9 Ways To Make Your Lashes The Main Focus

Wearing a mask is a beautiful act of solidarity and gives you the opportunity to focus on oft overlooked facial features such as eyelashes. Read on to learn how to celebrate lashes and keep your beauty game on the A-side while we do our part to fight against the spread of COVID19.

Eyelashes are often treated as a supporting player in the eye beauty game. However with the required usage of masques in the public sphere, eyelashes are now more prominent because masques cover two thirds of the face. This new prominence means that we should up our eyelash game from root to tip.

These little hairs are put through the wringer on a daily basis. If you wear mascara, chances are you curl them, you may apply primer and then a few coats of mascara. If you wear eyeliner, the pen or pencil touches the roots of the lashes. At the end of the day when you remove your makeup, do you take special care to ensure that each lash is treated gently…

The eyelashes lend fresh credence to the the term, tiny but mighty.  

EYE MAKEUP REMOVAL — CARE STARTS HERE

A set of long, lush lashes are not part of everyone’s DNA but a few simple steps will help you to maintain your set, and in turn create great curtains for your eyes.  The first step is the gentle removal of the eye makeup and in particular mascara.  I am particular about this step because during the removal you touch the contour of the eyes which is a delicate area.  Consequently, it is imperative that you use gentle products accompanied by a soft touch to remove the makeup, so as to not irritate the skin and weaken the hairs.

I am a devotee of Shiseido Facial Cotton, because these squares of luxury never disintegrate when soaked with product and effectively lift mascara and eyeliner with minimal rubbing.  Additionally, there is no trace of cotton remaining on the lashes after the last bit of makeup is removed.  

I recommend using a micellar water to remove eye makeup because it is gentle and you do not need to rinse the area afterwards.  It is ideal to minimse contact with this area of the face because the lashes and eye contours are delicate. My personal favourite is Laura Mercier Purifying Micellar Water because it is infused with vitamin and the extracts of White Waterlilly and Noni, and leaves a health, refreshed finish.

Below are the steps that I follow when I remove eye makeup:

1. Wash my hands with soap.
2. Wrap a cotton pad around the pad of the ring finger of my left hand because this finger has the least pressure and is gentle.
3. Apply a few droplets of Micellar water on the pad.
4. Gently press the moistened pad on the top side of the lashes and keep the finger there for a few seconds to permit the micellar water to dissolve the mascara.
5. Gently pull up the eyelid with the opposite hand
6. Repeat step 5 for the underside of the eyelash, being careful to avoid contact with the eyeball
7. Repeat if needed.

LASH SERUM — CARE IS APPLIED HERE

After I have completed the main steps of my nighttime skin care routine, I then apply a lash serum. I admit that prior to this year, I didn’t pay much attention to my lashes until I noticed that they were lacking in the fullness department. I decided to invest in a serum to strengthen the hairs and stimulate growth so that I would preserve them. As with face serums, consistent usage for at least 8 weeks will yield positive results. A great one to try is the Shiseido Full Lash and Eyebrow Serum.

MASCARA — WHICH TYPE IS FOR ME?

There are as many mascaras on the market as there are lashes in the world and it is daunting to select the ideal one for your personal needs. The trick to selecting your ideal mascara is to focus on your eyelash issue:

Mascara Type:

For sparse lashes = Volumizing

For short lashes = Lengthening

For straight lashes = Fanning effect.

CURLY Q’S

A key tool for eyelash beauty is to curl the eyelashes without breaking them. My personal favourite is the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler because it never pinches my eyelids and opens up my eyes. It allows my eyelashes to act as a frames to my pupils so that people can feel their dark roast intensity.

The tricks to a successful curling session are:

1. Open the mouth of the curler wide
2. Gently lift the eyelid
3. Slowly glide the curler along the length of the lashes until you tap your eyelid.
4. Once the tap occurs slide the curler a touch forward so that there is space between the curler and the base of the lashes.
5. Slowly clamp down and remain so for several seconds.
6. Release the clamping motion.
7. Slide the curler until it is at the mid-length of the eyelashes.
8. Repeat step 5.

MASCARA — TWO GREAT PICKS FOR FALL 2020

Once the lashes are curled, the fun part starts — mascara!  This season, I discovered two new ones that are wonderful:

Nars Climax Extreme Mascara eliminates the need for primer as two coats transform mere lashes into vavoom ones. The applicator is shaped like a honeycomb and is densely bristled which ensures that each hair is coated in product. The pigment is a rich obsidian that is shiny and striking. I found that for the first two days I struggled with the mascara because I was applying too many coats and the product was wet. I realised on day three that I should apply one thin coat, allow it to dry for a few seconds and then apply a second coat.  This method resulted in mamacita  lashes. The formula, despite its hefty impact, did not flake and was easily removed.

If your style is softer and romantic then I recommend Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes. This lengthening mascara creates a wide-eyed look that looks fresh and innocent. The applicator is shaped like an elongated eggplant and there are columns of bristles that run the length of both sides of the applicator. I love applying this product because the bristles literally allow me to stretch the product along the length of the lashes and they look lifted. The impact is immediate and again I did not feel the need to use primer because the formula was impactful. It lasted all day and was easy to remove.

My tips on how to put on mascara in the most effective way

If you want to enhance the thickness of eyelashes, prior to applying mascara, I tightline my eyes using Vasanti Waterline Kajal in Intense Black.  Its tiny applicator tip is designed to line the inner rim of the eyes, and the formula is long lasting. Visually, the line extends the width of the eyelashes by a millimetre, and when you add mascara and liner, the eyelashes are enhanced and you will likely look smoking hot.

If you apply too much mascara and it clumps, use a spoolie brush, rather than a lash comb, and brush through the lashes from root to tip.  The spoolie brush will gentle disentangle to clump without the risk of using sharping teeth near the eye area.  It will also lift any excess mascara that has been deposited along the length of the lashes.

THE TRUTH BEHIND FALSE LASHES

Picture it: NYE. I was in full glam mode and that included wearing false lashes. The falsies were so heavy that I was nervous that they would budge and then the illusion of glamour would be crushed. Then it happened … the false lashes budged on one eye and I was required to remove the pair while standing in the middle of the dance floor.

The above episode is the one that turned me off to the notion of false lashes. I admire women who can apply and wear them … I am not that woman. I would rather apply a dramatic mascara instead but sometimes, I do wish I could alter the shape of my eyes using a tromp l’oeil and I realised that individual lashes are a fantastic option which will not result in any dance floor embarrassment.

I found a terrific combination with Benefit Real False Lashes Going Solo Lash (60 in a box) and the Invisible Lash Glue.  The individual falsies are actually a tiny wispy bunch of 8-9 hairs of varying lengths which permits them to fit in seamlessly along the lash line. 

The glue is opalescent white but dries clear which means that you do not have to colour over the glue with liner.

My goal is to create a lifted look, so I apply one bunch towards the outer corner of each eye, and I make sure to not curl my eyelashes beforehand.  I find that when I do curl the eyelashes that it is difficult to nestle the bunch into the lash line because it is not curled like the other eyelashes.

Below is my process to apply false lashes:

1. Wear a white t-shirt (trust me on this one, you’ll find out below)
2. Disinfect the tweezers.
3. Wash hands with soap.
4. Open the box of lashes and the tube of glue.
5. Lightly squeeze the glue so that a micro droplet appears at the tip.
6. Take your tweezers and remove one bunch of false lashes.
7. Keep the tweezers clamped on the tip of the bunch.
8. Gingerly dip the base of the bunch into the glue.
9. Continue to keep the tweezers clamped on the bunch (I lost 4 bunches because I stopped clamping and the bunches fell on my black t-shirt and that resulted in them being unusable. This would not have happened had I worn a white t-shirt and I could see where the bunches fell 😉
10. Slowly bring the base of the bunch towards the area if the where you want to apply it.
11. Lower the bunch into position.
12. Wait for several seconds while the glue dries.
13. Release the clamp.
14. Remove the tweezers from the eye area.

The effect is subtle but the outstanding issue is: what about the rest of the lashes. I’m not a fan of using an eyelash curler as it may pull my falsies out of position. I suggest using a curling mascara such a Benefit Roller Lash.  This formula lifts the eyelashes and adds length.  The effect is incredibly sophisticated and the beauty is in how the eyelashes enhance your eye shape.

EYE MUSE

Eye lashes are a beautiful feature that everyone can possess. The key is to care for them; pick the right mascara formula; curl them; and then apply the mascara according to the nature of the formula and the applicator. Remember that a volumizing mascara deposits a heavier formula than a lengthening one, so you will likely not need to wiggle the mascara brush at the base of the lashes to add product. It may take a couple of days to understand how to apply the mascara to your set of lashes. If you want to add more drama but not the risk of dance floor embarrassment, a tiny bunch of lashes is a great option.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.beauty.shoppersdrugmart.ca, www.narscosmetics.ca, Apostolos Vamvouras/Unsplash.com