In Focus

I recently discovered some new cosmetic procedures that have really been a sanity saver for me.

While I am grateful to be blessed with long eyelashes, the darn things do not like to curl or stay curled. They also naturally curl the wrong way, downward, and straight into my eyeballs. It was such a pain to wake up in the mornings with red, irritated eyes that were just made worse by my allergies.

I tried every trick I came across from holding the eyelash curler for several minutes to even buying an electric one that would heat up. Well, that was a good way to burn my eyelid. It came down to a point I just grabbed the tweezers and plucked the defiant lashes just to get some relief.

During my adventures on the internet one day, I came across a blog about eyelash lifts. In short, it’s basically a perm for eyelashes. My first thought was that it can’t be safe. Wouldn’t the chemicals damage your eyes? It was intriguing. The more I looked into it, and how safe it actually was, I was determined to try this out for my own sanity.

I found a local woman who provided the service. Along with the lift, she dyes my eyelashes black. I no longer need to wear mascara. I was never a fan of mascara as the defiant lashes would just have more clumps on them which ended up in my eyeballs.

This procedure has been saving my eyeballs for months now. I do this about every six weeks. I have noticed my lashes are curling better with each visit, and if I do have to curl them, they stay curled. It’s like they have been trained to grow the right way and stay out of my eyes.

The procedure itself is interesting. A little bump-like thing is stuck to your eyelid and the lashes are glued to it (see picture). The “perm” solution is applied and it smells like rotten eggs. The solution is removed after a few minutes and then the lashes are tinted. I think the whole session takes about 30-45 minutes.

At my most recent appointment, I went there right after I had been out taking pictures of an apartment fire for the newspaper. I was freezing. The cosmetologist knew this and gave me a blanket to warm me up during the procedure. What a kind, thoughtful person. I love my eyelash lady.

While I greatly enjoy how my lashes look, this was a sanity saver for me. Plus...it’s one less step in the morning when I put on my makeup. To me, the money I spend on this saves me time in the long run and I purchase less makeup which saves me money. If you have stubborn eyelashes like me, maybe this procedure is worth looking into.

Then...I was told about microblading...stay tuned!