Creating the Appearance of Longer Lashes
Use eyeliner to accentuate your eyelashes. Use an eyeliner color that's a little darker than your natural eyelash color. The idea is to make it look like there is more hair at the roots of your eyelashes than there actually are. This will create an illusion of thicker eyelashes. Apply a waterproof eyeliner at the waterline under your eyelashes to add the illusion of length without using up eyelid space. With a small push liner brush, push black shadow into the root of the lashes of the upper eyelid. This will give the illusion of a dark lash line. If you subtly extend the line at the outer corners of your eyes, it will also make your eyelashes look longer. If you want to try something a little more difficult, consider “tight-lining”. This technique takes a skilled hand and involves applying eyeliner between each individual hair at its base creating a subtle line along the edge of your eyelid.
Apply mascara. In general, mascara will make your eyelashes look thicker and longer, as long as you use high quality mascara that doesn't clump. Use a mascara that says “voluminous” on the tube like Voluminous Butterfly by Maybeline. A great way to get the impression of thicker, longer lashes is to work on the base of your lashes, and then slowly work your way up to the tip. Apply a little mascara to an eyeshadow brush and gently brush it onto the roots of your lashes. This creates thickness and your lashes will appear fuller. To make your lashes look really full put on a coat of mascara then use some compressed powder. After that, use another coat of mascara. The powder will make your eye lashes look fuller. Some mascara brands also carry what's called "eyelash primer," which is usually a white-colored product that you apply exactly like mascara. It is used before the actual mascara to enhance length, conditioning, and color of the mascara (important for people with fair colored lashes). As an added bonus, some mascaras like Rimmel London have serums designed to help grow eyelashes faster.
Curl your lashes. Flat eyelashes look short, even if they're not, simply because of the angle at which they're seen. An eyelash curler will give your eyelashes some extra bounce, but do it carefully and gently. The last thing you want to do is tug your lashes at the roots and cause them to fall out prematurely. Start at the base of the lashes. Clamp down at the base for 10 seconds. If you want more of a curl than a sharp bend, squeeze and hold your lash curler in the middle of your eye lashes as well. If you do it too many times, your eye lashes will curl all the way back to your eyelid. This is not a good look for anyone.
Apply fake lashes. If you look closely at pictures of celebrities, you'll notice that many of them wear fake (albeit skillfully applied) eyelashes. Admittedly, there's a steep learning curve in applying false eyelashes so that they look natural and stay put. Once you get the hang of it, however, your lashes will look dramatically longer. The first step is to curl your fake eyelashes. You want them to look perfect before you apply them. Trim them with a small pair of scissors. You want them to be even and not too long. You want a natural look. If your fake eyelashes are too long, they’ll look fake. Then take the adhesive that comes with the lashes and place 2 to 3 drops along the bottom strip. Leave there for 5 to 6 seconds before applying. Install from the outside corner of the eye and work your way inwards. Lastly, be sure to blend your natural eyelashes in with the fake ones. This can be accomplished with most mascaras. To remove your fake eyelashes, use the removal serum provided or apply a couple of dabs of petroleum jelly to the edges of the lashes. Wait about 10 seconds and then slowly pull from the edges towards the center. Do not rip off your fake eyelashes. You might accidentally remove your normal eyelashes.
Get eyelash extensions. If you can afford them, professionally applied eyelash extensions are a beautiful, natural-looking way to enhance your lashes. The process usually takes a couple hours and costs around $100 USD, but the extensions will last for months with only occasional touch-ups. If you decide to go this route, know that it will be more difficult to wash your face. You cannot place too much pressure on your lash extensions without causing them to fall out. You’ll have to wash around your eye or use a cotton swab to clean the actual lashes.
Growing Longer Lashes
Clean your eyelashes. Growing eyelashes starts with hygiene. You want to remove grease, dust, or makeup that clogs your eye-lash follicles. Makeup, more than anything else, tends to cause eyelash loss and reduce your eyelid’s ability to regrow lashes. Remove eye makeup gently and thoroughly before you go to sleep. Letting makeup sit on your eyelashes for extended periods of time isn't good for your eyelashes and will make it more difficult to follow the above steps over time.
Avoid excessive eye rubbing. Especially during allergy season, be sure not to rub your eye lids. Use Visine or another allergy medicine to ease irritation and redness. Periodic rubbing can loosen your lashes and cause them to fall out at a higher rate. In addition, this will add more dust, dirt, and other follicle clogging matter to your eye lids necessitating additional cleaning. If you want to massage your eyelids, this is ok, but be sure your hands are clean first and then try not to rub too vigorously.
Apply oils to your lashes. Apply a thin coat of olive oil, caster oil, coconut oil, or vaseline (petroleum jelly) to your lashes before you go to bed at night. Oils and commercial products such as DiorShow Maximizer will measurably increase the volume, length, and curvature of your lashes with regular use. Dip a clean, mascara-free wand (or a Q-tip) in the oil and gently brush your eyelashes from the base to the tip. If you like, try warming up the oil before use. Make sure that it is slightly above room temperature and not excessively hot. If the oil is too hot, you could scald yourself. After you apply the oil to your lashes, lightly pat them with a tissue or cloth to remove excess oil. Leave on for a couple of hours or overnight depending on how dry your lashes are. Do this every couple of weeks. If you do it too frequently, you may clog your follicles with oil.
Try using green tea on your eyelashes. If you decide that oils are not your cup of tea, then why not try putting green tea on your lashes before bed. Take a cotton swab, dip it in some green tea, and then cover your lashes with it. In the morning, wash thoroughly. Do this for 2 weeks, every night, for noticeable results.
Use petroleum jelly to grow longer lashes. Vaseline Jelly has been a mainstay of the home beauty toolbox for decades. Apply the petroleum jelly just before bed and wash it off in the morning. If you aren’t a fan of the petroleum variety, Vaseline also makes a non-petroleum jelly mix — found at Whole Foods.
Eat specific foods that produce longer lashes. A healthy diet is key. Focus on eating foods rich in protein and vitamins. Foods like fish, eggs, beans, soy protein, and yogurt will help your eyelashes grow. Salmon is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which helps to grow strong nails, shiny hair, and long eyelashes. A lot of women also take a vitamin B complex known as Biotin for longer and healthier eyelashes and hair.
Consult a dermatologist. They may prescribe Latisse, the only FDA approved eyelash growth medication. The only reported side effects are eye irritation, general redness, and itchiness. Most of the time, a dermatologist will only prescribe Latisse for those whose short or non-existent eyelashes are considered a health hazard. Remember that your eyelashes' primary purpose is to keep dirt and other foreign materials out of your eyes. Over the counter solutions are available and might be prescribed by a dermatologist. Many of these over the counter solutions actually work just as well as Latisse for a fraction of the price. These include products such as Rapidlash, Revitalize, and Prolash.
See a plastic surgeon. This is the most extreme method used to get longer eyelashes. Plastic surgeons can transplant hair follicles from your scalp to your eye lids. While this will give you longer eyelashes, recovery is incredibly painful and can impair your vision for several weeks. Since the hair follicle is different than normal eyelash follicle, some patients report needing to trim their eyelashes after their surgery.
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