Advanced Skin Care and Beauty Treatment Reviews - SkinGeek.com

What’s the most instant, most effective, and most essential makeup procedure for an Asian girl?  EYE MAKEUP… in this case, MASCARA!  There’s a reason why Japanese magazine cover girls look like artisan-sculpted porcelain dolls and MASCARA is what gives that leap from blah-flat-meek features (a downside of having very refined Asian features) to Va-Va-Voom, cartoon diva dollish look with Westernized super-definition.  See my plea for help with eyelashes here :http://www.innerrewards.com/topics/beauty/discussions/eyelash-perming-vs-eyelash-extensions-which-one-lasts-longer-/

I have very short, sparse, and stiff (read: hard to curl) eyelashes and have coveted thick, long, lush Mediterranean lashes for as long as I could remember and curling them to open up my eyes gives a notable difference in how energized and “good” I look.

Bambi lash moments are hard-earned and hit-or-miss, requiring more time, practice and effort than I’d normally like to expend.  In my clubbing days I used to be a pro at applying fake eyelashes of all sorts, particularly favoring ones with rhinestone “dew drops” along the top side of lashes, and I used to research cosmetologists and beauticians for the best eyelash extensions.  At this age, however, I’m just too tired to play dollhouse on my face though I love to.  I needed motivation to go all out with the eyelashes again.

If it’s not the perfect crush or a charmer date, it’s work.  The motivation to make money has proved most effective in push my eyelash laziness out of the way.  5 months ago, my new job provided incentive to max out lash illusions again… on a daily basis.  I still have ample supplies of fake eyelashes from my 20s, but laziness and a lack of good eyelash glue became a hindrance to using them.   Buying mascaras from stores and counters turned out to be the most efficient way to get the eyelash look I felt okay with.

Within the last 4 months I tested more than a dozen “rave reviewed” mascaras and here I document my self-learned eyelash magic and blunders.

EYELASH CURLERS

THE Eyelash curler that’s been my staples for years is the SHISEIDO eyelash curler.  Despite the entire beauty world’s cult worship of Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler, I didn’t like the Shu Uemura eyelash curler, even when I was much younger with fuller lashes.  Maybe I will buy another next month to test.  The Shiseido lash curler fitted the shape of my eyes better, was able to grab onto my super short and stout lashes, and provides a satisfactory curl to this day.  I recently got a new Shiseido curler and it’s been at least 5 years since buying the last one.

I also have several Japanese heated electric eyelash curlers that costed between 20-40USD each.  They proved to be too gimmicky and waiting for the curler to heat up to optimal heat is a pain.  Also, it is hard to find a heated curler that matches the curve of my eyes, it is bulkier, more of a one-time application thing and provides less control.

I also tried many bottom lash curlers and other petite versions of eyelash curlers that were designed for lashes along the edges of the eyes.  The arcs and “lock angles” on these contraptions have been consistently disappointing and a waste of money and create micro-clutter in the makeup bags.  One of these days I just need to throw them out, since I never use them.

HOW TO CURL SHORT, STIFF EYELASHES

My favorite eyelash curling procedure is as follows:

1. Shiseido curl my eyelashes until satisfied with the arc, being slow, methodical, firm, but gentle with the curling procedure. (otherwise my lashes start to angle in a messy way)
2. Paint with mascara - will break down the mascaras in the 3rd section of this article
3. In case where the curl is not maintained after mascara application, I will heat up a metal spoon with a blowdryer and gently press the belly of the heated spoon against lashes until the curl sets.  Finding the optimal spoon is a very personal experience that I cannot give much physical advice with; however, using the right spoon can be better than using fingers to hold the eyelashes “up” in its curl angle.
4. If there is any clumping or tangling, using a soft bristled old toothbrush to gently separate the clumps and stuck-together lashes beats ANY store-purchased eyelash comb I’ve ever wasted money on.
5. If you have your mascara on already and the curl loses its “oomph,” use a MINATURE eyelash curler (sold at any Japanese market or candy store) which is essentially about 1/2 or 1/3 of the arc of a normal eyelash curler, and gently curl your mascara-coated lashes in sections.  When purchasing this, make sure the sides (the tongs) part of the curler are as skinny or thin as possible because you need to stick this miniature curler between eyelash segments along the arc of your eyelid.  The thinner the holder part is, the less “gap” will result from “recurling” your eyelashes in sections, especially when there is mascara present.

Primers: Eyelash primers, polymer eyelash extenders, eyelash treatments and eyelash growing serums

Almost none of the eyelash growing serums I’ve tried worked.  They are simply an extra step that doesn’t do much for me, and often irritates my eyes with whatever weird actives that are supposedly infused.

The three most “credible-looking” eyelash extending growth serums are extremely expensive, running  upwards of $200 per tube.  I think it’s easier to just get an extension or stick on fake eyelashes.

As for primers, lash fibers, microfibers, polymers, and extenders (before the color coating), most clear versions like Jane’s, DO NOT WORK.

There are other varieties I believe, that look so odd I don’t even remember the brand or the product names.  When I bought Kiss Me by Blinc (a big disappointer… if you’re looking for dramatic lashes Kiss Me by Blinc will NOT do it) from a well stocked high-end Japanese cosmetics boutique in downtown Vancouver, the clerk with Bambi lashes recommended me a gimmicky product by a high-end japanese or french line (I couldn’t remember the brand name) where it’s a small glass tube filled with hairy black microfibers.

UPDATE 4-28-2009  I JUST FOUND THIS LINK when browsing and researching http://www.talika.com/product-lash-extender.html  The product is Talika lash extender.

The best way I could describe it was “dry lash fibers with no glue or stickiness to them”, consisting of very short, fine, fake eyelash bits just thrown into a tube.  It turned out to be extremely hard to apply and fell all over my cheeks whenever I try to put it on my lashes and it made me look like I had hair all over my cheeks.  Everytime I try to use the product I have to wash off all of my makeup and redo everything.  I have no idea how it works to this day.  If anyone wants to give me updated instructions please do!!

The best extending polymer I have encountered is the XXL extensions by Maybelline.  This product works best within the first 10 days of opening.  After that it gets clumpy and requires some muscle and care in application.  Provides incredibly dramatic eyelashes and is more a volume builder than lengthener, however the lengthening effects are satisfactory.  http://www.walgreens.com/store/pickcolor.jsp?CATID=100566&navAction=jump&navCount=1&nug=VPD&skuid=sku4273763&id=prod4274893  If you use this mascara, keep a fresh supply handy and you will continue to enjoy amazingly beautiful eyes.  It does give a very artificial, heavy look AND removal is difficult.  It leaves pigment residue around your eyes so you have to be very diligent about cleanup and makeup removal or you may adopt the Panda-eye instead of the Bambi eye.

LENGTHENING MASCARAS

1) First place winner is TARTE lengthening mascara.  It’s called… “Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara.”  Its lengthening and separating performance REALLY surprised me, because it has never been one of those “Sephora’s best” or “Sephora’s best mascaras” candidates and was never marketed that way.  First of all the ingredients are all very easy on the skin, and easy on the eyes, perfect for contact lens wearers and people who are oddly sensitive or easily irritated.  Secondly it lengthens BEAUTIFULLY and holds your curl perfectly without getting everything all tangled up and sprutting in odd angles like 99% of other mascaras do.  I regret having deviated away from this one when my first tube ran out.  I couldn’t find any Sephoras that didn’t run out of it and even bought the WATERPROOF version of it by mistake.  The Waterproof version DOES NOT LENGTHEN and does not have the lash building power of the original version.  I love the cute packaging, and the ingredients are ALL natural, very nourishing, and easy to wash off completely.  It doesn’t have the artificial, chemically, damaging feeling that the Maybellines and L’Oreals give.  This is definitely my staple and I will do my best to stay loyal to this one and buy Tarte next time!

2) L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara in carbon black:  Lengthens beautifully, elegantly, cleanly.  My favorite thing about this mascara is the brush.  It is very refined and works great on sparse Asian lashes.  The only thing is it might leave the lashes a little too thin, not enough volume.  But, for a lengthening mascara this one is perfect.  Again, the product only works within 10-15 days of opening but doesn’t get as clumpy as the volume-building ones like the Maybelline I mention above.  http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100566&navAction=jump&navCount=2&nug=VPD&skuid=sku3591258&id=prod3592415

MASCARA LOSERS:

Lancome Hypnose: despite being ABSOLUTELY AWESTRUCK at the Lancome clerk’s dazzling lashes, this mascara failed my expectations for something that had such solid recommendations behind it.  There was about 5 cosmetic counter clerks surrounding me pledging the most adamant oath to me on how amazing the Lancome Hynose is for lashes.  It turned out to be no where near the L’Oreal Telescopic nor the Tarte Lengthening.  Hypnose gives me color, is great at extending eyelashes in a very refined way, upon one or two applications. However, the overall lengthening effect is NOT dramatic, and it CLUMPS TOO EASILY (there is not enough oils or wetness in the mascara) and the clumps are too small and sandy for me to get with combs or the brush.  Very annoying  I keep wondering if it doesn’t work for me because I didn’t get the primer.  For an expensive high end counter mascara this one is best perhaps in its packaging?  The tube is an ergonomic, sleek design that’s very comfortable to hold in the hand.  I will continue to experiment with it and see how it fares out before it dries out.

Tarte Waterproof Lengthening Mascara:  Though the sister mascara (the non-waterproof version) is my lash-star, this one is the failing sibling.  Do not buy.

Dior DIOR SHOW: I bought this one multiple times and there is a reason why I keep forgetting it.  It’s a generic, blah mascara that doesn’t live up to Sephora’s long term hype for it!

Blinc Kiss Me: I’ve been following the unique selling point of this mascara for years.  Tubing the lashes and easy removal sounds great on paper.  It does not lengthen.  The tubing process does NOT keep curls in shape.  And as for easy cleanup and low irritation, Tarte blows this one out of the water.

Bottom line: Dior and Lancome are POWERSELLERS at cosmetics counters.  Don’t trust!

MAKEUP REMOVAL:

For me, eye makeup is scary because the pigments are dark and intense and is hard to clean off.  Most facial cleansers that I use are too gentle and do not do a deep cleaning job, even when the label says “deep cleansing”.  I found the best cleanser for heavy eye makeup isn’t the endless cotton-puff toniques or heavy cold creams, but actually ARTISAN HAND CRAFTED, HAND MILLED SOAPS with high fat content (using high quality vegan oils like sweet almond oil, for example) and luxurious foaming properties.  Also, antibacterial Q-tips are great for getting the “gunk” or the “dead mascara-polymer eyelash corpses” out of the corner and inner lid of your eyes.  CLEAN CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY or you may wake up with puffy eyes from irritation!