Review: my quest for the best eyelash curler on Earth...
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free skin care · Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:28 pm

I guess you could call me something of an eyelash curler connoisseur: After finally having cultivated the long, lush eyelashes of my dreams after testing out nearly every eyelash growth serum on available on the market and finally discovering the one that truly delivers obvious results (see my MUA review for Jan Marini Age Intervention EyeLash), rather than results that can be attributed more to wishful-thinking rather than any sort of noticeable improvements, and after tinting my now completely bat-worthy lashes at home to a stunning and glossy midnight blue/black shade with my beloved 1000 Hours DIY lash tinting kit, I no longer need to wear mascara at all anymore.

Unfortunately, after a HORRIFIC experience the first and only time I was brave enough to get my eyelashes permed which left the little lash hairs either burnt or kinked like some bizarre pubic-hair sprouting from my lashline, I break out in a cold sweat at the thought of offering up my now long and lush lashes as a sort of sacrificial lamb upon the alter of my vanity by contemplating the possibility of giving eyelash perming a 2nd chance, which leaves only a single alternative: manually curling my own lashes with a traditional clamp-style or new-fangled wand-style heated eyelash curler, which is where the whole connoisseur-thing comes in to play.

I have tried just about every single brand and type of eyelash curler listed in MakeupAlley's Productville, as well as some that you've probably never heard of. You will find the EDS forum peppered with my prior reviews over the past couple years for various lash curlers that I was briefly, yet intensely, infatuated with but have since discarded.

I've tested out the much ballyhooed Shiseido and Shu Uemura curlers and was completely underwhelmed -- they didn't suck, but they didn't blow me away, either. I've tested every different variety of lash curler offered by Tweezerman, Japonesque, Revlon, Sephora and LaCross. I actually compiled a list of every eyelash curler that I've tried out in the past year or so and -- at last count -- it numbered over 30!! If that is not dedication to the pursuit of the perfectly curled lash, I don't know what is!!

Now, let me confess straight away that I will always prefer heated eyelash curlers over the traditional clamp-style type -- in fact, I would go so far as to say that I think “eyelash curler” is a complete misnomer in terms of the old-fashioned curlers because they don’t actually *curl* one’s lashes, instead they crimp them – no, wait: they BEND them, at an unnatural, 90-degree angle. But the heated lash curlers, designed in the style of a mascara wand actually give your lashes a completely natural, gentle, sweeping upward c-u-r-v-e that just gives your eyes a look that is completely different than being crimped so they stand straight up.

BEST TRADITIONAL EYELASH CURLER:

Way am I blathering on about heated eyelash curlers when this is supposed to be a review of the best traditional eyelash curler? Because the Tarte Picture Perfect EyeLash Curler is absolutely the very first traditional, clamp-style eyelash curler that I have ever tried because it provides the aforementioned gentle, sweeping curve to my lashes with just a single squeeze of the clamp! No more curling each set of lashes in three separate places (base, middle, tips) in order to achieve the desired result -- instead, one squeeze is all I need!! I love this curler so much that I think I'm going to get a 2nd one to keep in my desk at work for those late-afternoon touch ups before heading out for a night on the tiles.

As I confessed earlier, I no longer wear any type of traditional mascara because I no longer need any false length, thickness or color. Instead, I used to wear Ardell Lash and Brow Growth Accelerator every day to give my lashes a little natural definition, but now I make my own homemade Lash Gloss to give a bit of shine and definition instead (note: recipe can be found in the DIY skincare recipes sticky thread).

These days, my routine is to pre-curl my lashes with the Tarte curler, then apply a coat of my Lash Gloss, then use my (beloved Panasonic) heated eyelash curler to "lock" in the curl so it stays most of the day.

Sometimes, on long days when I know my lashes will need a little extra oomph and holding power, I will use my blow-dryer to heat my Tarte curler for a couple of seconds before curling. Unlike with the Shu Umera and/or Shiseido -- which can become dangerously overheated if you blast it for too many seconds with the blowdryer and leave you with a nasty burn on your eyelid if you were foolish enough not to test it before applying it like I have done a couple of times -- the purple plastic hand grips on Tarte curler actually seem to prevent overheating and possible burn injuries, I guess b/c the all-metal design of the Japanese models act as "heat conductors" that cause the curlers to become dangerously hot.

I've already returned the disappointing Shu Uemura to Sephora but I can't find the packaging and/or receipt for my Shiseido so I'll most likely end up putting it on my swap list. As for the other 28 eyelash curlers that have been cluttering up my makeup drawer: I've already tossed all those puppies in the garbage! I got my Tarte Picture Perfect EyeLash Curler from Sephora for $15, but I'm told that QVC also carries them....

For the record, here's the complete list of all the traditional curlers I have tried and tossed since my quest for the perfect eyelashes began:

Covergirl - Eyelash Curler
Japonesque - Double Pad Eyelash Curler
Japonesque - GoCurl Eyelash Curler
Japonesque - Precision Eyelash Curler
LaCross - Eyelash Curler
LaCross - Professional Eyelash Curler
Lash Pro - Lashpro Eyelash Curler
Luxor - mini-GoCurl Eyelash Curler
Maybelline - Eyelash Curler
Preo - Curl Up Pro Eyelash Curler
Revlon - Cushion Grip Eyelash Curler
Revlon - Expert Effect Eyelash Curler
Revlon - Revlon Pro Eyelash Curler
Sephora - GoCurl Eyelash Curler
Shiseido - Eyelash Curler
Shu Uemura - Eyelash Curler
Sonia Kashuk - Eyelash Curler
Tarte - Picture Perfect EyeLash Curler
Tweezerman - Super Curler Eyelash Curler
Tweezerman - Deluxe Eyelash Curler
Tweezerman - Eyelash Curler
Tweezerman - Corner Eyelash Curler

So now you know that the Tarte Picture Perfect EyeLash Curler gets my vote as the best traditional, clamp-style curler and now here's my vote for best heated lash curler:

BEST HEATED EYELASH CURLER:

I've tried just about every heated eyelash curler on the market (see below for list of brands) and this is my all-time favorite. The thing I love most about it is that you can slide the little lash "comb" off the heating elements so you can hold the heating elements directly against your lashline to give mega-curl that will stay for at least 8 hours. Slide the comb back into place and complete grooming the lashes into a gorgeous, sweeping curved fan that look just like false lashes!

Remember that the key to this and every other heated lash curler is that they should be used AFTER applying your mascara and allowing it to dry. One thing: if you use one of those new-fangled wax-based mascaras that create the "lash tubes" (i.e.: Kiss Me, Kanebo, Miranesse) around each hair, do NOT use a heated lash curler unless you want to by a new one every few weeks. The reason: the waxy formula melts onto the heating elements of the lash curler and become all but impossible to remove or clean off.

I also love the fact that the Panasonic uses one AA battery, as opposed to all the others using a AAA battery.Because of the stronger battery, you don't need to put a fresh battery in the Panasonic curler as often as you have to with all the others....Anyway, I keep my Panasonic heated curler in my makeup bag but I'm thinking of buying a spare to keep on my makeup vanity at home. I found this at Ulta for $14.99.

For the sake of being thorough in my quest for the greatest eyelash curler, here's the list of all the heated versions that I can remember having tested out:

Avon - Heated Eyelash Curler
EyeCurl - Heated Eyelash Curler
Japonesque - mini heated Eyelash Curler
Lashwand - Heated Eyelash Curler
ModelCo - Heated Eyelash Curler
Panasonic - Heated Eyelash Curler
Sephora - Heated Eyelash Curler
Talika - Heated Eyelash Curler

Please keep in mind that the curlers listed above are just the ones that I can remember, there are probably at least a half-dozen whose names I can't recall that are not included on these lists!!

free skin care · Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:57 am

The best eyelash curler is by SUQQU - truly amazing. They are way better than both Shu Uemura and Shiseido. The secret of them is that you can get them right to the root (no pinching) - so you catch every lash. Gives a perfect curl every time. You also get 2 spare pads with them. Brilliant!

free skin care · Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:35 am

I’m English with quite large eyes. Shu Uemura curler really pinches and more often than not gave me kinky eyelashes. Shiseido also pinched a bit and I had to be careful using it because it often bent some of my eyelashes which would then take days to straighten out again. The SUQQU curler just seems foolproof. Only takes one gentle squeeze right at the base of lashes to give a perfect natural looking curl. No need to curl in 3 separate steps. Maybe what suits one person will be hopeless for another. Case of trial and error I suppose. This curler has quite a cult following in the UK.

free skin care · Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:36 am

Keliu wrote:

Hi Carekate,
Have you received your SUQQU curler yet? I am waiting with baited breath for your opinion.

Ladies:

CareKate has a new holy grail (clamp-style/tradtional) eyelash curler! My SUQQU arrived on Friday and I immediately took it for a test drive and it works even better than my (formerly) beloved Tarte. The reason? It has a very shallow "curve" so I can fit my entire lashes into the "curling cage" at once so all my lashes get curled (with the Tarte and others, the lashes in the far corners of my eyes would have to be curled separately).

Now, I'm not sure if this shallow curve would benefit everyone's eye shape but it you have a hard time fitting all your lashes in the curling cage without pinching your eyelid, you might want to check this curler out for yourself.

My only gripe with it is the fact that the curling pad itself is flat rather than rounded, which is usually the leading cause of the lashes getting crimped into the 90-degree angle rather than gently curved, but I haven't experienced the crimping issue with the SUQQU curler (perhaps because of the shallow curve?) so I can't take off any points for that.

Another great thing about the SUQQU curler is that the metal doesn't overheat and get superhot when you blast it with a blow dryer for a few seconds before curling your lashes so the curler works like a curling iron and helps "lock" in the curl, which is what happens when I'd blast the Tarte and all other clamp-style curlers with the blow dryer for more than a couple seconds.

Anyway, my sincerest gratitude to Amber23 and Lunarmm for telling us about this little gem because I never would have known about it otherwise...I love this curler so much that I'm going to purchase a couple more as backup "just in case"....

free skin care · Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:27 am

Yay! Here's one more girl on the bandwagon! Just placed an order for the suqqu curler Very Happy

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