I'm a very natural make-up kinda girl. In fact, most days I don't even wear a scrap of make-up to go to work. Part of that is a choice - I've never been into heavy make-up - but it is also because the morning rush getting the kids ready for school and daycare just doesn't leave me the time. So, needless to say, I've never experimented with fake eyelashes.
I always find them a bit scary to be honest. Partly for the look - I've always seen seen the really dramatic, OTT ones favoured by drag-queens and Moulin Rouge dancers that are designed to make a bold statement and not look the slightest bit natural ! But mainly because I've always been decidedly wary of putting glue on my eyelids and accidentally glueing my eyes shut !
But, when Revlon sent me some of their fake lashes to try out, I decided to give them a go. They have various types, each of which offers a different effect.
First up were the Defining Fantasy Lengths lashes, which instantly appealed to me because they have self-adhesive strips so you don't need to use glue. The great thing about this is that, apart from making it impossible to glue your eyes shut (!), if you're a bit cack-handed and/or this is the first time you've tried fake lashes, you can peel them off and restick them if you don't get it quite right first time around. The glue strip won't restick many times though so don't overdue the readjustments ! I love the fact that the lashes are not uniform length so you actually get a pretty natural look with them. For a first attempt I was very impressed. They looked more natural and felt much more comfortable than I was expecting. You also get two extra self-adhesive strips so you can reuse them (and possibly even more than once with eyelash glue).
Next up, I tried another pair from the Fantasy Lengths range but this time "Intensifying" and using glue instead of self-adhesive strips. The packaging proudly states that they are the Temptalia Editor's Choice Winner for Best False Eyelashes 2009. I was again surprised at how natural they looked and how light and comfortable they felt but I did find them a bit more fiddly to apply with glue (although I didn't glue my eyes shut !).
The final pair that I received were from the Beyond Natural range and are labelled as "long volumising". They certainly were volumising but, because the lashes are all the same length, they didn't look natural enough to me. If you're looking for a more intense, dramatic look for a special evening out, they would be great but I found them a bit too much for daywear. These ones are labelled as professional eyelashes, although I have to admit that I don't really know what that means !
Well, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Although I still won't wear fake eyelashes on a daily basis, they are something that I might now think about wearing for a special occasion. They are nowhere near as fiddly, uncomfortable or heavy as I was expecting and I really like the relatively natural look that they give.
If you are a total novice like me, or even if you've used them before but want some extra tips, you can watch a great new video featuring Gucci Westman, the Global Artistic Director for Revlon, on their website, showing step-by-step how to apply false eyelashes and giving a few tips on how to make them look even more real. There are two separate videos, one for glue-on lashes and the other for the self-adhesive lashes.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : about £5.99 depending on the range
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Hi Very interesting review, have used many false lashes in the past might be something to add to my collection. Ps how do you get companies to send you stuff I would love to review products !
ReplyDeletemy email is kathycakebread@gmail.com if you want to spread the wisdom.
Twitter is a great place to contact companies and PR people contact me via my blog too :-)
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ReplyDeleteI've never use it but the effect is amazing
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