I just started co-hosting Alayna’s Beauty Talk once a month (the next show is July 23^rd and you can hear it live here. There are also links on the right side to hear past shows) and I talked quite a bit about false eyelashes on the show last week. It totally got me thinking about how long it took me to learn how to put them on and since I’ve gotten so much better, I decided to do a How To… on what works for me. 

So up first, the lashes! I’ve tried probably about 20 or so different brands and in the end I just pick the majority of mine up at Ulta, CVS or Walgreens. Some brands will be made with real hair and some synthetic. Does it matter? I don’t think so but when you are looking at these different brands, look for lashes that look to have a really thin band or look at the different words on the box that will give you an idea of the band malleability (you’ll thank me later). 

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Ok, ok, we’ve all used the plastic lash combs but can we get serious?? They suck!! Really. Truly. Suck! The plastic teeth are just too thick to get through lashes when they are coated with mascara and when I do get them through, the teeth seem to clump together 3, 4 or 5 eyelashes together. Done with that and believe me!

So I have to ask ... 

What Makes for a Great Eyelash Comb?

Here are my selling points for making eyelash comb with metal teeth the only ones in existence!

• The teeth in metal combs are thinner so they are able to get in-between each lash easier.
• The metal teeth clean up easier with a little makeup remover.
• The metal teeth don’t break.

Here are a few that get my stamp of approval:

PERFECT LASH COMB ($15.95 @ perfectlash.com) – This one isn’t in my Hall of Fame for nothing! And the added bonus of curving to the shape of your eye makes using this one quick and oh so easy. 

SEPHORA COLLECTION Pro Brow Comb #21 ($14 @ sephora.com)

MAKE UP FOR EVER #276 Eyelash Comb & Brush ($28 @ sephora.com)

ARDELL Lash Comb ($1.65 @ amazon.com)

What kind of lash comb do you currently use? Let me know in the comments!

By now you’ve heard of color enhancing eye shadows and we now have a new twist to add – color enhancing false eyelashes.

Two I’ve come across are from SALON PERFECT and my beloved ARDELL. Let’s investigate!

Salon Perfect ColorEnhance Lashes – Comes in many different styles and they make full lashes for Brown, Hazel, Green and Blue eyes and their site shows the difference between each style and what color will work best for your eye color. Seems that Wine colored lashes are great for green and blue eyes. Who knew? And each of their lash packs comes with a coordinating eyeliner pencil. $4.38 @ Walmart stores nationwide and sallybeauty.com.

Ardell Color Impact Lashes Have you – come in 4 different hues to enhance your eye color and boy will these enhance! The blue is quite bright and the wine lashes are really pretty too. $3.99 to $5.99 @ drugstores nationwide and ulta.com.

Are you a false lash wearer? Will you try these?

My favorite false eyelash line, ARDELL, just put out some new lashes, woo-hoo! I find myself wearing them just about every night when I have something going on. Especially their corner lashes, or as they call them, Lash Accents seen here, which are just so darn easy to apply! If you are still challenged by a full band, those might be your answer.

So what’s new with the brand? 

Edgy Lashes – we always want to play up the very outer corner of our eyes and these ones are more dense at the edges and they really accentuate nicely.

Lash Lights – have very short or sparse lashes? These will give you the look of a full set naturally.

Starting @ $3.99 ulta.com, amazon.com.

Two huge questions looming over this year’s IMATS (International Make-up Artist Trade Show) show in Pasadena, CA this past weekend – where was Nyx? Where was Make Up For Ever? Two huge brands that always had huge set ups in this show but both were no shows this year. I wonder what’s up.

Anyway, it was super busy, as it is every year at the show, and I of course made a list of things/companies I wanted to check out. Want to see what I hauled? Here's the pic and click after the jump to see the list!

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I received a $25 gift card to go shopping @ CVS/Pharmacy and wow, they pretty much have everything there you could ever need, from animal food to As Seen on TV products to every kind of beauty product under the sun. I went over the $25 with the purchase of the toothbrushes but I really needed a replacement for mine and for the price, the 4-pack was right up my alley.

• CVS/Pharmacy brand Cotton Rounds ($2.99/80 pads)
• ARDELL Lash Accents in Black ($4.29)
• PHYSICIAN’S FORMULA Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner/Eye Shadow/Highlighter ($8.99)
• VASELINE Sheer Infusion Body Lotion in Botanical Blends ($7.99)
• REACH Advanced Design 4-Pack Toothbrushes ($6.99)

So if you haven’t checked out all that CVS/Pharmacy is stocked with, take an hour and visit one of the stores or just visit cvs.com.