Lash Lift & Mascara Reviews

Shop My Outfit:

Dress is from Chicwish, but I couldn’t find it on their site anymore. I linked some other fun orange dresses on their site

A little over a month ago, I took my lash extensions off and got a lash lift. You can find my eyelash extension review here. I loved my extensions, but you’re technically supposed to take them off every 6 months or so to get a 2 week break, then get a new set. I had mine on for almost a year straight, so it was definitely time to give my lashes a break. Luckily my real lashes didn’t get damaged at all. I was actually really pleased with how great my real lashes looked and they’ve continued to grow too. A year of lash extensions also became a lot of maintenance to keep up with, since mine looked best when I got a fill every 2 weeks. I absolutely love the results from my lash lift and maybe eventually I will get extensions again, but I love the lash lift.

About The Lash Lift

A lash lift is basically a perm of your eyelashes. This lifts your lashes from the root and curls them, making your real lashes look longer and more curly. A lash lift only takes about an hour and will last about 1-2 months. The price is overall a lot more affordable. My lift was $80, and for an extension fill it is usually between $45 and $65 every 2 weeks depending on what kind of fill (volume, classic, etc). I am still going strong after 1 month and plan to do it again in around a month.

My natural lashes are long, but very straight. They’re also very fine, so the lift plus mascara makes a huge difference for me. I will say I miss the convenience of waking up looking like I had makeup on with the extensions, but the lash lift has made a HUGE difference for me because I used to spend so much time curling my lashes several times, and the curl didn’t usually last all day. Now I just use a mascara primer and add mascara and my lashes look long. A lot of times, I feel like they look similar to what my extensions looked like. You’re not supposed to wear eye makeup the day of the lift so you can make sure the lift works properly. I plan it for a day that I’m okay with having no makeup on. I use Brittany and highly recommend her. You can find her Instagram page here.

My Favorite Mascaras

For Christmas, I got a Sephora set with the top mascaras from my mother-in-law. I’m a huge mascara junkie, but when you have extensions you’re really not supposed to wear mascara. It can pull the lashes off and cause damage to your real lashes. Once I got my extensions off I had a lot of fun trying these mascaras. Only one of these mascaras is a drug store brand, but I fully believe a good mascara is worth the money. Maybe I’ll do a drug store review later.

• Lancome CILS Booster XL Mascara Primer: I always use a mascara primer before I use regular mascara because it seems to make a big difference in the length and volume for me. I am a huge fan of Lancome mascaras and this one is my favorite primer I’ve tried.
• Yves Saint Laurent “The Shock Volumizing Mascara.”  This mascara is amazing because not only does it give you tons of length, it also gives you tons of volume. This will give you the appearance of false lashes.
• Loreal Voluminous Lash Paradise: I actually just got a sample of this in my most recent JustFab package and was very impressed. It is almost identical to Too Faced “Better Than Sex Mascara”, but costs a lot less.
• Lancome “Monsieur Big Mascara”: This is one of the newer Lancome mascaras and makes a huge difference with volume. I will say this is more of a mascara to use for layering because it goes on thick. I use this with other mascaras that give you length, but are thin to get a more dramatic look.
• Too Faced “Better Than Sex Mascara”: To have a name like that you better have a good product, and this one is probably my favorite mascara. With a quick coat or two it gives you the appearance of false lashes. This is a great mascara that doesn’t require a second mascara for layering, but if I am taking pictures or going to a special event I usually will layer with one coat of the Lancome Monsieur Big.

Mascara Reviews

• MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash: This is a great lengthening mascara, but if you like a more dramatic look like me, you need a second mascara for volume.
• Urban Decay “Perversion Mascara”: I have always had a lot of luck with their mascaras and this one is great too.
• Dior Show: This mascara was okay, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I guess I had very high expectations given that it carries the Dior name. The primer was also just okay as well.
• Laura Mercer: “Caviar Volume”: This mascara is a good one, but takes a bit of work because you have to go slow so it doesn’t clump up.
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara: This mascara was okay, but nothing special. I will probably just stick with their foundation.
• Milk Kush Mascara:  I feel like it made my lashes look pretty straight.
• Makeup Forever Excessive Lash: I was not impressed with this mascara. It went on very thin and I felt like it didn’t make a difference at all.
• Sephora Collection LashCraft Big Length & Volume Mascara: This is a good mascara that gives you a lot of curl. It also doesn’t need a second mascara for volume. Also, since it’s Sephora’s brand, it is a lot more affordable than most on this list.
• Clinique High Impact mascara: Check: This mascara really separates the lashes, but goes on very light. It almost didn’t look like I had mascara on and I had to use another for layering.
• Benefit Roller Lash: This is another great mascara to really separate and lengthen the lashes. It does go on a little thin though. 

Other mascaras I love:

• Hypnose Drama
• Lancome Grandoise Extreme 

About This Outfit:

This Chicwish dress is PERFECT for fall. I never used to be into orange until I attended Oklahoma State University, and I am glad to see orange is huge for fall this year. This dress is so flattering and runs true to size.  The smocked details on the top make it to where you don’t have to wear a bra, which is always a win for me. Sadly I couldn’t find it on Chicwish’s site anymore, but I have linked some other fun orange dresses above.

What is your favorite mascara?

Follow: