Mascara, Lashes or LATISSE?

Everyone is looking at each other’s eyelashes these days and wondering what their secret is, if they are REAL.

There are a lot of ways to achieve a fuller, longer lash – but it up to you to decide which is best for you. It is also up to you to figure out if the woman’s lashes you are staring at are a great mascara, natural eyelash extensions or if they are using LATISSE? Although, I guess it might not hurt to ask…

Benefits and tricks of using Mascara for fuller, longer eyelashes:

1. Find a great formula that works with your eyes and individual wear. Not too dry, not too thick, not too wet – actually the secret is the applicator. I love the new plastic applicators like COVER GIRL’s LASH BLAST. It is an easy application and can work out clumps with no problem. Don’t spend your money on the vibrating wand or spinning wands… stick with the originals.

2. Lash primers are great for people who have lashes and want a fuller look. Most lines have a lash primer. I am a fan of ORIGIN’s Underwear for lashes. The trick is to apply the primer to your lashes first and allow it to dry completely. The primers are usually a lighter color of white or purple so your lashes look crazy with just the primer on them. After applying one coat of primer, follow with one or two coats of mascara. The primer wraps around the lash and actually thickens the lash so when you apply the mascara, your lashes are actually fuller.

3. There are also some great lash extenders I love the one from DivaDerme. These are small fibers that stick to your lash and extend or lengthen the lash itself. The trick when using extending fibers is to try to not get the fibers directly into your eyes. Apply a layer of mascara first and immediately apply the fibers to the damp lashes with the wand or brush. Start from center of the lashes (not the base) and swipe fibers to the tip of your eyelash. This will prevent clumping and dropping fibers in your eyes. Brush any extra fibers off your face with a soft brush. If you try another coat of mascara to hold the fibers better in place, use a slight coat to avoid clumping.

4. For anyone who is light haired, lash tinting is a great option. This is a little trick to do to yourself so I suggest only letting a licensed professional treat your lashes. There are a few professional tinting lines; I find longer results from Intensives from Universal Companies. Ask your artist to leave on the tint for a minimum of 15 minutes, maximum 25 minutes. I have found if you treat tinting like hair color dye, you will receive better and lasting results.

Benefits and care of Lash Extensions for natural, more dramatic eyelashes:

1. The key to great looking lash extensions is two things: A great extension artist (application) and great home treatment (after care). Make sure you have the service performed by a certified, licensed artist. The type of brand used isn’t so important (I love LASH BeLONG’s lashes and volume extensions). How they are placed on your lashes and cared for is what makes lash extensions a good addition. Ask for home care instructions before the service and after the service. Main point, the less you do to them, the longer they last. Do not put any OIL anywhere near the extensions this will remove them.

2. Extensions are great for many reasons. Busy clients love not having to wake up in the morning before going to the gym to put on makeup. With extensions, it looks like you have mascara on at all times. Anyone with receding eyelids loves how they open up their eyes. Some clients even swear they get more dates…

3. Our lashes have a growth cycle; everyone’s is different and as we age this process slows. As your lashes grow and fall out, another lash follows in its place. Normally when we wash our faces we have a few lashes that exfoliate out. But when there is an extension on the end of the lash, you tend to notice it more. Extensions do not make your lashes fall out. But they need to be taken care of and taken off when the extension is halfway out on a grown lash. If it isn’t taken off that it where an extension can overpower the natural lash in weight and cause breakage. If you are gentle to your lashes and see a professional regularly for a fill, this is when the old, grown out lashes are removed and replaced with newer extensions at the lash base.

4. Using a lash growth product such as Revitalash works great for clients that have extensions for a long extended period of time. As long as the growth product is water based it will not interfere with any of the adhesive.

5. For more drama you can also add ARDELL’s strip lashes or individual flares into the extensions with DUO adhesive that is latex based. This will add a more dramatic effect for a special event or to fill in between fills. Make sure the adhesive is latex based; other adhesives will bond with the lash extension adhesive and create a huge problem and potential lash breakage.

Benefits and side effects of LATISSE (by prescription) for darker, fuller, lengthened eyelashes:

1. Brooke Shields. Everyone has seen the ads. The new lash Rx is the talk of the town! Does it work? Do you have to use it forever? Will it cause my eye color to change? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages? Does it take a long time? Will it work for everyone? How much is it? These are a lot of questions people ask me every day. Lets break it down simply…

2. LATISSE came about from Revitalash and Jan Marini Lash Growth. There was an ingredient in these cosmetic lash growers that was from a pharmaceutical company found in glaucoma medicine. They found the ingredient stimulated eyelash growth in most patients using it for glaucoma. When Revitalash and Jan Marini’s Lash Growth products hit the market, people were crazy for it in the cosmetic field – it gained a lot of attention. Needless to say, the main ingredient was actually a pharmaceutical ingredient. So they were made to take the product off the shelf, redo the formulation without that ingredient. Both brands still work GREAT! They take a little longer for results to show now, approximately 4 weeks. Consequently, a year later LATISSE was born.

3. In my experience, LATISSE is a great product. I have seen client with minimal results to clients with phenomenal results. You need to be patient. LATISSE takes almost 3-4 months for results to show. If you stop using the product, your lashes will go back to the way they were before usage began. You need a prescription for the product which costs from $140-$175 per tube. Application is a bit trickier than the eyeliner wand found in the cosmetic lash growth products.

4. Success story: I have a client who I was applying lash extensions on for almost a year. She is a working actress and early last year, she became pregnant. Just before summer her show went on hiatus 3 months before her delivery date. Her last appointment with me was just before her last shoot and break. After seeing her 3 months after giving birth I could not believe her lashes! She is a red head and her lashes were always very light. Most times we would tint them in between redo applications for added darkness. She told me she started LATISSE on her break, while at the end of her pregnancy (please consult your doctor first if pregnant). Her results were slow, but within 3 ½ months her lashes were dark brown, double the amount, much longer and slightly thicker. I told her she should have her agent contact LATISSE. Her results were astounding! I kept washing off her eyes to try and remove the mascara I thought she was wearing. ☺

5. Possible side effects. May NOT stimulate your lash growth, Itching and/or redness (all the lash growth products may cause slight skin irritation), Possible darkening of eyelid skin (may be reversible), Possible darkening of the colored portion of the eye (may be permanent). Possible risk of hair growth in places other than the eyelash and a risk of bacterial dermatitis from contamination of LATISSE or the applicator itself (which would happen from a dirty makeup applicator as well).

6. Talk about a cheaper version available also by Rx is Lumigan. Ask your doctor first.

In summary:

We all want gorgeous lashes. Everyone can enhance his or her natural lashes. A person just needs to figure out which option works best for them according to lifestyle, cost, maintenance and desired look. There are many options available. Ask a lot of questions and do your research. Remember when having a service performed or using a product around your eyes, be careful and consider all your options. I truly believe the options I explained above are a great alternative to cosmetic surgery. Try one of these methods first; you’ll be glad you did.

“The eyes are the doors of our human masks, that open to our souls…” ~ Phillip Hallawell