretty much all I know about eyelashes.

mmm

8

Thanks everyone. What prompted me to ask now is that a friend wants to up her game, eyelash-wise, for her son’s wedding (still many months away). I told her about eyelash tints, which she had never heard of. The two off us may have fun trying out a few options together in the meantime.

9

My eyelashes are long, and if I don’t curl my lashes, put on mascara, and let it dry, my eyelashes will smudge my glasses.