3 steps to instantly longer and thicker eyelashes

3 steps to instantly longer and thicker eyelashes

Want 'em longer, thicker and sexier? Get set to turn heads with the latest trends and products to try for the plushest eyelashes ever. Flutter away!

When it comes to your lashes, layering is the way of the future. Beauty brands have taken on a more-is-more approach with much verve and vigour - all the better to ply us with prettifying potions we never knew we needed - with the result being a three-step process that has pretty obvious parallels to makeup and manicures.

Now, if you're serious about maximising length and thwarting the loss of your lashes, you may want to cast your eyes towards the experts. Mixing different products is a favourite trick of backstage pros, and it isn't all that complicated to boot. Here's my tried-and-tested three-step mascara routine:

1. Prime time.

Investing in a dedicated eyelash primer may seem like overkill for penny-pinching types, but it's really not all that different from coughing up cash for conditioner to go with your shampoo. Not convinced? Here's an entirely welcome beauty extra: Most lash primers double up just fine as brow-taming gels, especially if they contain lock-loving ingredients like keratin or glycerin.

Photo: Her World

Case in point: Dior's dangerously decadent Diorshow Maximizer 3D, $53, a triple threat of a treatment that bills itself as a primer, volumiser and lash mask in one. This souffle-soft salve comes in a tube packed with protective oils said to cushion your lashes from the crimping and curling you subject them to, not to mention the tugging and tearing that come with makeup removal.

Photo: Her World

2. Lift and lengthen.

The "meat" of your eyelash sandwich, mascara should be the most familiar out of the three steps - but you're in for quite some surprises yet. Take Marc Jacobs Beauty's voluptuous Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara in Noir, $42, a take-no-prisoners, go-big or-go-home "faux-lash" formula fortified with clump-resistant creams and waxes that envelops your eyelashes from root to tip. A stunning showcase of technical know-how, the wand itself is a thing of wonder with its sinuous curved profile. Delightfully dense and pleasingly pliable, the finely spaced teeth divides and conquers individual hairs for finely feathered lashes. An absolute joy to use!

Photo: Her World

3. Seal in all the goodness with a topcoat.

The newest kid on the beauty block, mascara topcoats work in much the same way as their cuticle counterparts in extending wear and sealing shine. Some, like Urban Decay's incredibly exciting Mascara Resurrection, $25, are even billed as "replenishers". This hydrating clear gel softens clumps for mascara re-application anytime, anywhere.

The result of religiously following this three-step regime? Let's just say I had to switch to contacts because the lenses of my spectacles kept getting smudged by my now-generously girthed lashes - a most pleasant inconvenience, if you ask me!

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