Confessions... of false eyelashes

I'm not sure what happened but as I have got older those luscious lashes that I had as a child have regressed into these short, sparse sprouts. 

Ok they are not that bad, and I guess I do know what's happened.

Some of you may, but some of you may not know that I am indeed a self confessed... Slap addict! 

And I have nooooo intention of kicking my glamorous habit- even though at times my quest for beauty has left me looking more like a beast. 

Eye lashes are oh so now! There are so many celebrities selling their own lines from Girls allowed, to Katie Perry, Made in Chelsea to TOWIE. Even beauty bloggers like Huda have their own lashes. All of these brands are supporting my habit. 

There are many ways of enhancing your eyelashes. Tinting, curling, perming. Mascaras in every shade with brushes big enough to clean your loo with! Then there are falsies. Strips, clusters, individuals, semi permanent. The good, the bad and the ugly. I have tried them all. 

I love a strip lash! I like them in the day if I want to feel "pretty" and I love them on a night out to complete my "look." 

Thick and full or short and natural if well applied and event appropriate I think they can look great. 

My advice is if you are wearing lashes for work or in the day- choose something more natural. Not too long or thick. Make sure you do trim the lashes to size. One size does not fit all and different brands make a huge difference to the fitting. Make sure you check the size before you apply the adhesive. My favourite strip lash is Ardelle wispies or demi-wispies.

When applying the adhesive please wait a few moments for the glue to become tacky. It honestly makes the application so much easier. If you want to use tweezers to apply the lashes you can buy the special eyelash ones or I like to use pointed ended tweezers. I got mine from Primark for £1. You really don't need to spend a fortune. I think practise makes perfect when it comes to lashes. Try several styles until you find ones that suit you. 

Personally I think a more natural look is best. I apply mine and then blend the lashes with my own with a coat of my favourite mascara. Eyeliner on the top of your lid can hide the line and make the strips less noticeable. 

Another option is to use the cluster lashes. You can purchase these from most drug stores. They look like three lashes ( imagine a birds foot) with a small bulb at the top. You put the glue on the bulb and place it close to the lash line. These last a day maybe a few depending on how you look after them. I think these are slightly harder to apply but can look really lovely. They can come in different colours and lengths too. Try shorter lengths in the inner corner of your eye, and work up the sizes as you reach the outer corner. 

Last but not least are the individual lashes that a professional beautician can place. 

I've had these on several occasions. Whilst they look lovely and in my experience the most natural, they have always damaged my own eyelashes. The other downside is the cost. They can be very expensive to have placed and then you need regular maintenance appointments that can be costly too.

If I have a big event, a wedding or maybe my birthday I would have the individual lashes but I would have them taken off sooner rather than later. 

I have finally recovered from some bad breakage. I had lovely individual lashes placed but sadly woke up one morning with all my lashes on my pillow. The extensions all broke off and left all my lashes broken very close to the root. In this particular instance the lashes were too long and too thick for my natural lash and the weight of them caused the natural lash to snap. I could tell this is what happened by the fact that every lash broke at the same point. 

I'm not saying individuals will damage your lashes but from my own experience I know they can.  It's the same for the adhesive for strips. If you put on too much glue and a lot sticks to your own lashes you could damage a few as you remove the glue. 

Try to look after your own lashes as much as possible. Use a gentle eye makeup remover every day to remove all traces of makeup. Be gentle if you curl your lashes ensuring you don't break them as you bend. Always use a clean eyelash curler and never curl lashes after mascara. 

I've heard and seen amazing results from a product called Revitalash. It is a serum that you put on your lashes every night before bed after you have completed your cleansing routine. I am yet to try this product. However, it is in my Amazon shopping cart so once I've purchased it and used for 1 month I shall report back with my findings.