I'm Blind But My Lashes are So Lush and Long!

If you aren't yet aware, you will be soon - eyelash enhancing is the obsession du jour. Extensions offer a solution for the short and skimpy, and a rapidly increasing range of conditioners and serums are promising to promote dramatic growth.

The extensions are about as appealing to me as Botox - the procedure requires regular and costly maintenance, about $60 to $100 every two to four weeks after the initial professional application at $350 to $500. Add that to an already budget-busting beauty routine and things are likely to get a bit hairy. (No lame pun intended, it just fit.)

So what about these 'miracle' lash conditioners? Well, Zinc magazine relays a cautionary message about them in their summer issue. Popular products like RevitaLash and Jan Marini Age Intervention Eyelash recently fell under scrutiny by the FDA, which seized thousands of tubes of the latter late last year because it contained the drug bimatoprost - also found in Allergan's glaucoma medication Lumigan.

"You run a lot of risk using these products", warns Dr. Debra Jaliman, spokeswoman for the American Academy of Dermatology and a Manhattan dermotologist. She explains that there are very serious possible side effects of the drug bimatoprost that include changing eye colour, irritation, blurry vision or even blindness. "I've seen a couple patients who reported blurry vision. I don't recommend it to anyone." That's all I need to hear.

Though admittedly, seeing one before-and-after photo online, the growth was so dramatic that I did wonder for a fraction of a second 'How much do I really use my eyes?'. Turns out I do use my eyes quite a bit, every day even. Anyway, how could I appreciate my gloriously hairy eyelids if I can't see them?

Which brings me right back to my recent 'miracle' find - and one that won't compromise your eyesight unless you poke yourself with it - the must-have Shu Uemera eyelash curler. I posted about this a few weeks ago, and since then I've become even more impressed with just how well it works. I have been able to abandon my eyelash primer altogether, and I now use about 1/3 of the mascara I needed when I didn't have the curler. So, this simple yet well designed tool not only curls in 30 seconds or less, but it saves me time and money. No need to spend upwards of $30 on the premium mascaras anymore (are they really any better anyway?). I'll stick with my £6 Rimmel. And you can also play around with falsies, go natural or wild with the loads of fashion styles available (those are Shu Uemera's here).

So, fellow fabulous lash seekers - I implore you, don't risk your vision until enough time has passed that we know for a fact that these products are safe. Does anyone remember that European hair serum in the 90s that doubled normal monthly hair growth? Exactly.

Comments

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