As an Asian woman, I have the great fortune of being blessed with incredibly straight hair. Unfortunately, this also applies to my incredibly straight lashes.  In fact, they’re more than straight.  They actually grow in a downward direction.  So needless to say, the eye lash curler and I have grown to become close friends.  We’re not in any way good friends, because more than a few times, I have been a victim of my eyelash curler.  I’ve pinched my eyelids and brought tears to my eyes.  But since I have not found a better solution to my straight lash problem, I have not been able to fire my traditional eyelash curler.

In order for me to get even a slight curl to my lashes, I have to use a hairdryer to heat up the metal clamp style curler before using it.  I actually have to repeat this 2-3 times for optimal effect.  After the lash curling torture, I then apply a coat of mascara.  Choosing the right mascara is not as easy as it sounds. Having ridiculously straight lashes, I have to find mascara that will hold the curl and not fall immediately upon application.  I’ve tried a number of products, from lower priced drug store brands (i.e. Revlon, L’Oreal) to higher priced department store brands (i.e. Cliniques, Lancôme, etc.). For years now, I’ve relied on Maybelline New York Full ‘n Soft Waterproof Mascara.  I have tried other products in the Maybelline family (Great Lashes, Intense XXL, Volum’ Express) and have not found the same success. At a price point of about $7.29, the Full ‘n Soft does the job.

Recently I was getting a haircut at my salon and when a display product caught my eye. It’s called “Kiss Me Mascara” by blinc.  The idea selling point of this  product is that this mascara does not simply “paint” color on your lashes, it builds “tubes” around them.  The tubes bind to lashes and you can actually see when you wash it off.

Here’s what Kiss Me Mascara offers:

• Will not run, smudge, clump, or flake
• Will add volume and length
• Can be washed off with water and gentle pressure (like washing your face)
• Ideal for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers
• The product comes in an array of colors: black, dark brown, medium brown, dark blue, dark purple, and dark green

Going hand in hand with the Kiss Me Mascara is the blinc lash curler. As you might infer from the name, this is a heated lash curler that is certainly not your traditional metal clamp.  The blinc design will certainly appeal to anyone whose every pinched their eyelids while curling their lashes The beauty of the blinc design is that it eliminates the need to provide pressure and possibly damage your lashes.  The curler heats up in 30 seconds, using one AAA battery (included).  It has a built in guard that prevents contact with your skin and eyes and delivers a precise amount of heat to set a long lasting curl.

Putting them to the test

The blinc lash curler does indeed heat up quickly.  There is an indicator light that turns yellow when it’s ready.  It is a strange sensation to put a heated brush to your eyes, but I have to say that while you can feel the heat on the brush, it’s definitely not too hot.  It doesn’t burn the skin or lashes.

I followed the directions that came with the lash curler, but to my disappointment, it was not able to curl my lashes.  What it did to do was curl my lashes from the downward position to the straight out position.  Unfortunately, it was not able to take it to the next level and curl my lashes upwards.  Perhaps if my lashes were straight to begin with, it might have worked.

My theory was that the blinc lash curler just wouldn’t work for Asian girls, so, I passed it along to my caucasian friend to see how it would perform for her.  I’m disappointed to report that my friend didn’t fare any better.  She found that the blinc curler was only able to curl her lashes slightly beyond straight.  I guess my friend and I will continue to use our traditional clamp style curler and hairdryer combination.

The Kiss Me Mascara, on the other hand, was a much better experience.  I love this mascara!!!  My biggest problem is that I have ridiculously straight lashes.  I need a mascara that will hold the curl and not fall immediately after application.  In most cases I have to re-curl after applying the mascara, but not with the Kiss Me Mascara.  Once I curled my lashes (using my traditional curler and hairdryer combo) and applied, it held the curl beautifully and they didn’t fall!  Better yet, the curl lasted all day long.

As blinc promised, it did not run or smudge at all.  With traditional waterproof mascara I usually end up with some runny smudging by mid-morning.  With the Kiss Me Mascara, that didn’t happen, even after I took a nap.  It looks just as good at 7pm as it did at 7am when I first put it on.  It definitely washes off very easily with water and gentle pressure.  You don’t have to use any kind of makeup remover which is nice benefit.

Both the Kiss Me Mascara and Blinc Lash Curler have a suggested retail price of $25, but can be found for less at Folica.com .

I’ve tried a lot of different mascaras over the year.  I found the Kiss Me Mascara to be one of the few that does exactly as it promises.  I would definitely splurge on the mascara, because it’s well worth the extra money.

The blinc Heated Eyelash Curler and blinc Kiss Me Mascara are available from Folica.com.