L'oreal Lash Boosting Serum Test Results

[Annelle]

Thanks for the posts Karren. I just bought a bottle earlier this week and took some before shots (although not sure how blurry they came out, haven't uploaded them yet).

I've been lazy with mascara application, since only waterproof mascara will work for my lashes, and waterproof makeup means an extra step every night to remove it, instead of my usual face wash routine, I need to add the waterproof remover step too.

Hoping that I'll see some difference in mine. Have you noticed any weird side effects? I've had a bunch of random eye things (like my PRK surgery last year) so I'm not sure if this is due to the serum or just my eyes being weird again. A couple of times at night I'll wake up cause my right eye suddenly feels like I got pricked with a needle, right in the middle on the lash line. It has happened two or three times now. not really sure why it happened or if something just fell into my eye or something.

I did notice this morning that after I put on the serum, some of it seemed to kind of clump up as I was applying my shadow primer. (I waited a few minutes, and it looked like rubbing the primer on seemed to rub some of the serum off...kind of like a dried rubber cement effect)

I guess the idea behind these products is to lengthen the amount of "growth" time your lashes have and life before they fall out. Thus as new lashes grow in at their normal rate, and old lashes stay in longer, you increase the overall number of lashes you have, and they all have some extra time to grow a bit longer. (which also explains why the change isn't overnight -- you need to wait until the next group grows in for length, and the original lashes just survive on a bit longer while your new lashes grow in)

 

[Karren]

I put it on pretty thick at night and the onlky thing I notice is my eyes are pretty goopy in the morning.. I've heard of some people having darkening of the skin along the lash line but I haven't noticed any.

 

[kayleigh83]

Originally Posted by Karren /img/forum/go_quote.gif I put it on pretty thick at night and the onlky thing I notice is my eyes are pretty goopy in the morning.. I've heard of some people having darkening of the skin along the lash line but I haven't noticed any. Darkening of the skin along the lash line wouldn't be too bad!! Less need for eyeliner, it would really enhance a natural look!

I'd welcome that side effect.

 

[Annelle]

just so I didn't scare anybody, I'm fairly sure that the pricking feeling is probably just my eye being weird as I've not heard that side effect on this from anywhere else.

I've been using it along my eyeliner line morning and night since I started. haven't been sweeping on the lashes regularly since I haven't been doing the mascara step. i've got my fingers crossed for some good results

 

[Annelle]

ok so my before shot is from a few months ago (my before shots were completely out of focus so the lashes are all blurry. this one was from a shoot I did that just happened to not use any mascara. so sorry that my eyes are open and it's a bit harder to compare!)

It's actually day 13 today, but I wrote Day 12 because I know I've accidentally skipped a few times since starting. I've only done the "sweep over the lashes under mascara" a handful of times since starting (maybe 4?) since I haven't been in the habit of using mascara recently but I've done it a few times to try to help out the lash thing.

Not sure how much of a difference you can see so far, but here's what I've got so far. (I'll come back and update this post once I have another week or two under my belt)

Before:

Day 12/13:

 

[Karren]

Nice photos, not blurry! I didn't really see anything till about week 4. And then every week a little more... I'm on tube number 2... still using it most every night.. And I love my lashs... Especially when I put on mascara its like.. Whoow.. Where did those come from! Lol.

 

[Annelle]

lol I meant the shots I took on day 0 were completely blurry.

I was noticing last night they "felt" longer, but I'm thinking it's just my brain telling me that I want them to be longer lol. placebo effects are fabulous haha.

 

[Annelle]

bumping to add pictures that I've been so lazy to add.  The "before" is above, although the ones I actually took for this process were too blurry to use, so I used a picture with a different angle (but clearer) for the before.

I was using it twice a day at least 5 times per week (I'd forget occasionally).  I know that I was brushing the lashes too at first, but I stopped doing that when I figured that the lash brushing was more for conditioning and mascara priming, and I wasn't wearing any mascara.  Brushing the lashes also sometimes leaves a clearish gunky rubbery goo on my lashes.  Lately I've gotten lazy so it's closer to once a day, 3-5 times per week.

Honestly, I did notice some growth (I only showed one eye because it seemed to do best in it.  The day 12/13 picture above, you notice that I'm sparse on the inner eye, on the opposite eye.  I didn't really notice it before, so I suppose I should have focused a bit better in that area, since it didn't really seem to get fixed, so it's harder to see a change on that eye)

The irregular use picture was taken on Halloween.  Some of the longer lashes have fallen out and it feels a bit more sparse now.  I think I might have combed out my lashes for the other pictures since they look a bit more even and the last picture looks a bit clumpy. I don't remember for sure.

Part of the reason I started getting lazy is because if I apply it in the morning, I have to wait a really long time before I can apply UDPP.  (If I wait less than say 15-20 minutes, the UDPP kind of reacts with the serum and it rubs off kind of like rubber cement.)  Since in the mornings, my routine is wash face, moisturize, foundation, eye makeup, there's really only the "foundation" step between when I can apply the serum and put on UDPP, and the 3-5 minutes isn't enough time for the serum to fully absorb.  and at night time, I just usually want to go to bed instead of doing an extra step, lol.

I "felt" like they might have been longer, but without these pictures for proof, it wasn't like "omg my lashes are soo full and beautiful now!" I remember thinking to myself "I think they're longer, but it might just be my imagination hoping that they're longer" and it felt like a lot of work, partially because I really had to add in an extra 15-20 minute "wait period" for my eye makeup without feeling like I was wiping it all off with the UDPP.

From the pictures though, you can see the lashes getting slightly thicker, and ... There is an obvious overall increase in length, however my longest lashes seem to have remained approximately the same length, like my shorter lashes just grew out to meet my longest lash length (if you look directly below "5" in week 5, and look at the other weeks, you can see that same peak in the other weeks, ending slightly below the crease area under my eye.  In Week 14, it looks like most of the lashes have now matched that length, whereas in week 2 and irregular use it's one of the longer spots.)



Overall, there is a difference, although it does take very consistent use to maintain, and I think I've seen better picture results from the expensive brands.  But there does appear to be an improvement with use.

 

[Johnnie]

Dam, if only it was vegan. Seems to be a slight improvement. Thanks for sharing.

 

[beep]

I am convinced to get one of those serums. For those that have been using it for a while, are you still using it everyday? And if you stop for a while, what happens? Thanks.

 

[Annelle]

The final image showed what happened after irregular use.

I've switched to a different serum now, since the L'Oreal seems to be more of a "lash conditioning" variety than a "lash growth" variety.  Conditioners will make your lashes a bit stronger which can allow them to grow a bit, but you really need a before and after picture to notice a veritable difference.

I've been using an actual growth serum lately, and I've been asked by a few people if I had extensions or false lashes on.  My lashes have actually grown enough to where they have started curling (they're strong enough that the top lashes are pushing against the bottom lashes while I sleep and forcing them to take to having a curl)

All growth serums work the same basic way. (at least ones that have growth inducing ingredients)

The ones I used took about 2-3 months to finally settle in, although I did see results in about 6 weeks...those results were fleeting until my lashes really got stronger though.

It takes about 4-6 weeks to notice initial growth  -- these are middle-life hairs that were still in their growth cycles that have now grown past where they naturally would have grown.

I noticed during this time period that if I ever forgot a day, I'd have lash fallout, where I'd rub my eyes and maybe 3-5 eyelashes would fall out.  These were lashes that were end-life hairs that were hanging onto dear life due to having some strengtheners to help them stay in.

After another month or two, all of the end-life hairs had fallen out, and all the middle-life hairs were now in their "stronger" end-life, and were stronger than the initial end-life hairs, so they were more resistant to falling out with rubbing.  All of the new hairs that had started to grow after treatment had started were now reaching "stronger" middle-life.

If I stop using the serum, my new lashes will not have any treatment and be exactly as they were before I started treatment.  The stronger middle/end life hairs will eventually fall out, and the lashes will all go back to normal.

Here's a picture of my lashes now. You can tell obvious growth.  I've put the before and after on top of each other. The L'Oreal ends at the bottom of its picture, and the growth serum goes well past that.