The Quintessential Beauty

While I sit outside the Mazda dealership waiting for the completion of my oil change, let's have our first discussion on what I believe, given no other makeup, transforms a person from sleepy eyes to sexy eyes in a matter of minutes.

There are three major elements that separate the average person from the belle: beautiful teeth, flawless skin, and remarkable eyes.  These are, in no way, listed by importance - in my opinion, it is essential to strive for all three and not settle for just a fraction of what beauty may behold for you.

Preparing your lashes for magnificence is important to the overall look being achieved - especially for small eyes.  Layering on mascara atop lashes that point downward or lack defining shape may help outline the eye slightly but may even help point out a feature that would best be camouflaged (like the woolly mammonth in Sesame Street) .   To the point, though, use a lash curler!  Sephora sells a great curler that is less than half the size of a regular curler, totally portable and effective (little black curler at top of picture).  It works well for curling sections of your lashes at a time.  The other curler pictured is the Shu Uemura lash curler, sold everywhere, which actually fits my eyes when other curlers may not.

I've tried a multitude of mascara brands, from designer labels to drugstore buys, and have found that I love Maybelline's mascaras better than say, Mac, Lancome, or Smashbox, at about half the price.  The drugstore brand that I dislike, though others have vouched by it, is L'oreal.  It might just be because I've got uncooperative lashes but whenever I apply Lash Blast or Great Lash on its own, no top coat, it undoes my curling and makes them stick straight out like a rod.  Not only that, they don't thicken and cleanup is something else.  One L'oreal mascara in particular that I tried at the recommendation of Kandee Johnson is the Double Extend tube.  This has the lash primer and the color, but when I applied it my lashes lost the curl and were not thick.  When I tried to clean it up, it hardly came off with my Lancome Bifacil makeup remover (it comes off better with soap and water) and came off as strips of microfibers, creating a huge black mess on my face.

At any rate, drugstore brands are so cheap that I would highly recommend buying a few and trying them all out.  Mascara works differently on everyone's lashes due to factors like length, thickness, and our bodies' natural oils so you never know - what works for me might be a disaster for you.  Just keep in mind I am quite particular about my eyelashes and mascara, so I do have a good head about me when it comes to this business.

I've begun to use the Maybelline XXL Waterproof white lengthener, and topping it with the Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express in black glam.  This unique combination extends the eyelashes and helps comb through and separate the lashes with the first layer of white.  The glam black then thickens those lashes and creates a distinct definition that frames the eyes beautifully.  I just checked out the Maybelline website and they've got some new mascaras out that look fabulous so I'm probably going to get more, haha.  You'd think having more than two is excessive but, like I said, perhaps I'm a bit OCD when it comes to eyelashes ha ha.. .. ...  Anyway, their newest mascara is the Great Lash BIG Washable Mascara and, remember how I said I dislike Great Lash - well, it's new so I'm going to try it and maybe the formula will be slightly different and actually work.  lLolL

If you've virtually no eyelashes and/or they're really short, get EYELASH EXTENSIONS!  I did this for a while and got totally addicted to it.  When I had my eyelash extensions in, I hardly ever put on makeup because my eyes were so gorgeous nothing else mattered (not that I'm being conceited, ha ha, but you should have seen me!).  I saved time in not having to put that makeup or even mascara on, everyone always complimented my eyes, and I looked glam with nary a thought to it.  I have a beauty salon I go to, they also do facials and offer other beauty services, that is quite reasonable.  My favorite is Lily - she's the sweetest little lady ever - and she knows how I like them packed on thick and long.  If you'd like more information on her shop, please ask!

Eyelash Extension Maintenance -- For me, extension maintenance was easy as all I had to do was be watchful of how I washed my face and showered.  DO NOT GET YOUR LASHES WET!  Gently wash around your face, and don't entrench your face under the running showerhead water.  One method of eyelash extension application is to use a special glue to adhere the falsies to your natural lashes.  Overexposure to water, in addition to natural oils, diminishes the effectiveness of that adhesion; that is, you'll have to get them touched up sooner or even do a whole new re-application sooner.  I was able to keep my lashes on for five weeks, that's my record.  On average, most are able to keep them about two weeks (or if you're my mother, maybe a little over one week ha ha).  Caveat: you will get addicted and if you ever want to permanently remove them, it may take some real lashes as collateral damage.  Maybe it's just me, but you may feel slightly inadequate about your lashes once they're off.  SO, to save money and your self-esteem, finding the perfect mascara and curler combination would be best for long term.

I <3 MASCARA!  You can too!

Have a beautiful weekend and STAY CUTE!
 

devyn