Bat for lashes.

Eyelashes have always been such a sign of luxury for me. From the start of my childhood when I first saw Thumper’s girlfriend in Bambi and my grandmother’s fluttering mascara-ed eyes to match her epically long, polished fingernails to present day where all the stars don faux mink falsies, long lashes have been a symbol of femininity and allure.

Unluckily for me, I wasn’t born with them. Unlike my younger sister whose eyelashes reach amazing lengths with thickness that only heaps of mascara could help others achieve, I naturally have quite straight, sparse fringes to my lids. Luckily for me, I live in a day and age where false eyelashes are almost the norm- from extensions to glue on strips or individuals to LiLash and Latisse. Long live long lashes!

A dear friend in Phnom Penh was recently visiting family in Canada and explored the realm of extensions, only to add to her naturally striking gorgeous-ness! And in an incredible gesture of sweetness, brought me back a fantastic little pochette filled with a Misencil (a professional grade line of lash products) heated eyelash curler and lash extension treatment. I absolutely adore the curler as its used at the base of the lashes, and anyone who has falsies knows how difficult it can be to wrangle a curler around those babies AND keep them in tact. The nourishing treatment also keeps your natural lashes from getting damaged with extensions- a conditioner of sorts- and a must need to maintain healthy natural lashes, as short or thin as they may be.

A few tips for falsie wearing?

1. You can reuse your lashes (I actually sleep in mine because I’m too lazy to take them off at night….bad Anna!), just pull off the glue and cleanse them until well…they fall apart eventually

2. For Asian or smaller eyes, snip the outer edges off strip lashes so they fit your natural eye shape and don’t extend. They’re already fake, you don’t want them looking weird!

3. Try different sizes. Some women like to go for a subtler look and add a few clusters of falsies glued on here or there for added fullness and others like full-on drama. Test out what you like and what fits with your everyday look- it’s not one size fits all!

4. Take care of your natural lashes with a conditioner. I use LiLash at the moment (and now my Misencil!) to keep them strong and as good-looking as they can naturally be.

5. No need for mascara on extensions. A lot of the time, your esthetician or lash extension provider won’t mention that using cream or oil based eye makeup products will shorten the amount of time that the extensions stay on, as the oil breaks down the glue bonds. If you do want to use mascara, find a water based formula and try to stay away from oil based makeup or makeup remover.

6. STOP PICKING! It’s my number one fail when I have extensions. Usually when I wear strip glued on lashes it’s not a problem, but for some reason when they’re REALLY GLUED ON THERE I can’t help but pick at them- resulting in wear and tear and ultimately the loss of both false and natural lashes. Hands off!

Happy winking!