Eyelash Curling Tips and Secrets

Not every woman is blessed with long, natural, dark eyelashes that perfectly accent her eyes. Sometimes, we have to do quite a lot of work to get our eyelashes to pop and stand out the way we want them to. There's a step that most women take in their makeup routine that's meant to give your lashes lift and life, and that's curling our eyelashes!

While it's a simple thing to do, not everyone does it correctly. Also, it's not for everyone! Some people actually have eyelashes that aren't so strong. People with simple conditions like hypothyroidism, loose anagen syndrome, alopecia, trichotillomania, or even just simple stress issues can cause weakened hair structure and cause your eyelashes to actually come loose or fall out if you try to curl them! Make sure before you start curling every day that you have spoken to your dermatologist about these issues.

If you know it's safe to use a curler on your lashes, you can be pretty much completely safe with using one every day or every other day. To use an eyelash curler, your eyelashes should be dry and clean. Simply open the mouth of the curler and slide your upper lashes into them slightly, slowly closing your eyes halfway to ensure that they all get inside. Move the curler closer to the base of your eyelid, but don't get close enough for any potential dangers - like touching your eye with the curler or letting a loose lash into your eye.

With your eye open, slowly close the curler around your lashes. (If you feel any tugging or pinching, make sure you loosen the mouth on your lashes! You could harm your eyelids and pull your eyelashes out if you are not careful.) Your lashes should spread out over the bar and look sort of like a fan or a pressed brush. This means you're squeezing correctly, and they should safely curl if you just pull up a teeny tiny bit, and hold for about 5 to 7 seconds.

Once you curl the lashes on both eyes, leave them to sit for another 5 seconds before you begin applying your mascara. (Don't forget to apply to the tops AND bottom of your lashes, without over exerting the strength you put on the wand to avoid losing your curls.) Now all of this seems pretty self-explanatory, and you might be wondering what else you could do to make sure your curled lashes don't droop or become weighed down during the day.

Luckily, there are a few helpful tricks you can use that will keep your eyelashes curled well all day, without your mascara fading as well. First off, NEVER, and I mean NEVER ever curl your eyelashes after you've put mascara on them! Even when dried, this can make your lashes sticky and it will cause them to fall out! It might not happen after the first time, but it will definitely damage them! Avoid this at all costs.

Also, some people will claim that it is safe to heat up your eyelash curler. This is not true! It is definitely not safe to heat up your eyelash curler before you use it, because this can cause burns as well as cause your eyelashes to fall out. If you're trying to get long, thick lashes, the last thing you want to do is pull them all out and burn your eyelids!

Another common mistake many women make after curling their lashes, is they tend to forget exactly how much curling accentuates and brings out the full length and fullness of their lashes. When you apply your mascara, be sure that you drag that wand a little further up than you normally would. You'll darken the very tips of your lashes and make them look twice as long!

If curling your eyelashes is not something you're keen on doing, you can still get gorgeous lashes by applying your mascara correctly. If you do choose to curl, be sure you do it safely!