Lush Lashes - It's all about high drama baby!



Below is a selection of pictures showing me bravely bare-lashed as well as having eyes swathed in luxurious lashings of that über-product - Mascara. This magic in a tube is fittingly applied with a WAND. BOLD STATEMENT OF THE DAY : your look is incomplete without mascara.

How did this magic-maker come about?

4000 BCE

Ancient Egyptians famously love kohl liner and mascara as both eye protectants and adornments. Since almost any ashes can make a good pigment base, they use tons of different recipes—everything from burning almonds to using lead. Less modern, however, were the substances used to keep the color on their lashes: crocodile poop and honey.

100 BCE

Ancient Romans idealize long, dark eyelashes as a sign of chastity because they believe excessive sex causes them to fall out. In order to prove that there's nothing untoward going on in their cubiculums, Roman ladies use charred rose petals, date pits, ashes, antimony, and soot on their lashes.

900 CE

Persian writer and man of fashion Ziryab opens a cosmetology school in what is now Spain, where he teaches women how to formulate mascaras and other cosmetics from soot and antimony.

Eugene Rimmel (yes , think of those Kate Moss ads) created the "first" mascara in 1834. The word "rimmel" still means "mascara" in several languages, including Portuguese(rímel), Turkish (rimel), Romanian (rimel), Italian (rimmel). Coincidentally, the word "rimmel" also means eyelash in Arabic.


The word mascara come from the Italian maschera, which means "mask" from Middle Latin masca or from Old Occitan masco . Modern mascara was created in 1913 by a chemist named T. L. Williams for his sister, Mabel. This early mascara was made from coal dust mixed with Vaseline( good ol' petroleum jelly).The product was a success with Mabel, and Williams began to sell his new product through the mail. His company Mabylline, whose name is a combination of his sister's name and Vaseline, eventually became a leading cosmetics company.Max Factor was the first to create a mascara with a wand applicator in the product tube, which started the modern mascara products available today.


Okay enough history , check out the my not-so-lush lashes become luscious.

No Mascara and way too much flash








No Mascara and extreme blur




No mascara and better light



No Mascara

No Mascara

No mascara

No mascara




Mascara :REVLON GROW LUSCIOUS courtesy of Glamour mag

Mascara :REVLON GROW LUSCIOUS courtesy of Glamour mag

Lies! Well of course I can't expect miracles but I'll tell you why I don't believe this a bit later in the blog post. What's in the fine print under the 96%? Revlon made a bit of a boo-boo here , the formulation while nice and creamy has to be sloppily applied on by the biggest damn wand brush ever. Hello smudge-city. Jessica Biel , those must be falsies. Maybe if they change the brush design , they could redeem themselves because I really liked the way the mascara felt once I applied it but as you can see it didn't add any drama.

Now for my mascara of the moment :DRUMROLL PLEASE . . .



Yes Frieda Pinto , I love your brand and it saved me after an unfortunate stint with individual falsies that ripped out my own lashes.My lashes have slowly recovered as the bare-lashed pics show. Loreal and Maybelline -hands down thus far are my favourite brands.

MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE!

This is absolutely amazing. It doesn't budge, it doesn't run. It comes off when you're having your warm relaxing shower (it should actually read "plenty of warm water"). It peels off easily without damaging your lashes (in silicone-like strips of pure black rubbery-ness) and wow what an effect when you apply this gem of a product! You feel a bit like Spider-man peeling Symbiont off when the "tubes" peel off gently in the shower but who cares - this Mascara (yes it has the honour of a capital M) is awesome. This is the mascara I'm wearing in my profile pic.

This one I also love - it's beautifully intense, love the "come-hither" effect.

I'm wearing it in this pic. Drama hey?

The above are awesome at amping up length but I have a few volumizers that I use now and again for an extreme burlesque-boost. So I use the above and then swish on a coat of one of the below  

I love this formulation , so lux and awesome volume.

As much I'd love to look like Aish and have that thick-Amazonian-jungle-my-lashes-are-damn-fat-and-phat, it doesn't happen exactly like hers in the ad but I must say it's not bad.

I like this for precision , intense colour and for great definition and lash separation.


FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT



Me with my own lashes and very light mascara - one swish of Loreal



Me with individual falsies (eye allure I think -had them done).Those
are my nieces real lashes -she's 12 in the pic(13 now)

me with Xtreme Lashes this year -applied by an optometrist strangely enough

Just plain ol' mascara - two coats

So I won't have the "individual falsies"done again. My eyelashes fell out with the chunks of glue -even though I applied a glue solvent to remove the glue gently  and thank goodness they grew back. Never again!

The Xtreme lashes were pricey (R750 for the application) and one lash is applied to your own lashes and not your skin, as the lashes fall out your own lashes are spared. It gives great volume. With this you cannot use any oil-based creams or make-up removers. It's great for a super special occasion but I still prefer my own lashes.

So I'm over getting fake lashes applied - I had some sort of lash dysmorphia and I'm sticking to Mascara for now





fake lashes -non-individual

Lash extensions

So how long do you have to fake it before you make it? How do you make it? Get out the smakaroos $$$$$$$$!

Latisse (by Allergan - makers of Botox)

http://www.allergan.com/assets/pdf/latisse_pi.pdf - you can click here for the full package insert (you can only get this at a doc)

"LATISSE™ SET TO  BECOME  A  MARKET LEADER  DURING 2009 AS AN  EYELASH GROWTH PRODUCT

“Latisse” is capable of promoting eyelash growth and will be a valuable asset to the cosmetic industry as a prescription topical, only being available through physicians. Current reports confirm that the topical can stimulate eyelash growth, to make them longer and thicker. It is dabbed like an eye-liner at the roots of the eye lashes on the upper eyelid. Side-effects are minor and reversible, but cannot be ignored. The product is not meant to go directly on the eye but is directed at the eyelids. In these persons, glaucoma is not being treated. Home-use, with once-daily application. Images, before and after on the Internet, show good lash growth at 8 weeks and in some cases, before.
Latisse™ is a spin-off of the glaucoma drug Lumigan™ that is used as an eye-drop by ophthalmic surgeons.FDA approved this topical eye medication during 2001. Eyelash-growth has been recorded as one of the known side-effects of Lumigan™.

MORE ABOUT LATANOPROST, PROSTAGLANDIN-INDUCED  HAIR GROWTH.

Studies conducted in 2002, from Seattle, showed that latanoprost can induce anagen ( the growth phase) in telogen (resting) follicles while inducing hypertrophic changes in the involved follicle ( Johnstone et al, 2002, Swedish Medical Centre, Seattle).” Correlation with laboratory studies suggests that initiation and completion of latanoprost hair-growth occur very early in anagen and the likely target is the dermal papilla”. This pharmacological agent has also been used in drops to treat glaucoma in man, in which the intra-ocular pressure is increased. One of its side-effects has also been eyelash growth, and this effect has been capitalized on by the beauty and cosmetic industry, and exploited to formulate eyelash enhancers."

Latisse Information

• Latisse is a prescription drug currently promoted by spokesmodel Brooke Shields that is applied to the base of eyelashes to generate longer lashes

• Latisse keeps hairs in their growth phase, producing longer, darker and thicker eyelashes

• Latisse contains bimatoprost, the same active ingredient that is in the glaucoma drug Lumigan

• The eyelash lengthening is not permanent.

I haven't used this product but Claire Danes and Brooke Shield's have had some excellent results if the pics are to be believed! I want to try it!

NEW MD Lash Factor (you can get this at Metropolitan Cosmetics)

MD LASH FACTOR EYELASH CONDITIONER
.2 oz., 6 month supply
This patent pending formula combines latest skin care science with clinically tested ingredients.  MD Lash Factor Cytokine Complex™ provides lashes with signals necessary to develop fuller, thicker, longer looking lashes.  Thiotaine, a powerful mushroom derived peptide, is formulated in the conditioner to protect and nourish lashes to develop into their fullest potential.

Benefits:

• 95% of users report thicker, fuller, and longer lashes in as little as 30 days. 
• With continue usage, you will notice maximum result at 2-4 months
• Ophthalmologist Tested
• Safe for Contact Lens Wearer
• Safe for sensitive eyes
• Prostaglandin Free

This is a lash enhancement conditioner created by Dr Susan Lin of MD Laser & Cosmetics to promote longer and fuller lashes especially for those who have borne the brunt of often using cosmetics such as mascara and the likes.

Applied once daily, the product promises more than 40% increase in the lash length within 4 weeks. It is applied as you would apply eyeliner on the eyelash hairline. It is marketed as a product that can be used on eyebrows too. It is to be applied only once every night after cleansing your skin. It has to be applied using a brush applicator along the base of both the upper and lower lash line.

MD Lash Factor Ingredients:

The key ingredients of the product are summarized as MD Lash Factor Nutritional Complex that is derived from milk. It is known to promote healthy lashes by enhancing the essential biochemical properties in the hair follicles.
Other ingredients of MD Lash Factor Eyelash Conditioner include Thiotane, which is a powerful amino acid that acts as a strong anti-oxidant and a shield against environmental pollutants, and Panthenol that moisturizes the lashes making them fuller and thicker. Other vital ingredients of the newly improved MD Lash Factor are hydrolyzed glycosaminoglycans, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, biotin, Sodium Lactate, alcohol, inositol, citric acid, Sodium Citrate, proline, and Sodium Phosphate.

Pros:

• MD Lash Factor Eyelash Conditioner is devoid of any drugs or the controversial prostaglandin analogues.
• There is no need for a physician’s prescription to purchase this product.
• The product is paraben free and hypoallergenic.

Cons:

• The website fails to throw light on what constitutes the mysterious MD Lash Factor Nutritional Complex that forms the key ingredients of the product.
• The disclaimer on the official website of MD Lash Factor shrugs all responsibility expected of any eyelash growth product namely to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth.

This has been around for ages, I also haven't tried it but I would like to. It's damn expensive. Okay I think that's enough lashes for now - I'm knackered and the grammer is becoming wonky.



But this not the end! I've still got a great curling mascara to review, so that post is coming up soon.

Ciao, ciao for now

xoxo