Lash-tastic!

Recently people have been asking me how to use mascara to its maximum potential. People have been asking about which brands are best, to curl or not to curl, are lash extensions necessary, what about prescription Latisse? If you've been following along, you might have anticipated that to all of these questions I answer "the key is good technique". Personally, I don't believe in using harsh chemicals around the eyes (the safety info on Latisse says it can permanently change your eye color). I wouldn't want to make any permanent or semi-permanent changes to my lashes, it's too limiting. Penelope Cruz (above) is celebrated for her lashes. They are pretty much perfect--thick, dark, long. I do think she is wearing falsies in this picture, however. Let's discuss how you can max out your lashes, no matter your hair texture, length or fullness.

My lashes, in their natural state, are fine, sparse and stick straight out, which means you can't see them. I've been exploring mascara techniques of late, which all started when I left my eyelash curler at a friend's house. I panicked and thought I'd better go pick it up before I had a major beauty emergency on my hands. I had been using a curler since high school and not a day went by that I didn't squeeze my lashes between it. My old routine was curl at the roots, curl at mid-lash and apply many, many fast coats of mascara to each eye. Once I was without the curler, I needed to improvise. I started at the root of my lashes and slowly moved the mascara brush up to the tips while gently wiggling it back and forth. The technique is to pull the lashes up from the root using the brush. I use a stroke that pulls the lashes closer to the inner corner of my eye, so when I reach the tips, the brush is hovering above the bridge of my nose. The secret is to do this slowly, because that deposits a nice coat of color on the lashes while curling them.

The other day at work I saw a visitor applying her mascara in the bathroom. I couldn't help but watch as she pumped the brush up and down in the mascara barrel (don't do this, it pushes air into the product and dries it out; swirl the wand instead). She then touched the wand to her lashes while blinking rapidly. The effect was minimal--it was as though she hadn't used any product at all, and not in a good way. When our eyes met in the mirror I said to her, "try using a slow, back and forth motion." She did and it made a nice difference. Dislclaimer: I swear I'm not the kind of artist who stalks people in public restrooms just waiting to pounce with helpful (if unsolicited) tips.

Lashes are like the icing on the cake--they bring the whole look together. If you can nail a good technique, you might find yourself walking out of the house feeling polished without any eyeshadow--that's how well great lashes define your face.