Harro! Remember me, the girl with the non-existent eyelashes?
Last year I tried eyelash extensions and loved the look. I had long, sexy lashes for the first time in my life! It was a miracle!
After a few courses, however, I decided that the treatments were making too big a dent in my wallet. Back to short stubby lashes for me.
I still had hope, and rightfully so.
A couple of months ago my mother called me up and said she had just read all about a “revolutionary” eyelash conditioner called RevitaLash that will help me grow longer and thicker lashes. I was tempted, but the $100+ price tag deterred me. My mother, however, proceeded to go ahead and buy a tube for my younger sister (who, btw, has naturally longer lashes than me. Why?).
When my sister came home for winter break, she gave back the tube to my mother, proclaiming that her eyelashes were too long now. So long that they were becoming a nuisance.
It was then that I noticed her new lashes. Holy crap! They looked like she was wearing falsies!
My mother gladly handed me the leftover tube and I happily skipped through the rest of the day.
I did some research on RevitaLash, because I remembered reading about a similar product that had been banned by the FDA for containing the same ingredients as a glaucoma drug, with possible side effects on vision and even the color of the eyes.
After the Jan Marini eyelash conditioner was pulled from the market, RevitaLash was reformulated as well. However, it still contained the same ingredient that may cause irritation and change the color of your eyes.
I weighed the pros and cons, then decided the heck with it – my vision is already pretty bad and my irises are a boring brown color. If my eyes change color I honestly think it’ll be interesting and a nice conversation starter at the very least. Besides, I had done much worse stuff to my eyes in the past.
I started the treatment on Sunday. I forgot to take a “before” picture, but here’s one from 2007 for reference:
I’ll take a new picture every week so you can follow along on my quest for longer, fuller lashes!
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The glaucoma drug was reformulated for cosmetic purposes and recently approved by the FDA for eyelash enhancement. The product is called Latisse, will be out on the market soon, and will be available through your doctor for $120 a month. I believe the active ingredient is similar as what used to be in the Revitalash and Jan Marni products before they were pulled off the shelves for possible patent infringement. The new, reformulated Revitalash has been reported to be less effective than the old formula because it probably no longer contains the active ingredient.
Thanks for setting the record straight, Sherry! I wish my mother had kept the box so I can see which version I have (it was ordered from a Korean company so who knows how long they’ve had it?). Nonetheless, it worked for my sister so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for myself!
One more thing. If you and Josiah plan on trying to conceive, you may want to rethink the eyelash treatments in case it does contain the active ingredient. Bimatoprost (which is in both Lumigan and Latisse) has not been well-studied in pregnant women. In animal studies, the compound did not impair fertility, but it was very harmful to fetuses. Although animal studies are not a definitive predictor of human response, I read that Lumigan (the glaucoma drug) was not administered to pregnant women unless the benefits outweighed the risks. I believe they excluded pregnant women from the Latisse trials as well. The effects of bimatoprost are not known and could potentially be harmful to the fetus. Just be careful.
I’ve been following this compound for a while because of personal interest due to vanity.