May 24, 2010

Yay or Nay: How Do You Feel About Lash Stimulators?

Last week, while sitting at my desk I had the TV in my office tuned on some Doctor show. Don’t ask me which one but I THINK it was Doctor Oz.

Anyway…

He was talking about various cosmetics and such with some other Doctor, lady, some chick who knows, I told you I was listening with half an ear didn’t I? Hehe!

The discussion got into lash growth stimulators and which ones worked and which ones didn’t. This lady he was with got pretty down and dirty about the whole topic and proceeded to call any and all stimulators, liars, oh excuse me she called them “fibbers”. According to her most of the over counter stuff you see is NOT going to grow your lashes longer however prescription drugs like Latisse will.

Now we probably shouldn’t get on the fact about how we have people dying of all sorts of diseases and we are worried about prescribing medication to grow our lashes, I dunno, this deeply disturbs me but regardless there are indeed products around that will grow your lashes.

Question is how do you feel about them?

Yay or Nay?

Jump!

For me…

Total NAY!

I will NOT play around with my eyes. I only have two and I’ve grown to like them very much and some of the side effects of lash growth serums TERRIFY me. So it’s a big fat nay.

A friend of mine had tested some of these out and we had chatted several months ago about it. She actually had alot of success with it but she did make me giggle when she said she had gotten some on the side of her face and proceeded to see hair growth in that area….this side effect I could deal with. However, side effects like eye irritation, redness, etc…have been known to occur. These are only temporary side effects according to the site however knowing what a freak fest I am, I’d probably run around like I lost an eye if this happened to me.

So….

I think I’ll sit eyelash growth serums out and just get some really good mascara.

How do you feel about them?

Share it!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • kelly

    I am fairly sure it was the show with Paula Begoun, creator of Beautypedia. Latisse contains the only known and proven ingredient to grow your lashes, however, some conditioning formulas may work as well, but NOT as well as Latisse. I have used several of these and had great success and no success. I haven’t had any side effects, thank jeebus. I too, like my eyes working just as they are. (but would kill for better lashes)

    • the Muse

      kelly not sure was kinda listening with half an ear 😀

      honestly I’d love better lashes too! Fuller is always nice but I’m scared as hell of these things. The side effects side terrifying 😀 I think falsies and mascara are my BFF thanks very much :DD

  • dangster

    I use RapidLash. It did make my eyelids slightly sensitive for awhile, but I started using it every other day ( as opposed to everyday) so the sensitivity is gone.

    I don’t think my eyelashes are that much thicker, but Rapidlash definitely stopped them from falling out so much!

    • the Muse

      see this is where I’d begin to freak out dangster. Knowing me I’d call 911 and tell them my eyeball was ready to roll out of my head if I started experience sensitivity lol

  • Zuzu

    I have a allergic eyes so that i am afraid to use them!
    Thanks for review, it was so helpful for me 🙂

  • jonnie

    No way am I putting that stuff on my eyes. My lashes are just fine as they are… they may not be the most amazing lashes ever but they work. I’ll stick with mascara…

  • Michelle

    NAY…potential side effects for longer lashes, umm no thanks.

  • mythy

    Isn’t it just a total waste of money to use these things ? I mean our eyelashes shed frequently so the effect of the products isn’t permanent. So yea..I’m not interested..too expensive for something that won’t give you permanent results 😐

    • the Muse

      mmm dunno mythy because I do think it strengthens as well as grows…but honestly not interested either way, side effects scare the crap outta me!

  • Jaci

    There is no way I would put these around my eyes. I read an article in a magazine before Latisse became very popular and it said that Latisse used to be a medication used to treat glaucoma, Latanoprost is the name of it. Well after time people with glaucoma notice that their eyes appear to have shrunken into their head! That right there made me not even want to ask about the stuff. I don’t want shrunken eyes! Look up the side effects of Latanoprost to see everything else it could do to you! That will surely scare any one straight!

    • the Muse

      damn jaci I got enough problems that I def DO not need shrunken eyes LOL

  • Marina

    Nay! The side effects are a total turn off…
    On a side note, did you watch Lost last night? I made a cake/cookies, wore my numbers shirt, and got leis for my family who have been watching with me since the beginning. It was fun! They thought it was a let down, but after making sense of it all, I’m satisfied…AND I shed more than a couple tears.

    • the Muse

      marina did NOT yet 😀 still on my tivo 😀 sounds like a fun night ;-D! I’m gonna try to get to it this week!

  • Anitacska

    Nay. I have very short and thin little eyelashes, but with my HG mascaras (Givenchy Phenomeneyes and Guerlain Le 2) I can make them look okay, so will just stick with those, thanks.

  • Ally

    One for YAY please 😀
    Don’t get me wrong, I’m fond of my eyes too but desperation took over my hesitancy and I tried one and I really like the result!
    I use Talika eyelash serum every other day and my short, straight, and sparse lashes are now a bit longer and a bit fuller but my most favorite part is that a few curls up on its own now XD
    Sure, the stimulator didn’t make my eye look like ‘venus fly trap’ over night, but my natural lashes were so puny that I didn’t expect dramatic results (if any, in this case :).
    After this experience, I’m definitely open to lash stimulators. But I’ll do extensive research prior to trying a different one, and stop using it if I feel any kind of discomfort whatsoever cuz I’d rather look like smeagol and keep my ‘precious’!! 😀

    • the Muse

      ally interesting to see a yay 😀 are you happy with overall results long term!?

  • Ally

    Yeah. My lashes are definitely a wee bit longer, thicker, and fuller (and curly! wee~my lashes never curled up on their own before! XD). I did not experience any side effects, although I did use a brand new small liner brush (for the gel liners from smashbox, my fav!) to apply the serum on my lash line instead of using the mascara wand applicator it comes with (to ensure it gets on the lash line w/o poking my eyeballs out! lol). I also made sure to wash the brush often to prevent bacteria build up and tried to keep the serum around the eyelash area only so I don’t end up looking like a chewbacca hehe.
    I am curious about other lash stimulators especially latisse after my positive result with Talika but latisse seems more hardcore when it comes to side effects (permanent darkness of iris??) so I’ll probably stick to non prescription ones like talika, rapid lash, lashes to die for, tarte, etc. 😀

  • idner

    Any of the stuff that says it might change the color of your iris is a HELL NO, that’s friggin scary.

  • chibaraki

    In defense of Latisse, terrifying as I think it is, it was actually developed as a treatment for glaucoma. It making people’s eyelashes grow was a side effect — a side effect they decided they could monetize, so they got FDA approval for it as an eyelash-growing product.

    That said that kind of stuff scares the crap out of me. Longer/thicker/more lashes isn’t worth the potential side effects of that crap, and it stops being effective when you stop using it anyway.

  • Coral

    I would not use any prescribed medication to grow my eyelashes. Isn’t that what mascara is for anyway? Those great list of side effects they like to ramble off at the end always gets to me. You may have some crazy dark spots on your eyes, but your eye lashes look awesome! Thank you but, no.
    I was willing to try out the L’oreal one. While I’m not quite sure I see any real results, I haven’t had any side effects with it. That was one things I did some reading on before I even bought it.

  • Melissa

    I have thin blonde lashes ( nearly clear) a nd not to many of them. I have thick brownish hair but the coloring didn’t make it to my lashes. I wear contacts but since these products are used at night they don’t bug my eyes or contacts during the day. I tried Loreal and Cargo both did not enhance my length but I don’t think I lost one lash when using either one and that alone is a good thing for me. I took a break for a while when the Cargo ran out. I am now on week 3 of Rapid Lash and i see improvement in length and volume already so I’m excited. This was the most expensive and so far the best results.

  • Janine

    NAY for me. I did a Latisse parody for a Halloween costume last year though! Seriously though… other hair growth? Darkening of the lids? Darkening of the iris? (Although I do loooove the Muse’s lovely dark brown bambi eyes… I’ll stick with what I have!) With my luck, they would turn orange! Besides, that’s what mascara (or falsies) are for. 😉

    • the Muse

      aw shucks thanks Janine *hugs* LOL with my luck I’d probably have orange eyes and hair growing out of the side of my eyes too! that’s how my luck runs

  • Katy

    Soo I normally don’t write comments (I just love reading!) but when I saw this post I just HAD to say something..Okay so I have been using a “lash stimulator” for about 5 months now and seriously I don’t think I’ll ever stop. It’s called LiLash and it is AMAZING. I had ZERO side effects and literally within like a week and a half I could already see a difference in my eyelashes. They are thick, long, awesome and I have a ton of them! My natural lashes are so short and stubby and lame but with this they have completely changed. Every single day (no joke) someone asks me if I’m wearing eyelashes (or something to that effect). It’ll set you back $120 on Amazon but it’s soo worth it — my one tube has lasted me 5 months and is still going strong! So so SOO highly recommended 😉

    • the Muse

      Hey Katy thanks for sharing hun!!!!! 😀 I’m still pretty scared of it to be honest even after hearing incredible results 😀

  • Robyn

    im a on the fence

    these products were originally designed for cancer patients who had lost their eyelashes through chemotherepy/radiotherepy etc im a yay for that if id lost my eyelashes id want to try this to get them back

    im a bit of a nay for using just cause you want your lashes a little longer side effects sound a tad scary and i could NOT cope with hair growing randomly on the side of my face lol ill stick with cargo lash activator (which im convinced works a little ) and mascara

    • the Muse

      robyn that’s interesting I did NOT know they had developed these for cancer patients. Interesting! and I agree I think I’d be all for it if it was for someone who had suffered through cancer. Gosh 🙁

      I’m still a little wary though, so many scary side effects!

      • Robyn

        yeah the idea original concepted from a husband whos wife had cancer and he want to invent something to helo her lashes grow back faster i cant remember the name of the product t his was a good year or so back i read about it

        i do remember thinkinh OUCH at the price

        i imagine these lash stimulators are like the next generation of what ever that product was

        • the Muse

          aw that’s so incredibly sweet Robyn! yes…drugstore cashin’ in on the fade!

  • Dao

    I still haven’t bought into this stuff. Like you said, whatever goes around the eyes can get to them. We only have 2 eyes to live with for the rest of our lives. I don’t let vanity get into ruining my eyes. Thanks for this post, Muse. To me, a good mascara will do 🙂

  • regina

    ive tried the DHC eyelash tonic because it was pretty cheap on sasa.com. i did not use it religiously so maybe thats why my lashes dont grow any longer but it did hydrate them nicely before putting mascara on.

  • Louisa

    Another side effect of the prescription medication is that it “may eventually cause permanent darkening of the iris to brown”. As a person with very average features except for my green eyes, I’m not taking that chance.

    (I found your website last week when I was looking for pics of the Sephora Tokidoki line- just wanted to say you hooked me!)

    • the Muse

      aw welcome Louisa good to meet you! *hugs*

      I’ve read that too and it sounds incredibly crazy! EEP!

  • Marie

    So wanted to try this… like most Asians, I have short and straight lashes all my life. *big sigh* Good news is that at least I can still effectively curl them and layer on some mascara, but there are days I wish i just wake up with long, thick lashes. There are a lot of Asian brands that promise longer lashes, Japan’s DHC and Canmake that garnered raves in forums.