KITCHEN BEAUTICIAN

Post by Carissa Ferreri, Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

Our guest blogger Carissa Ferreri is back with this little genius alternative for healthy brows and lashes! Take it away Carissa!

You might have heard of Castor Oil used as a remedy to help cure all sorts of ailments. But did you know that this wonder oil also promotes eyelash growth?! Say What!?! Move over expensive, doctor prescribed, chemical hair stimulators! Castor oil is one of the best kept secrets in the world of natural beauty. Taken from the bean of the Castor plant, this oil is rich in ricinoleic acid (omega-9 fatty acid), which exerts powerful therapeutic effects. It will help your eyelashes to grow thick and long, and can keep them from breaking. It can also help you grow new eyebrow hair in bare areas that might have been over-tweezed. And it's super cheap! Yes, it really is a wonder oil!

I have incorporated the topical use of Castor Oil into my nightly routine for quite sometime now. I notice that with consistent use, my eyelashes and eyebrows have grown longer and thicker!

STEPS:

1. After washing your face and applying all your anti-wrinkle goodies, it's time to apply the Castor oil to your lashes. I discovered an empty mascara tool at a beauty supply store and it works perfectly! (You can use your finger or Q-tip as well. However, this makes for easy and perfect application).If using the empty mascara tube, simply pour your Castor oil into the bottle. Using this tiny funnel from a craft store makes for easy clean up and no spillage.
2. Gently apply the Castor oil soaked mascara wand to the tips of your brows like you normally would an eyebrow gel.
   
3. Then dip the wand back in the tube to load it back up with more product and apply it to your lashes like you would with mascara. Unfortunately, your eye lashes don't have chia pet qualities, and will take a few weeks with consistent use of the castor oil to see some results. Don't fret, you are conditioning your lashes and making them healthy and strong!

PINCH ME!

post + photos by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

Yes there are a bunch of different methods for curling your lashes. In makeup school I learned to pinch once at the base, walk it out halfway and pinch again, then again a quarter way out. Believe me I’ve tried them all… have even tried spoons and heated curlers. And I’m sure you have your own techniques too (do share!). But today I am simply sharing this one because it is a game changer. Hear my voice in your head, sister: if you only pinch with the curler upright, you’re only doing it halfway! You have to then also pinch with the curler inverted. Trust me on this. It’s one of the biggest secrets I can share.

You’ll need:

A lash curler obviously! This one from MAC is my personal favorite as it gives the strongest pinch or try my favorite more budget-friendly choice.

Steps:

1. Insert your lashes into the opened curler and line it up right at your lashline, but not too close that you pinch the skin.
2. Pinch at the lashline; mostly to grab hold, not to make a crimp.
3. With that holding, rotate your wrist so that your thumb stays mostly in the same place and acts as the pivot point while your pinkie finger goes from being around your chin area all the way up towards your forehead.
4. Now that the curler is inverted, give your lashes a proper upside-down pinch for about 5 seconds. Really squeeze it as tightly as you can (without pulling of course).
5. Rotate your hand back to the starting position and carefully open the curler then slide it away from your lashes.
6. The most important step: tweet us before and after pictures! Or tag them #thebeautydepartment on Instagram!
7. Then you add a coat of mascara and bat your lashes at all the cuties out there.