Beauty Find Friday: How to Achieve Longer Lashes

Beautiful bride applying wedding make-up by professional make-up artist on the wedding day photo via Shutterstock

The easy thing to do for long lashes on your wedding day is to grab mascara and glob on four coats. Easy, yes. Attractive, no.

Say bye-bye spider eyes, and hello luxurious lashes. Here are a few ideas for glorious eye-catching attention on your wedding day.

Keeping your lashes in good shape

1. Use a gentle remover and pat or dab at the lids rather than rubbing or pulling.
2. Never tug at your lashes.
3. If you use a lash curler, don’t pull on your lids at all.
4. If you want to remove clumps from mascara, you must do it when the mascara is still wet and easy to comb through. One easy way to get mascara off is to do it in the shower. The steam will easily lift off most mascaras—just a light dab and it’s gone.
5. Also, conditioning your lashes can help stop breakage, so your lashes look longer in a matter of weeks. Experts extol the benefits of a thin layer of olive oil or Aquaphor over your lash line at night, while others reach for do-it-all coconut oil.

Extensions

Not your mom’s fake eyelashes, today’s are professionally applied lash by lash with a gentle bonding agent. With prices that might leave you batting your eyes in shock (around $400 for a full set), these are beauty timesavers and worth every penny. Lasting up to two months (a natural lash cycle), with proper care, you can live in a mascara-free, liner-free, get-up-and-go world that takes you through the wedding into the honeymoon and beyond. Boston brides: Head over to Lash L’Amour (they just started eyebrow extensions, too) or EyeStarr for extensions that make your eyes the prize.

Do it yourself

For a little less commitment (and starting at $5), try self-applied lashes for one-day dazzle. Do an entire strip or just add a few lashes at the lash line’s end for a two-second cat eye.

Quick application steps are:

1. Using cuticle scissors, cut faux lashes to fit your lashline.
2. Apply liquid liner.
3. Apply mascara.
4. Apply thin strip of glue to faux lashes (right on the band).
5. Wait 20 seconds for glue to become tacky.
6. Apply lashes to your lid as close to the lashline as possible.
7. Position perfectly with tweezers.
8. Fill in holes in faux lashes with a thin line of liquid liner.

Mascara Magic

With these step-by-step tips, make the most out of your mascara. Luscious lashes, here you come!

1. Start with a clean canvas. Use an oil-free make-up remover. Avoid removers and cleansers with oil because it will coat your lashes, which means the mascara won’t stick as well.
2. Invest in a good quality lash primer, like Tarte’s Opening Act. Lash primers help to thicken and plump the lashes before you apply the mascara.
3. When you begin to apply the mascara, start at the root of the lash and get as close to it as you can. Wiggle the brush as you go up on your lashes, ensuring a good coat on each lash.
4. The key to achieving longer, fuller lashes with mascara is to also apply mascara to the top of your lashes. It makes a big difference.
5. Always apply mascara after your eyeshadow. If you put it on first, the powder from your shadow will fall on your lashes and you’ll have to reapply mascara.

There’s also something to be said for looking at the mascara brush as part of the endeavor for thick, lovely lashes. If you have short, stubby lashes, use a small, narrow brush because you can get closer to the root of your lash. If your goal is to achieve more voluminous lashes, a thicker, wider brush is a good choice. In this case, look for a brush that is shaped like a Christmas tree. A few of our favorites: Smashbox’s Full Exposure, L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Superstar Mascara (it has a built in primer), and Josie Maran with strengthening Argan Oil. Also check out Flower’s Intensif-Eye, with its three-way brush for 360-degree coverage. Whichever you choose, you can make it instantly waterproof against all those tears of joy with a swipe of Hard Candy’s Fast & Fabulous top coat.

Remember to change your mascara every to two to three months. Over time, bacteria can gather in the mascara, which could cause an infection in your eye. Because since when are red eyes pretty?

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