To all of my beautiful Asian ladies out there, I come to you with a serious struggle: My stubborn and inflexible, uncompromisingly flat, straight-as-an-arrow eyelashes. And I know many of you out there are fighting the same fight. We at Audrey just want you to know, we’re here for you.
I voiced my concern in the office today, and I was met with resounding solidarity in the movement against straight eyelashes. Being able to curl your lashes will not only result in beautiful and evenly mascara-clad curls, but it will also brighten up your face, tug at those smiling muscles, put you in a better mood, transform you into a pleasant person, and ultimately make the world a better place.
Obviously.
All jokes aside, East Asian and even Southeast Asian women generally do struggle with curling naturally stick-straight lashes. As a result, there’s been plenty of makeup tutorials and suggestions. So here’s a rundown of the best-reviewed products and tips for you to add to your daily makeup routine that will keep you and your eyelashes extra lifted.
1) Find the perfect eyelash curler.
Since East Asian eyes are usually mono-lidded, they have a less prominent brow ridge, causing the eye sockets to be less deeply set, according to Refinery29. It’s important to find an eyelash curler that will be the perfect fit to your eye shape, without pinching and missing any eyelash hairs.
Three popular favorites are the famous Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, the favored Shiseido Eyelash Curler, and the latest Bobbi Brown Gentle Curl Eyelash Curler.
While the first two Japanese brand eyelash curlers have been fighting Stick Straight Lash Syndrome for ages, the latter product had more recently entered the market. Refinery29 did everyone a favor and asked Senior Editor Sharon Yi to test out the Bobbi Brown Gentle Curl Eyelash Curler. Yi explains in the video below that the curler is specifically designed for almond-shaped eyes.
2) Wear waterproof mascara.
Makeup vloggers and beauty experts all over the Internet swear by this simple tip: For beautifully curled lashes with staying power, wear waterproof mascara. Stay away from wet mascaras that will only weigh your lashes down, and stick to dryer, waterproof mascaras for an all-day type of hold.
Makeup blogger Jen from the popular YouTube channel ‘From Head To Toe’ has a great, informative video titled “Mascara 101: Tips for Short, Straight Lashes.” Need I say more? Check it out below.
(In the video, she recommends a few affordable drugstore waterproof mascaras. Out of the suggestions is Maybelline’s The Falsies Black Drama Waterproof Mascara, a brand that was also mentioned in this vlogger’s tutorial. I decided to take one for the team and try out The Falsies, and I’ve been a fan ever since.)
3) Now walk it out (west side walk it out, south side walk it out …).
Lastly, walk your curler up and out as you curl your lashes. Head To Toe’s makeup tutorial above gives a great demonstration of how to curl your lashes this way. This will guarantee a natural curl for your lashes, not an awkward L-shaped bend if you were only to curl your lashes at the base of your eye.
4) Extra tips!
Heat things up a notch – just like many of us use hot curling irons and straighteners to style hair, we can also use heat to give our lashes a lasting curl. Heat your eyelash curler for 10 seconds with a blow dryer, let it cool for a bit, and then proceed to curl your lashes (but be careful not to burn your eye!). Or you can get a heated lash curler like the one used in, again, the video above. And if all else fails, you can follow the advice of one co-worker – use the back of a heated spoon lightly pressed up against your lashes for that desired curl.
Now, curl on.
Photos (in order) via fromheadtotoe.com, girlwithmakeup.com, and bobbibrowncosmetics.com.
