Semi-permanent mascara: Smudge-proof lashes that last for weeks put to the test
As I reclined on the treatment couch awaiting the special coating for my CryBaby eyelashes to be applied, I was very excited. Longer, thicker, darker lashes with a bit of curl that look perfect day and night for two or three weeks? Sounds fabulous.
Semi-permanent mascara is the latest craze in the wacky world of eyelashes, where demand is driven by our insatiable desire for bigger and better, Bambi-style flutterers.
Brands such as CryBaby and LashDip are huge in the U.S. and, with the recent arrival of CryBaby in the UK plus two British brands MyScara (about to launch) and Flutter Eyes (available now) long-lasting mascara is another trend thats crossing the Pond.
Added volume: For semi-permanent lashes, a coat of primer is added followed by a sticky black coating mixed with micronised fibres (posed by model)
Id read a lot about permanent mascara, so I raced to the front of the queue when Crybaby arrived in London.
To apply the product, my lashes were carefully coated with primer, then a sticky black coating mixed with micronised fibres for added volume was combed through.
It takes the best part of an hour for the potion to set, but the results last for several weeks without harming the lashes. Water wont budge it, so you can wash your face normally, but must stay away from heavy eye creams or oily products. Eventually, it will flake off.
When I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror, I was lost for words though for the wrong reasons. My lashes were fabulously black and it was, indeed, a mascara look, but it looked as if Id laid on several layers of the stuff with a trowel and forgotten to comb it through, the sort of look that might suit a twentysomething festival-goer but not a fortysomething mother of three.
Several of the tips of my lashes were clumped together in little bundles.
These clumps couldnt be combed out because the glue had set hard.
Too late, I realised I should have asked not for a mascara look, but for a natural look, which would have involved a runnier mixture of the coating and given a less full-on result.
That afternoon, I bumped into two of the glossiest queen bees of the beauty industry: Newby Hands, beauty director of Bazaar magazine, and Alessandra Steinherr, beauty director of Glamour magazine. I smiled and tried to hide my lashes behind my hands.
It looks great! said Alessandra. Very Autumn/Winter 2011, added Newby.
Phew! Clumpy, but trendy.
Before and after: Alice tries the Flutter semi-permament treatment
Three days later, I was less amused. My lashes felt wiry and crispy, and each morning I lost a few. This is normal lashes fall out and re-grow the whole time except that because mine were stuck together, the detached ones clung on, pointing every which way though unable to drop.
Rather than wait to see if I had any lashesleft after two weeks, I begged an appointment with lash supremo Sue Marsh, who used a super-strong Japanese de-bonding solution to remove the mess, along with all the debris that had lodged in between.
Once bitten, twice shy, you would think. But several weeks later, I felt compelled to try out Flutter Lashess version of semi- permanent mascara, just to see.
I asked for a natural look, and practised calming deep breathing for the half-hour that it took to apply. Thank goodness, it suited me much better.
Kathryn Popplestone, the founder of Flutter, used an eyelash curler on me before setting the curl in place with the coating.
ON THE LASH
Victorians made mascara from ash, soot and elderberry juice
She also managed to leave almost every single one of my lashes separated and defined, and they felt flexible rather than wiry.
It looked great for a week, though (not surprisingly) the curl slowly dropped. But after a fortnight, it was looking tatty. I tried patching it up with the special mascara Kathryn had given me, but it just made bigger lumps over the remnants of the treatment, so it was time to remove it with a cream that she had supplied.
Would I try it again? Not in a hurry. Except that Sue Marsh is developing her own lash maximising version of the treatment, and I trust her to deliver perfect results.
In the meantime, Im playing with a brand-new semi-permanent mascara from top Italian cosmetics brand Diego Dalla Palma, which has just gone on sale in Tescos new premium beauty concept stores.
This is a product, not a treatment, and its great. Its waterproof, super-black and promises, after five days of using it every day, to leave a tint on my lashes that will last for 15 days.
That I can live with and even better, its clump-free.
- CryBaby costs around 50, abxbeauty.co.uk
- Flutter will do a semi-permanent treatment in your own home, 60, fluttereyes.co.uk, 01372 386 312
- Lash Perfection Lacquer, 60, Sue Marsh at Cosmetics a la Carte, 07880 811 647
- Diego Dalla Palma Semi-Permanent Mascara, 16, tesco.com, diegodallapalma.com
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