I recently found out there's a new mascara, Size Queen Mascara made by Too Faced exclusive to Sephora at this time. It has the most humongous, possibly the biggest brush for mascaras. This already has a built in lash fibers, and it's fantastic. I'll do a full extensive review on this soon :)
On to my post about tools for your lashes.
Eyelash Curlers are so important when it comes to your eyes. Not many people have naturally curly lashes that shoots up into the air. Let's admit, most of us have straight, pointing downwards kind. So when your lashes are pointing down, it'll appear as if your eyes are tired and blocking your eyes. Just by curling your eyelashes, you can make a such a big difference! It'll dramatically open up your eyes and make you look more alert and wide awake!
1. Types of Eyelash Curlers.
There are so many eyelash curlers out there. I have tried many of them, but these 4 that I own are my favorites.
Modelco Turbo Lashwand Heated Curler, Mini Shu Uemura Curler, Regular Shu Uemura Curler, and E.L.F. Curler.
You may ask, why I have so many... Mini and the Regular Shu Uemura Curlers are old. Mini, I haven't really used cuz I'm lazy, but I have it from awhile back. The Regular one is old and I needed it to replace it and found out Shu Uemura are only sold through their website, and from other retailers, but no longer at Sephora or Neiman Marcus, etc... so I bought the E.L.F. Curler for a $1 and I really like them. It's my favorite so far. It's much easier to curl than the Shu Uemura.
Heated Lash Curler
[Modelco Turbo Lashwand Heated Curler: $33]
The Heated Lash Curlers are GREAT for curling your lashes after you have applied your mascara. Using crimping metal lash curlers after mascara applications can get dangerous. Your lashes can get stuck in the curler and pull out your lashes or break them. This is a big no no! Therefore heated lash curlers are great for this. It won't tug or pull your lashes, but gently curl them with heat.
How to use: Heated lash curlers are battery operated and there's a on-off button. You leave it on for about 30 seconds to let it heat up, then apply the tip with the brush on it gently to your lashes and hold them up for about 10-15 seconds. This will slightly melt the mascara and reset them. It's a little curling iron for your lashes. You don't have to worry about burning yourself cuz it's not super hot. However with anything near your eyes, you should be careful.
The Modelco Turbo Lashwand supposedly is the best heated curlers out there. It lasts long, heats up fast, etc... but you have other options. Check out Sephora brands, Panasonic, Japonesque, and other brands sold on Amazon. The other ones run from about $12 to $20. I've tried the Sephora brand, I think the Modelco is far superior than the Sephora brand.
Mini Lash Curler
[Shu Uemura mini lash curler: $14]
This is just like any lash curler, however smaller to help curl and reach lashes you may miss with the regular size. It's a bit more tedious to use, which maybe the reason why I don't use it very often. But it's great for curling the inner and outter corner of your eyes.
How to use: Place the mini lash curler just like any other lash curler, but place small sections of your lashes. Crimp close to your lashline, release and in pumping action, start pumping away from your face.
Eye Lash Curler
[Shu Uemura Lash Curler: $19]
The metal eye lash curler is probably the most widely known and used lash curler. Shu Uemura is the holy grail of eye lash curler because it fits almost every eyes (even small asian eyes ^___^). I have to say this was my favorite eye lash curler until they stopped carrying it at Sephora. Shu Uemura is now only sold online. And they don't sell refills therefore, you must replace the entire lash curler after you are done with refills. I tried putting in different refill and it still wasn't working, because the metal lash curler itself gets loose and needs to be replaced.
How to use: Place the metal round part to your eye lids, place the bottom rounded part to line up with your upper lash line. Try to get it close to it as possible, almost lifting up your lash line (exposing the waterline). Squeeze for 3 seconds at the base of your lashes, and start pumping away from your lash line/ face until you have hit the tip of your lashes. Go into your baseline and pump once again for an extra lift.
Tip: When placing the curler on your baseline, lift your eyelids with your other hand to get really close to the lash line.
You can also blow dry your lash curler to heat it and help curl lashes better, but personally, I think this is soooo dangerous, cuz if you didn't let your curler cool enough, you can really burn your eyes/lids and do some permanent damage. If you decide to do this, don't blow dry it more than 5-10 seconds, and make sure to touch the metal part to make sure it's not scorching hot.
Shu Uemura on the left and E.L.F. on the right.
[E.L.F. Metal Eye Lash Curler: $1]
Yes, you read that right. ONE DOLLAR!!!! This one is from E.L.F (Eyes Lips Face). I decided to try this one out since it's only a dollar. But I fell in love with this lash curler. I really like this one because it has a bit more spring to it than other metal lash curler. So when you pump you get more of a squeeze action than others. This makes curling your lashes effortless. The round metal part doesn't fit as well as the Shu Uemura ones, but I don't really have a problem with these. It pumps your lashes really well. And bottom line, it's only a DOLLAR!!! So try it out. I highly recommend it.
Now putting these to use: I'm just gonna tell you guys how you these tools and how I apply mascara when using these tools.
Heated Lash Curler:
1. Turn on the heated lash curler first to let it warm up.
2. I will sometimes curl my lashes with the metal curlers first.
3. Apply regular mascara. You won't need heated lash curler for waterproof mascaras.
4. Apply heated lash curler to the base of your lashes applying slight pressure towards your eyes. But don't let it touch your eyelids. Apply pressure for about 10-15 seconds. If you are scared, start with 5. You can always go back and apply more heat.
5. Then move on to the middle and to the ends of your lashes. Ends of your lashes need only about 5 seconds.
6. DO NOT TRY TO BRUSH YOUR LASHES WITH HEATED LASH CURLER. It's not gonna work.
7. Brush your lashes with lash brush.
8. Clean the brush head of your lash curler.
Metal Lash Curlers:
1. As mentioned above, you always want to start at the base. Lift the lids to expose the base/waterline of your lashes, place the metal part as close to your baseline as possible.
2. Pump/ squeeze for about 5 seconds, release and start pumping for about second each away from your face to the ends of your lashes.
3. Go back to the base, lift your lids, pump at the base for 5 seconds again.
4. Lift your lashes, apply mascara in a zig zag motion starting at the base. Apply one thin coat so your lashes don't droop. Let it dry and apply more layers if necessary.
Some Miloberry Tips:
1. For better hold, before you use the metal lash curler, apply one thin coat of clear mascara or brow gel if you have it. Then curl. It'll set your lashes so well and even with heavy mascara, it'll hold your curls and hold your lashes up all day. And this far less dangerous than curling your lashes after applying thick mascara.
2. Use waterproof formula. The wax in the waterproof mascaras dry up faster than regular formulas, therefore holds curls even on limpy asian lashes like mine.
3. Use something to protect your lids when applying mascara. You can use a business card. This will help you keep your lashes up and your lids won't get messy when applying mascara. Or you can get one of these suckers from ebay. I bought my Etude Lash Comb/ Protector at a Korean Beauty Store for $3.99. It folds and also has a lash brush. it's pretty nifty. It's also good for catching eyeshadows from falling onto your cheeks and applying mascara to bottom lashes. There are couple variations of this, but really, a business card will do. or just thick piece of paper. Check out ebay or amazon.
This is what I have from Etude. And this is how you use it.
And can get the same effect with a business card...
These are some of other variations....
4. Remember to zig zag when applying your lashes, So instead of base to the ends, try applying from inner corner to the outter corner and back and forth from left to right, right to left. This helps minimize clumps and lifts your eye lashes.
5. If you have really liquidy, watery mascara or a brand new one, take the brush out of the tube, wipe the excess of at the rim and wave your wand for 3-5 seconds. The air will help it give it more consistency to the mascara formula and won't weigh your lashes down. And minimizes the clumping.
Hope this was helpful... and next installment of lashes lashes lashes will be about applying and picking fake lashes!
Also, I'm going to be giving away Kevyn Aucoin Lash Curler (which I hear is very comparable to the Shu Uemura Lash Curlers), so please subscribe and keep on reading my blog so you can win one of these hot lash curlers! :)
