The mascara that ruined my lashes in just one week!
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Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:35 am

I'm absolutely kicking myself for trying the Napoleon Perdis Cool Black Mascara. It looks like a good mascara, applies nicely and has little fibers in it to build length and volume. It's not actually that great at building the volume and length but it was good for the effect that I'm after (natural but with a bit more definition if that makes sense). It was a freebie with purchase a few months back so I thought "hey, why not".

I've been stupid enough to use this everyday for the last week without paying much attention to what is going on when I remove it (removing it is actually quite easy otherwise I would have just canned it straight away). The first day was fine. Second day I think I lost a lash or two but didn't think much of it. I'm not sure what happened after that but I just realised on the weekend that ever since I started using this mascara I have been losing lots of lashes. Not just when I remove the mascara either - I'd be going to the bathroom at work, I'd look in the mirror when I was washing my hands and there would be an eye lash sitting on my face. Still didn't click at that time (I could kick myself!) Rolling Eyes

I'm sitting here about to bin it but I thought I'd write about it first. I looked in the mirror on the weekend and saw my lashes which are now in decidedly worse shape than they were in just a week ago. Not happy! I see a few weeks worth of using nothing but the Shu Uemura lash conditioner coming up Confused

Ingredients: Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, NYLOL-6, Water, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Iron Oxides.

free skin care · Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:24 am

Poor you! I've never heard of this brand, but will avoid like the plague if I do see it! I seem to remember someone else saying a mascara had made their lashes fall out as well. Hope it's not catching!

Maybe try some of that talika? I have heard that that helps to grow lashes Smile

Mon Jul 04, 2005 5:10 am

Napoleon is an Australian brand although I do believe it's being sold overseas. It's not an el-cheapo one either - the mascara is about thirty bucks. I have had the mascara recommended to me so it DOES work for some people, it certainly didn't work for me though!

To be fair to Napoleon, I've got his Marshmallow Foam Makeup Remover and that's really nice Smile

Mascara - bad. Marshmallow - good.

I've run out of Talika and Mavala as well Sad

The Shu is the closest thing I have to a lash builder. I'll also apply some vit E oil I think just to help things along.

free skin care · Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:02 am

A while ago, someone mentioned vaseline also as a cheap, yet effective lash builder. Worth a try for overnight maybe! Good luck Wink

free skin care · Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:07 am

BTW, FYI, I just saw a lip-plumping product on sale at Walmart on Sunday, called “Dream Lips.” It’s one of those “as seen on TV” products. In addition to the lip plumping, they also have an eye lash conditioner/growth serum (here’s a link to a review from someone on MUA: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemID=66083/The_Salon_Shoppe_Dream_Lash/Unlisted_Brand/Eyes/). Both products cost only $8.00USD each. You should find them on a special aisle display in or around the cosmetic section at your local Walmart. I checked the ingredients of the Dream Lash and they appear to be almost identical to the new eyelash growth treatment stuff that I’m currently using fromwww.starlash.com, except it’s about $30USD cheaper!! Damn, wish I’d known....

Anyway, Mabsy, let me know if you’d like me to pick up a tube of the $8USD Dream Lash conditioner/growth serum stuff for you, in light of your recent Napoleon mascara fiasco....At only eight bucks, it's seriously cheaper than Mavala, Talika, Starlash and just about all of the other eyelash growth serums I've ever seen!

If you don't want to try the Vaseline that Faith mentioned, to regrow your lashes, another cheap home remedy is rubbing (cold-pressed) Castor oil on your lashes. If that's not hygenic enough for you, you can take a clean mascara spooly-wand and swirl it some castor oil or vaseline, squeeze off the excess by pinching the wand between your fingers like a squeegie (sp?!) and then swipe the wand over your lashes.

Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:36 am

Nice find Carrie! I'd love to try a tube of this if you wouldn't mind getting one for me - it sounds easier and more enjoyable than using the vaseline (which I have tried before but it was messy). I'm going straight to emailing you when I log off here Very Happy

Of course, now that you posted this you know that it'll walk off the shelves.... Laughing

Is the StarLash working for you?

free skin care · Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:03 am

Mabsy wrote:

Is the StarLash working for you?

I’ve only been using the StarLash for 17 days now (they say it takes a full 30 days to see complete results), but it does seem to be working. Remember, in the past, I’d been using a combination “lash cocktail” which included Talika Lipocils, Mavala Eyelite Doublelash, Lamas Lash Masque and Horsetail Extract (aka “Silica”) and MSM supplements, but I ran out of all of these items about a month before I bought the StarLash, so the results should be pretty accurate.

My lashes are starting to look thicker and more lush, but upon close inspection, I realize that it’s not because each individual lash is growing thicker but because there are new little lashes sprouting out of my lashline so that I’m growing more lashes which gives the illusion of thickness but which is actually caused by increased density. *Is this making sense?*

I’m also seeing my lashes gain a bit of length as well. Everyone’s lashes has a little blonde tip at the very end, but in addition, mine also have a blond area at the *base* of the lash. So the reason that I know that my lashes are getting a bit longer since I’ve been using the StarLash is because the day before I began using it, I tinted my lashes with the “1000 Hours” DIY lash tinting kit that Mabsy raved about last December and this past weekend, I had to re-tint my lashes because the blond spot at the base of my lashes has reappeared, presumably because my lashes are getting longing due to the StarLash so I had to touch-up my roots, just like I would have to do when the hair on my head grows too fast.

Anyway, all in all, I’m looking forward to measuring my results on Day 30 of using the StarLash, but I don’t know if I’d be willing to repurchase it again once I run out because, as I mentioned in my above-post, the ingredients in StarLash (which cost me about $40USD, including S&H) are nearly identical to the ingredients listed on the DreamLash box, so for anyone who was thinking about trying StarLash but found the pricetag a bit off-putting, you might want to give DreamLash a try instead. Just for comparison, a bottle of Mavala Doublelash costs around $15USD, a tube of Talika Lipocils is around $32USD and the Lamas Lash Masque is around $16USD, while a tube of DreamLash can be bought at Walmart for $8USD.

Mabsy, I’ll stop by Walmart on the way home tonight and snag you a tube of DreamLash. When you have a chance, send me a quick email with your mailing address because I’ve probably misplaced it from last time....

BTW, on another lash-growing note, late last summer, I was researching eyelash growth products like Talika and Mavala (which is actually how I happened to discover the EDS Forum!) and stumbled across a post on the Long Hair Community messageboard where a girl in Finland talked about these oral/nutritional supplements that she was talking to grow her (head) hair, but which had the by-product of causing her eyelashes to grow so long that this girl actually had to *trim* them with scissors because her lashes would scrape the lens of her eyeglasses!! Needless to say, I seriously wanted to get my hands on a bottle of those supplements, but I couldn’t find them on any English-speaking website and I didn’t know anybody in Scandinavia who could either translate the website for me, or buy the pills and ship them to me.

I mean, these pills fired up my lemming so much that I even went so far as to join the LHC forum as a member (remember, folks, I’ve actually got Halle-Berry-short-hair!!!!!) so I could get on their messageboard and search their archives for more info about these wonder-pills. Last week I tried to log back onto the LHC site so I could look up the exact brand name of these pills again, but I wasn’t able to log in because I couldn’t remember my stupid username and/or password. Crying or Very sad

If anyone is a member of the LHC forum, I would be eternally grateful if you could get in there and search the archive/s for the actual brand name of these eyelash growing wonder-pills....

Anyway, in case anyone is wondering and would like to try and search for more info on these eyelash supplements for themselves, the “magic ingredients” included the following: Horsetail extract (aka “Silica”), brewers yeast and seaweed extract.

If we have any Finish or Scandinavian members who not only knows about the secret of these pills, but could buy and send me a bottle, please PM me to work out the details!

Carrie

Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:56 am

Thanks Carrie! Sounds like it's doing something! I've been using the Shu Uemura and my eyelashes seem a bit better today - at least they feel softer and less dried out.

I searched through the LHC forums (I don't think you need to log in to search btw, unless I'm talking about a different forum) but couldn't find the post you were talking about.... I did find a product called "Head Start" for growing hair though... anyone tried?

free skin care · Thu Jul 07, 2005 4:58 pm

Mabsey! What an ordeal!!! And THANKS for the warning.
Meanwhile, being sort of new to this website, I was hoping someone could turn me on to their favorite mascara!
I've been using Maybelline's Lash Discovery for years, but its a little "light" and doesn't quite have the coverage for thick lashes I want. But I keep going back to it, after being disappointed with other mascaras, trying/buying them, usually to get the 'free' gift, but never have been happy with any of them! Lancome was suppose to be the best, but too clumpy.
My wants: "Clean, natural, no smearing, smudging"; just, 'wow, nice lashes' without the Tammy Baker look: is that too much to ask???
My complaints: Too clumpy, smeary, wears off easily, or the last one (expensive) made my lashes sticky! ECK, isn't there A really GREAT mascara out there?????
Hoping for an answer, Vanessa

free skin care · Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:07 pm

Vanessa,

You could try Estee Lauder Lash XL. It doesn't go on thick or clumpy and allows for a natural build up. Because it is a department store brand, you can go to the counter and try it out first. Just a note though, brushing with a metal eyelash comb between coats is the best way to get that perfect, natural lash look. Wink

free skin care · Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:36 pm

I have the Estee lauder XL and dont really like it for the price i paid. I feel as though i have to put so many coats of mascara on to make the effect of thick lashes. And if you dont have natural curled lashes, this mascara is not for u. I'd go with any mascara from Lancome, they are very good

free skin care · Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:40 pm

Thanks Faith, but I did try Estee Lauders mascara; dang. It was a sample one in a 'gift' set; it smeared so badly. I just have such oily skin that I have to use waterproof and that causes that 'stiff' lash look. So its either the racoon look or stiff lashes?
But thanks for the reply... I've tried most of the mascara's at Macys; no luck, so its back to Maybelline.....Vanessa

Fri Jul 08, 2005 6:38 am

I really like my Kiss Me mascara. It gives me natural looking lashes and does not smudge of flake off at all. Best of all, it comes off with just warm water and a bit of pressure.

I also really like the DiorShow mascara - also natural and I think even a bit curling. This one seems to give a bit more definition to my lashes than the Kiss Me but that could be the difference in color. I have DiorShow in black and Kiss Me in purple....

free skin care · Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:55 am

It seems to me that the most favourtite mascara is Doirshow or Hypnose by Lancome.

free skin care · Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:05 am

I'm with faith on the Estee Lauder XL. I do use a primer first...usually Lancome Cils. The forumula of EL's XL is wonderful, however, I've noticed that it dries out in the tube too quickly. So I only purchase this before special occasions. My longtime standby is Lancome Definicils. And, as with any mascara that I wear, I always curl and use a primer before applying. Like many others here, I'm always in search of a HG mascara!

free skin care · Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:58 am

Vanessa -

Have you ever tried the Maybelline mascara called (I think) “Full & Soft”? They have it in both regular and waterproof versions. It’s actually made with a waxy formula so it doesn’t make your lashes look (and feel) “crunchy,” if you know what I mean.

Another mascara that is supposed to be really good is Clinque’s Naturally Glossy mascara, although I haven’t tried it myself (I got tricked into buying a different Clinque formula, who’s name I can’t remember...it might have been “High Impact” or something – I got it because it was the only Clinque mascara that came in burgundy). Yeah, I know, Clinque skincare is evil, but apparently this mascara is worth a look.

I honestly don’t think there is such a thing as a holy grail mascara. I’ve tried tons of both drugstore and department store mascaras over the years and haven’t been able to find one that gives me everything. I’ve actually thought about giving up the search for an HG mascara altogether and just concentrate on getting my lashes as long and healthy as possible using various lash conditioners and/or lash growth accelerators (while helping Mabsy deal with her predicament caused by the Napoleon mascara, I just discovered a something called “Ardell Lash Growth Accelerator” which I have discovered behaves like a clear mascara, but it actually holds a curl from a manual, clamp-type lash curler all day!!). In addition, I tinted my own lashes now with a DIY kit, so I no longer need a mascara to impart color to my lashes. And if the three new lash growth accelerators (StarLash, DreamLash, and the Ardell) I’m currently testing do their jobs, then I won’t really need a mascara to give me fullness and length, in which case I plan to use the Ardell stuff as my “clear mascara” just to give my lashes a bit of shine....

Sun Jul 10, 2005 9:49 am

Do you guys think applying face lotion that contain...horsetail extract (aka “Silica”), brewers yeast, and seaweed extract safe and will grow lashes?

I've looked at all the "lash grower" and realize none of them contain any of the mentioned ingredients, BUT face lotion does...so what do you guys think? Very Happy

Where is our test Miss. Carekate? lol

Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:46 pm

Mabsy wrote:

Napoleon is an Australian brand although I do believe it's being sold overseas.

Hi Mabsy - hope your lashes are all right now!

I was given a tube of the Napoleon Perdis Lip Lacquer by my friend from Hong Kong. I loved the colour - although I did find it a bit sticky for a gloss. I much prefer Benefit's lipglosses. What do you think of the Lip Lacquers?

free skin care · Sun Jul 10, 2005 7:34 pm

You guys are GREAT! I was gone for a long weekend, and come back to read all your great inputs. Thanks.
Yes, I keep going back to Maybelline; I did like Soft and Full; can't remember why I switched over to Lash Discovery... been a while.
Clinique's mascara was pretty good, as I remember, just wasn't worth the extra dollars compared to Lash Discovery's $5. I do remember Lancome was pretty good, but didn't last as long and was a bit stiff... but it was better than most....
SO the quest for the perfect mascara continues.....
I do happen to have decent lashes (some things in life can be fair). For night time, I've been using Benefit's mascara in an eggplant color I love, or L'Oreal's double ended wand: white thickener with black mascara on the other. As close as I can get to natural thick lashes...
Thanks again for everyone's replies! Vanessa

PS the only lip lacquer I've ever tried was from L'rant (sp) but didn't care for so much dryness! I FOUND Vincent Logo's (again spelling sorry) lip stain at Sephora and its like eating cherries on the lips. So you still need to outline and reapply gloss, but at least my lips retain some color. Good luck. (Oh Benefits lipglosses TASTE the BEST!)

Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:43 am

glistenxz - I don't know about that but I swear that I saw a difference in my lashes with some eyecreams that I have used. I am 99.9% sure that my lashes improved when I was using PSF Skincare eye cream (and yes, I did used to apply a bit to my lashes overnight - just whatever I had left over on my fingers).

kween - thank you, they're a bit better. At least they don't feel so dry and brittle anymore. I think that's largely to the Shu Uemura Lash Conditioner. I'm also trying the ModelCO LashBoost but I'm really hating it at the moment. I haven't tried Napoleon lacquers but I'm glad you didn't rave about them or I'd be torn between boycotting Napoleon and wanting to try the lacquer Smile

free skin care · Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:14 am

hivanessa28 wrote:

Meanwhile, being sort of new to this website, I was hoping someone could turn me on to their favorite mascara!
I've been using Maybelline's Lash Discovery for years, but its a little "light" and doesn't quite have the coverage for thick lashes I want. But I keep going back to it, after being disappointed with other mascaras, trying/buying them, usually to get the 'free' gift, but never have been happy with any of them! Lancome was suppose to be the best, but too clumpy.
My wants: "Clean, natural, no smearing, smudging"; just, 'wow, nice lashes' without the Tammy Baker look: is that too much to ask???
My complaints: Too clumpy, smeary, wears off easily, or the last one (expensive) made my lashes sticky! ECK, isn't there A really GREAT mascara out there?????
Hoping for an answer, Vanessa

Hi Vanessa! I too love my Kiss Me but it's expensive but a tube seems to last longer than other mascaras because it doesn't dry out as quickly. It is light, defines nicely, absolutely no clumping or flaking, it's amazing stuff. I also just tried Lancome's Hypnose sp? and love it for volume, truly the best I've used for that. It irritated my eyes a bit, most do though. I want totally natural for daytime though so Kiss Me it is but for a night out the Lancome is the way to go. I've also recently tried Revlon's lash tint that lasts three days (supposed to anyway, it's just a waterproof tint if ask me, I take it off at night with remover). It defines and doesn't clump or flake like Kiss Me but it irritated my eyes a wee bit adds only colour, virtually no volume or length. Good luck! Annette

free skin care · Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:16 am

** ETA to add post script **

glistenxz wrote:

Do you guys think applying face lotion that contain...horsetail extract (aka “Silica”), brewers yeast, and seaweed extract safe and will grow lashes?

I've looked at all the "lash grower" and realize none of them contain any of the mentioned ingredients, BUT face lotion does...so what do you guys think? Very Happy

Where is our test Miss. Carekate? lol

Here I am! Most topical lash growth products contain horsetail extract, but the stuff for which I’ve been searching for over a year is an oral, nutritional supplements that contain silica, brewers yeast and seaweed extract so I don’t know if applying those “magic” ingredients topically via your face lotion would have the same effect as taking it internally, but I wouldn’t mind trying to find out!!

Tell me more about this face lotion of your’s – what’s it called and where did you get it?? I want some, too!! Can you post the list of ingredients here so I can take a look and see if it contains anything that might be harmful to your eyes or lashes before I can definitively recommend that you can it to your lashes?

Thanks,
Carrie

P.S. I just posted an update of my eyelash growth serums at this link:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?p=58160#58160 I guess I really need to consolidate my findings in one single post so that they’re not scattered wily-nily, but I guess it’s too late for that now.... Confused

Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:34 pm

Hi Mabsy, just wanted to let you know about the latest mascara I have tried (I posted "my favorite mascara". Max Factor has just put out a new mascara called " lash perfection" and it has taken my short, sparce lashes and made them full, long and almost lush. I am very happy with the results. I'm 54, and have tried almost everything there is, and I have to say this has given me the best results overall. Hope this helps....

free skin care · Wed Dec 28, 2005 7:12 pm

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I've been wearing Napoleon's mascara for a few weeks and my lashes has been falling out. I never thought of the mascara as the culprit until I read this!!

Question:
I use castor oil in my OCM mixture but I found that too much castor oil irritates my skin. Just wondering if I should mix the castor oil with some other oil for my lashes????

free skin care · Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:20 am

svunt1 wrote:

Question:
I use castor oil in my OCM mixture but I found that too much castor oil irritates my skin. Just wondering if I should mix the castor oil with some other oil for my lashes????

I mix my castor oil with a little jojoba and Vit-E oil and use it at night as a lash conditioner after applying my Lucia Essence.

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