After all the doom and gloom that I inflicted upon the New Year in my last blog post (If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy – apologies.) let’s talk about something that will put the sparkle back in your eye.

What is it they say? “Eyelashes are the window frames of the eyes that are the windows into the soul?” – or something like that. But it’s true. You can be rocking a freshly scrubbed face – sans lipstick, blush (if you don’t have my ghostly pallor) and eyeshadow – slap on a little mascara – and voila! Bombshell. Not to mention the effectiveness of a girlish fluttering of the lashes while attempting to get what you want (</em>seriously, if only for comedic effect, it’s a handy tool.</em>)



In fact, according to a segment on The Today Show, a coat of mascara isn’t the only way to “lash out” and make your “peepers pop” (yes… they really said these things – sigh*). And with the help of a willing model (i.e. guinea pig – you could have called me, folks. Again sigh*) good ol’ Hoda and Kathy Lee examined a few new fangled cosmetic products and procedures that might actually bury the lash curler/ mascara combo that has reigned supreme in the eyelash world for as long as gals have been batting them.

The first is the “Lash Dip” – sounds fun, no? I mean, who doesn’t love a little dip? A dip in the ocean? Or the pool? Or a giant vat of cheese dip? But I digress. The “LashDip” is described by its founders as being “the world’s most perfect coat of mascara,” and while I haven’t tried it myself – (Any salons out there who need a ‘guinea pig’ feel free to use my digits!) it sort of sounds like it is! LashDip is carefully painted onto each individual lash while you’re chillin’ with your aesthetician with the promised result being “perfectly sculpted jet black lashes for up to 6 weeks (if you can keep your paws off your eye-fringe.) Each session costs between $200 and $300 dollars – beauty ain’t always cheap folks.

Of course, another avenue to LashVille (I will not make a country music reference. I will not make a country music reference. I will not make a… oh crap.) is the only prescription FDA approved drug to grow “longer, thicker, luscious and darker lashes”. Now we’ve all read that there may be some side-effect issues with this product, namely discoloration to light colored eyes and irritation. You just brush it on your upper lid, along the eyelash hair, follicle every day and voila – your lashes start sprouting like a Chia pet. “It’s magic!” “No. It’s Science!” “Eh, same thing.” A prescription for Latisse will cost you a Dr. visit and $120 for the actual product.



While hair extensions run rampant on club dance floors throughout HollywoodLand, another kind of ‘weave’ is rapidly following suit. I’m talking about lash extensions and when my girlfriend showed up to brunch the other day with hers flowing and fluttering I nearly choked on my mimosa. They were lovely… and looked totally natural. The process takes between 1 – 2 hours - within such time an aesthetician will meticulously apply long, lustrous single extension lashes to your own. The results last between 2 – 3 weeks and are priced between $200 - $300 dollars – but, damn, they look good! Of course you can get temporarily similar results if you’re really, really good at applying individual fake lashes (Side Note: they will NOT, however, last 2 -3 weeks. I’m just sayin’.)

Some less expensive lash growth products are also available at my beloved Sephora (It’s like a beautiful heavenly farm where deliciously smelly and shiny cosmetic products are born – I want to live in such a place.) as well as the aisles of your drug store. Many beauty companies are jumping on this bandwagon offering up growth serums, conditioners and fancy potions mixed up by a Hogwarts Professor (Okay… that last one is only something I dream about.) Talika Lipocils Eyelash Conditioning Gel ($40), Lash Relongé ($99), L’Oreal Lash Boosting Serum ($14.95) – There are any number of products out there, so I strongly suggest doing your research, even if it bores you to tears (without eyelashes, tears are going to create a pretty serious situation – spend some time with that thought if you’re thinking about shirking off the research.)

With all this fanciness at hand, there really is no excuse for short, stubby lashes. Even if you go with old faithful (ie. Metal eyelash curler and mascara), painting your eye fringe is the best way to look au natural without scaring the neighbors (like I did last week.)



'til Next Time!