I wanted to write a bit about my lash routine. I find that curling my lashes balances my eyes which are lightly hooded and slightly droopy. It opens up the eyes and works wonders if your eyes are small or deep-set. The lashes also look longer and because you can see more lash surface.
If I want to do a no-makeup look (or actually go without makeup, or skip the mascara because I expect to cry -- I cry during films and concerts)), I just curl your lashes and maybe run a little mascara through them (especially the ends) and tightline.
Lash curlers are one of the few products where I really suggest shopping around till you find the perfect one, and splurging a bit if needed.
The most important thing is that the lash curler has a rounded rubber/silicone pad. And there should be absolutely no sharp edges. Don't use the really cheap ones with plastic handles, as I've heard some horror stories of them breaking during curling.
Some recommendations are: MAC, Shu Uemura, Sephora, Revlon, Inglot and Kevyn Aucoin and Tweezerman. Shiseido is less curved and great for "flatter" eyes. The HM curlers are also great for bigger eyes with less curve.
Be careful with really cheap ones, often the rubber wears out really easily and has to be replaced -- and in many cases you can't buy just the rubbers so you need to replace the entire curler.. Another question is whether replacement rubbers are sold separately?
The correct way to curl your lashes is this: warm up your curler, I like to put mine on the heater in the winter and in my bar in the summer. It should be warm by the time you've done the rest of your face. You can also use a blow dryer, just don't make the curler too hot.
Curling the lashes right at the roots makes them look longer, curling them in the middle makes them look curlier. Depending on how your lashes are and what kind of effect you want to achieve, experiment with curling your lashes at the base, middle and end -- or all three.
You need to pump a couple of times. How hard you need to press/pump depends on your eyelash curler -- the Shu has less springy rubber and doesn't need much pressure as the MAC, the HM needs quite a lot of the pressure as the curler is constructed a bit differently. You kind of need to test things out and see what works best on your lashes.
Finally, apply mascara, which helps to fix the curl.
Personally I own a MAC eyelash curler, which I bought secondhand. Before this I owned a cheap one from a German drugstore (I don't remember the brand) and I must say that the MAC is much better at curling and much gentler on the lashes.
Update: Evelyn emailed me with a great recommendation -- in Austrian DMs the brand s-he zone has a really good eyelash curler -- it is squarish with very soft and thick rubbers. Apparently Essence used to have a very similar one, marketed as a travel eyelash curler. She also mentions that you can find cheap replacement rubbers in the Müller, so I'm thinking that if the rubber pads of your eyelash curler wore out and the original brand doesn't sell replacements, it is absolutely worth a try to buy cheap rubber pads for the drugstore and see if they fit. Evelyn also mentions that waterproof mascara holds the curl much better than regular mascara, because the inside those oils don't make the hair droop like water does.
Update: Evelyn emailed me with a great recommendation -- in Austrian DMs the brand s-he zone has a really good eyelash curler -- it is squarish with very soft and thick rubbers. Apparently Essence used to have a very similar one, marketed as a travel eyelash curler. She also mentions that you can find cheap replacement rubbers in the Müller, so I'm thinking that if the rubber pads of your eyelash curler wore out and the original brand doesn't sell replacements, it is absolutely worth a try to buy cheap rubber pads for the drugstore and see if they fit. Evelyn also mentions that waterproof mascara holds the curl much better than regular mascara, because the inside those oils don't make the hair droop like water does.
Also here is a really cool trick you can do. I tried it and it's much easier than it looks:
I've heard really good things about heated eyelash curlers, they are very practical for those with eyelashes that are really stubborn and don't hold the curl. Before buying read though reviews because some heat up too much.
Do you use eyelash curlers? What is your favourite one?
