Lash-tastic!

For my birthday a month-and-a-half ago I became addicted to something. It's not the worst addiction, but I really and truly love this because it exaggerates my features and is totally fun to wear.

I first decided to get fake eyelashes when I was picking up a few necessities in Sephora the week before my birthday. I thought, "Why not do something out of the ordinary for myself on my birthday?" Plus, I'd been trying so hard to find a good mascara that would accentuate my eyes. (I've since found a pretty good one with Clinique's High Definition Lashes.)

As I readied myself for the big night out, I couldn't stop talking about the lashes. How long would it take me to put them on? How would they look on me? Was I going to look like a fool? Matt thought I was ridiculous and kept making fun of me, but he's a boy so it's understandable.

I absolutely loved them! And everyone kept commenting on how awesome my lashes looked. I was so excited. Ang thinks I should wear them every time I go out and let me tell you, I've worn them quite a few times.

Serena recently sent me this article from a beauty blog about how far a gal might go to get those long lashes. There apparently is some type of glaucoma medicine that thickens and lengthens your lashes. However, this doesn't come without some side effects. Apparently this medicine, bimatoprost, is in the form of eye drops and can darken your pupil (I would never want this as I love my blue eyes). It also has been known to cause permanent damage to the optic eye nerve and even cause blindness. Yikes!! Who knew the price for beauty was so high?

This doesn't mean that you need to stay away from all types of lengthening measures. It just means to stay away from strange remedies. I love my eyes and my lashes, but use the fake ones to accentuate from time to time. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Making Up Eyes

Eyes are the most important part of the makeup process. They may take the most time to perfect, but they are certainly the most important. Think about it: when you're having a conversation with someone, they are most likely (and hopefully) looking at your eyes. That's why eyeliners and shadow shades are the way to go. And defying the standard is sometimes a good idea.

For years I have been going against the typical top-lid eyelining standard. I don't use a regular thin pencil (my fave for the inside of the bottom lid is Prescriptives' Softlining Pencil). I use a thick one (Cool Effects by Maybelline). Now you might wonder how it's possible to get a thin line with a thick pencil.

I cannot recall where I came up with this technique. Perhaps I read it in a magazine or perhaps I decided to break the rules and do my own thing (I often enjoy experimenting). But by taking this pencil, holding the corner of my eye, and just getting as close as I can to the lash line, I can form a perfect line. Anytime I try to use a thin pencil up there, I cannot seem to make a line like this - it tends to come out more jagged and disconnected, at which point I try to fix it and end up with a super thick line that is no good for daytime wear. So I save my thin Prescriptives pencil for the bottom and if I'm running out, I make sure that I at least wear this.

Shadows are my favorite part of getting ready. With my blue eyes I like to use shades of purples and browns to bring out the color. Pop Beauty (from London, sold at Sephora) has a great collection to help you create the perfect look. Their Eye Cake (pictured, at right) is a palette of five shadows that can give you options in blending and highlighting. I've been in love with these for more than two years now and they are a staple in my makeup collection. They even have a Makeup Wallet that can be matched up with girls by eye color.

You can easily create the work-appropriate look or jazz up your face with a funky nightglow that's sure to make your eyes POP.


Photo: Sephora.com