During a three-hour drive to the south coast of NSW this week, my best friend Jenny and I were discussing what to pack for a long overseas holiday – as I have just returned from Europe, and she is about to go.
About 30 minutes of that conversation was about eyelash extensions. They have become a hugely popular part of the beauty world and eyelash bars are now as prolific as nail salons, with rapidly filled appointment books. I am hooked.
A full set of silk lashes is a game changer, especially for those of us in a more mature category, who are watching in dismay as our eyes and lashes gradually disappear.
It’s an hour of your life you want back to be sure, lying on a table while a lovely technician painstakingly pokes at the rim of your eyelids for 75 minutes, but the result is addictive.
Your eyes look more defined, brighter, you look fine when you wake up. And miraculously, you don’t really need eye makeup.This, as a person who has more makeup than kitchenware, has been a revelation to me.
I don’t know if I have any natural eyelashes left, I’m not game to look, so I have budgeted having lash refills every three to four weeks for the rest of my natural life.
My mum had her hair set every Saturday, so I feel like it’s the same sort of thing, debilitating eye infections notwithstanding.
Jenny had booked her first lash appointment, and as I am now a convert (which naturally makes me a self-appointed expert), I also threw in my tips for what other must-have makeup items I took overseas.
I managed to edit my makeup bag down to five key items, which makes life so much easier. I would hazard a guess that in the past I normally travelled with more than twenty, including many I didn’t even use.
- The little eyelash brush the lash artist gives you at the end of your appointment is important, as you will need to lightly comb your lashes each morning to keep them clean and prevent clumping.
- A high SPF BB cream. The best tinted moisturisers not only contain sunscreen, which is a daily must, but they also have light reflecting particles which are very flattering on the skin. My favourites are from Bare Minerals and Chanel (Hermes also has a new one, Plein Air Natural Enhancing Complexion Balm).
- A tinted brow gel, to add colour and definition to eyebrows which also balances the more emphasised lashes.
- One lipstick. I took a deep rosy, pink-based red from Byredo, which I dabbed on lightly during the day with my fingertips, and then applied more thickly at night for added glamour. Or after 22 hours in economy gnawing on Temazepam.
- A black felt tip eyeliner pen. I didn’t use it during the day, but a sweep of liner is a nice effect for evening, even if you are wearing the same clothes you had on in the day, which tends to happen. But your lashes will make everything look better. Just don’t rub your eyes.
