Lash Em Lash & Brow Enhancer

Lash Em Lash & Brown Enhancing Serum
$70

I've been writing my blog for over 6 years now.  Those who have journeyed with me have laid witness to my litany of lash trials.  Let's see, there has been Latisse,
Neu Lash, RapidLash, RevitaLash, SmartLash, Grande Lash MD and oh yes, Vichy Lift Active Serum (which I am still using, since it conditions them beautifully).

Oh my.

50% of the time, I have experienced significant growth (Latisse, SmartLash, Grande Lash MD) and luscious lashes. I also experienced blood red, itchy eyes that looked and felt like I had ground glass in my corneas.  Prying my eyelids open in the morning was no joy either.

When I could take it no longer, I stopped and as I have experienced before, shed all of my new growth  after a couple of weeks.

Big Sigh...

Length vs. Width...The Age Old Dilemma

Hard to believe, but my mascara tank was on E...I checked all my usual stashes and my goodie closet-- nada.  What to do???  Mascara is definitely a makeup category I don't splurge on.  Yes, I have gone the YSL, Dior, Lancome route in the past, but unlike foundation, shadow, lipstick and blush, I just don't see enough difference to justify the spike in price.

I was on a CVS run and remembered how much I liked mascaras with built in primers in the past.  Having the freedom to haphazardly dash on the (white) primer, which acts as a first coat, is downright liberating.  It also sets the stage nicely for clean looking, non clumpy, long lashes.  By sight, I could not find the last one I used, nor could I remember if it was a L'Oreal or Maybelline offering.  Oh-tay...moving on.  I selected L'Oreal's Double Extend Mascara in Carbon Black.  Frankly, there are so many mascaras within the same brand it's getting harder and harder to choose.  From a marketing stand point, I am not sure how they are just not cannibalizing their own market share...but I digress.  Net net,  how did it work???

What's Neu???

Hi Y'all. Just back from vacation and I am feeling rebooted...maybe because for the first time in years, I was unplugged...no work, no Blog, no Facebook, no Twitter.

Maybe it was the warmth of the sun, but like buds, 7 weeks into my neuLash trial, my eyelashes have blossomed!

Those of you who followed my Latisse journey on my Blog and You Tube, know that I ultimately did grow spectacularly lush lashes. The downside, was wanting to scratch my cranberry eyeballs out with a toothpick, (granted, a normal person would have "discontinued use", as warned). I also found out, this is not a finite experience. Once you stop, all that new growth, sadly, will end up on your cheeks.

I then started using RevitaLash, in the hopes of stemming the fallout, after being enchanted by the tale of the developer creating it for his wife who lost her lashes during chemotherapy. I believe it helped her...it just didn't help me.

I first wrote about neuLash last summer, after noticing a dramatic change in my Aunt Dee's lashes. They hadn't looked that long since her Pucci clad days, when she was never without false lashes. Total De ja vu. Both she and my cousin Karyn were using neuLash nightly, without any ill effects. neuLash is completely drug free, thus Karyn was not at risk for permanently darkening the irises of her hazel eyes, a rare but documented complication with Latisse. Her only drawback was having to cut back on use after she was forced to trim her abundant growth with a cuticle scissor...I'm in!

neuLash, was developed by Skin Research Laboratories. It is applied to clean eyelashes, (or brows), before bedtime from an eyeliner like applicator. The super skinny brush, delivers just the right amount of product. The peptides, vitamins, proteins and licorice extract condition and strengthen the lashes beautifully...without the harsh side effects.

Best of all??? My bats are back!!! Rather than having nagging doubts about using an off-label glaucoma drug in my eyes for the rest of my life, I actually feel great about using neuLash and I think you will too! (It is available from the following websites: www.neuLash.com, www.saks.com and www.neimanmarcus.com).

It is a little pricey??? Yes. But remember...you wear your lashes everyday. What else can you say that about???

And your worth it....

xox,
DD

Fringe Benefits and Deterrents

Oy!!! I goofed and I am hearing it from y'all big time. RevitaLash is NOT available at mass retailers for $49.99. What I was seeing out of the corner of my eye, (which frequently neglects glasses, except for night driving), was RapidLash.
,
I found RevitaLash readily available on Amazon.com for an average of $69.99. RapidLash can also be found on Amazon for considerably less. I read many of the product reviews which were mostly positive. I checked in with one of my GlamourSquad buddies, Charu Sari of Butterfly Diary, who participated in a group trial of RapidLash with other Bloggers. She had a terrible reaction and had to discontinue use. She did however, whole heartily endorse neuLash, which is availble online and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

I first Blogged about neuLash in August, when I went to visit my Aunt Dee in the city. I squealed when she opened the door, remembering her days in Pucci mini dresses, pale lipstick and Twiggy lashes. Her lashes, after 4 weeks were insane! I was just in the beginning of my Latisse masochist phase, but made a mental note of neuLash, since she achieved great results with zero irritation.

One of my great joys on Holidays, is comparing notes with my equally beauty and youth obsessed cousin Karyn. Karyn is a top executive with a luxury retailer in N.Y. and always has her finger on the pulse of the best and latest offerings in the beauty and fashion world. Like two 6 year olds playing with our new Barbies, we sat in my Aunt Dee's foyer, with our 6 lb. makeup cases, comparing "must haves", (I have a list now stored in my Blackberry and which I will report on after purchasing...scouts honor). Most importantly, circling back, I couldn't take my eyes off her Bambi lashes, courtesy of you guessed it- neuLash!!!

Soooo, where do I stand??? It's a bit of a jumble. Latisse, clearly grew my lashes, but at a cost. RevitaLash is maintaining them nicely, but I can't verify they would have grown as long as my Latisse lashes. RapidLash is a less expensive, readily available alternative, which I have not used. NeuLash is expensive, ($150), but based on my DNA, grows piano shawl fringes with no redness, dryness, discomfort or a prescription.

If I had it all to do over again, I would start with neuLash. One thing to keep in mind, you must maintain your growth with some application a few times a week. Only you can decide if this works within your beauty budget.

Maybe by next Christmas, all these products will go the way of the flat screen T.V. and will be able to pick them up for a song...Here's hoping.

xox,
DD

My Top Ten Beauty Faves for 2009 (Part 2)

Ready for round two? Just a couple of qualifiers: This list is not in any particular order. Despite, having tried dozens of terrific products this year, these made the cut, because they are in some way life altering and something that I will use indefinitely in the foreseeable future. This post is longer and more detailed than the last because I am spending the day in my jammies and have more time to devote to it.

6) Oraser- ZO Skin Health Daily Hand Repair- Daily Hand Repair is part of a trio of hand repair products produced by ZO Skin Health. Despite the wasting the SPF 20 while I sleep, the day version is richer and more emollient than the night, so I use this one twice a day. Packed with retinol, vitamins and anti-oxidants, this hand cream truly lifts away dark spots, plumps wrinkles, improves elasticity and softens cuticles. Nothing gives your age away faster than old looking hands. Worth every cent of the 6500 pennies it costs...and yes, I've contemplated using it on my face...many times. I'll keep you posted.

7) RevitaLash- It's hard to know exactly which came first, because I did use Latisse for a full four months, which did grow my eyelashes to permanent false lash proportions. Unfortunately, I endured severe irritation as well as garnet colored eyeballs in the process. I followed up with Revitalash, because like Cinderella's big night out, my new lashes were not permanent. My lashes with RevitaLash are full, soft, lush and if possible, LONGER, with zero irritation. It is also available on line and at mass retailers for $49.99, a fraction of Latisse's prescription only cost.

8) Christi Harris Brow Kit and Benefit Brows A-Go-Go - I wish I could pick one over the other but they both have their strong suits. Ever since I became obsessed with Juliana Margulies eyebrows on the Good Wife, I became aware of how much a well defined eyebrow and arch can enhance your looks. (sidebar to friends, if you think I am staring at your eyebrows when we're talking, I am). I recently Blogged about my experience with the Christi Harris Brow Planing System. It gives step by step instructions on how to achieve brows that suit your face, plus a "planing" tool, that removes hair without pain, irritation or redness. The other plus is the "diffusing" powder, which softens the overall look as a finisher. The kit is available on her website for $39.99. You will save a fortune on waxing and threading. What didn't work for me are the shades of the brow powder in this kit ...thus the necessity of Benefit's Brows A-Go-Go. In addition to the perfect shades to blend for natural looking brows, this kit also includes a liner, a mini tweezer (which I no longer need, thanks to my planer) and a pretty pearly pink shadow to make your arches pop, all for $38.00. Can you guys tawk??? I'd love to only have to lug one of these around.

9) Rimmel Natural Bronzer- Another cheap and cheerful winner from Rimmel London! I am a relative late comer to mineral make up, leaving me torn and guilty as several expensive liquid foundations languish, unfinished. I had a recent epiphany. Why use a lighter shade mineral foundation and finish it with bronzing powder in two steps. What if a mineral bronzer could multi-task for me??? I decided to try the lightest of the Rimmel Natural Bronzer collection, 027 Sun Dance. For $5.99 and a money back guarantee from my beloved CVS, I had nothing to lose. Do I love it??? Naturally. It made the list.

10) My Smokey Classics by Lauren Luke- Lauren Luke debuted her make up collection at Sephora this summer, to great fan fare, (mine too), I Blogged about her remarkable triumph from an unknown, to a You Tube star, to a recently named Women's Wear Daily Award winning make up sensation. I recently met Sam Dark, whose agency manages Lauren Luke's P.R. at a mutual friends party. Though I had been meaning to order one of Lauren Luke's Complete Makeup Palette's for Eyes, Cheeks and Lips, I had not gotten around to it yet. Sam offered to send me one to try and I already knew I liked "My Smokey Classics". I love when my stars align like this and we happily exchanged contacts. The kit is a winner! It is sleek, compact and generously includes two tones of eye shadow primer (Lauren is ALL about eyes, and she strongly believes in laying the proper foundation, 3 Eye Shadows, 2 Lip Colors, Eye Liner and a Blush. The colors are rich and sultry and make me feel glam and special when I use them at night. I do however, use the shadow primers every day (and will continue to use them for the rest of my life), because my eye makeup stays fresh and put all day long. At $38.00, this kit offers tremendous value and for more of Lauren's know how, visit her website or You Tube. I do!!!

So---there you have it. Unless of course something extraordinary crosses my path in the next 11 days. Lots of you have emailed me your faves too! Please share them with others by posting them as comments.

xox,
DD

Fairy Tales Do Come True

I am officially, out of Latisse. Those of you who have followed my Latisse story on You Tube, know I had a very bumpy first chapter...my eyeballs looked like Barber poles and felt like someone was working them over with an emery board, night and day. A normal person would have discontinued use--not me! I was in it till THE END.

16 weeks later, I am in my glory. Every day I can't quite believe those Bambi lashes are all mine...at least for now. Like her Walt Disney cousin Cinderella, the trimmings are strictly on loan. Maintenance is a must (at least 2 or 3 times a week), or all the magic disappears. O.K., all the magic breaks off.

And thus, the quandary...do I get a new prescription for Latisse or do I give the RevitaLash I have stashed in my cosmetic goody closet a whirl?

RevitaLash was one of the first entrants into the "eyelash conditioning and beautification" market. It is significantly less expensive, (I recently saw it on sale at CVS for $49.99). The directions are identical, a thin line, drawn on clean eyelids before bed. Best of all, I like this particular Fairy Tale, because it is true.

RevitaLash was developed by a real life Prince Charming, Dr. Michael Brinkenhoff, for his wife Nancy, who lost her lustrous hair and lashes, while going through chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. (They are pictured above). In addition, a portion of all proceeds benefit non-profit breast cancer research and education initiatives. As a breast cancer survivor, I am touched by his kindness and devotion to his wife and their continuing efforts to help eradicate this disease. RevitaLash also beat Latisse to the punch, and developed a unisex hair product, that hopefully does as much for thinning domes and it does for thinning lids.

So, it's a no brainer...I will try RevitaLash and hope to maintain my lashes, because I would like to maintain my support of their company. (I also much prefer getting fat lashes from a skinny brush...rather than the over sized basting brushes that come with Latisse). Fingers crossed!

As always---To Be Continued.

xox,
DD