Lillian Louie Makeup

Wedding season is once again upon us! For my beautiful brides-to-be who are thinking of getting the perfect flutter of eyelashes for your special day, look no further! There is so much information on each of these topics; they could each be a post on their own. But for brevity and an overview, here are my best tips for a range of maintenance levels:

Au Naturale

Eyelash care

For those of you who prefer to amplify what you already have and would like to do so on a budget, try castor oil. This age-old oil can be applied to both eyelashes and eyebrows to encourage growth. Keep in mind that you will need to apply this consistently for possibly over a month before you see results. So if you’re looking for a quick fix, this might not be the solution for you.

For those of you whose pockets run a bit deeper, you might consider Lilash, a growth serum that is recommended by Nic and Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo.

Curlers

I’m still on the hunt for the best eyelash curlers that fit my unusually shaped eyes. For the majority of the population, the cult classic is the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. I tried them, but they unfortunately don’t fit my eye as snugly as I would like. My favorite as of right now is by a Japanese drugstore brand Koji, who makes them in different widths–70, 71, and 73mm. I use the 73mm personally, and I like it a lot. For those of you who have more rounded eyes, they have a curving eyelash curler. This is supposed to help the lashes fan out even more.

For my next purchase, I am personally looking for a cageless design to minimize pinching and to catch those elusive outer corner lashes, like the following two:

My personal favorite is Koji’s accent curler. This small but mighty tool not only does wonders for those hard-to-reach inner and outer corner lashes, they are amazing at combining your natural lashes with falsies!!

 

Mascaras

This really depends on your lash situation. If you already have full, curly lashes, then you probably want something defining but can also be built up, like Maybelline Great Lash. If you have straight, sparse Asian lashes like mine, you will want a drier formula with an amazing brush like the Maybelline Lash Sensational (it’s even ousted my former fave, CoverGirl LashBlast, which has been discontinued…RIP).

There are others I haven’t tried but are recommended by other Asians with my eyelash situation, like the Fairydrops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara or Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. If you have the time and resources, try them out and see which one suits your lashes the best! Also, I only have like 3 bottom lashes, so I don’t bother with mascara there, but for many people, they swear by MAC Extended Play.

Falsies

Strip

Tried and true, a classics like Ardell Wispies and Demi-Wispies never fail! If you’re into more natural looking lashes for smaller eyes, you might consider YouTuber Tina Yong’s Petite Cosmetics falsies line.

Clusters

You can try the Kiss or Ardell Trios, which are clusters of 3 knots that you can apply to customize your look to make it fuller or more natural than strip. The other option is to just take your regular strip lashes and cut them into 3 or 4 pieces to achieve the same ease of application and effect!

Individuals

These are the most time consuming but arguably the most natural-looking option. As an Asian with sparse, short, straight lashes, I would not really recommend these for others ladies of the same ilk because these individuals need your real lashes to lay on top to keep their directionality. I find that when I put on individuals, they tend to move around a lot, and they rotate directions, which is the last thing you want! One way to work around it is if you start with a strip lash base and then drop these on top, but then of course this will affect the time it takes to apply.

Cleansing & Removal

My favorite eye makeup remover is Clinique’s Take the Day off, an oil-based makeup remover that powers through and melts any waterproof formulation. There are drugstore dupes like L’Oreal and Cyber Colors.

Extras: Extensions

For the ladies who have a few extra bucks to spend, you can look into getting extensions. When done well, they can be gorgeous and low-maintenance. The pros are that they look super full, you don’t have to worry about them on the day, and they are great if you immediately go on a tropical honeymoon afterwards! The cons are that if they aren’t done well, or if–like me–the false extensions don’t have enough natural lashes to cling on to, they will rotate directions and grow out looking very strange. They do require some brushing out every day and more frequently as your natural lashes grow out. Also, you are advised to not wear mascara while you have extensions, so if you love mascara, then you might want to reconsider.

I’ve gotten them done twice, and unfortunately they don’t work for me even though I really hoped they’d solve my eyelash woes! The first time, I had them done for a prewedding photoshoot in Taiwan and the makeup artist there wasn’t pleased that I had them done; she said they got in her way, and she’d much prefer to apply falsies for me.

As with all new beauty products and regimens, I would suggest you try them out well before your big day to buffer time for allergic reactions to the glue and to discover whether they will work for you or not.

Remember: Don’t use oil-based makeup removers when you have extensions. It will loosen the glue, making them easier to fall out.

So what eyelash enhancer will you opt for on your special day?

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Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or dermatologist. The steps and products here are found from web resources, research, and my own personal experiences which may not work for everyone. Please check with your doctor before starting any serious regimen. People may develop allergies at any time, so please try products and check ingredients before purchasing.