How To Use A Lash Comb For Perfect Luscious Lashes

Trying to make big, wide, sexy eyes?

Remember these 3 tools: a decent eyelash curler, some nice black mascara, and an eyelash comb. Don't try to skip the comb.

I admit, I have usually used a straight pin to carefully comb through my lashes. My friend, Patty, once told me that all fashionable Parisian women used straight pins to separate their lashes. She gave me that beauty tip back in college, and I never questioned her. Is it true? Who knows. But I have met a number of makeup junkies who also use straight pins to separate their lashes. They have become frustrated with lash combs that have broken teeth or clumpy old mascara residue caked on them.

Let's be honest here, using a straight pin to comb through your eyelashes works well. However, it can become a dangerous tool in an unsteady or clumsy hand. A few years ago, I was getting ready to head out to a Super Bowl party with my friends at a bar. I was hurrying, trying to separate my lashes, when I missed with the pin and scraped across my cornea and iris. The pain was immense. I panicked. I had trouble seeing. I rushed to an eye doctor who examined me, and told me I would be just fine in a couple of days. He chuckled when I told him how the accident occurred. My friends didn't believe my eyelash mishap. They couldn't stop laughing.

There is an easier and safer way to separate your lashes. You should use a lash comb. The key point to remember here, are the type of teeth featured on your comb. The plastic comb with the plastic teeth break easier and are tougher to clean.

Instead, look for eyelash combs that have gold-plated or silver plated metal teeth. For some strange reason, the metal teeth give superior separation. Separated lashes look longer, fuller, more natural, and widen the eye. Just clean the lash comb with alcohol on a cotton ball or tissue after each use.

And a lash comb is quite simple to use, except, you can jab yourself in the eye, so only use with complete attention. First, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. Second, begin applying thin coats of mascara at a time. Then, take your eyelash comb and start separating, or combing through your wet lashes. Comb from the roots upward, immediately after applying each coat. You will like the results---long, thick, more uniform lashes. No clumps or 'spider-looking' lashes.

Here are 2 excellent eyelash combs we adore:

1. Perfect Lashcomb ($17.95, http://www.perfectlash.comb/. will be selling retail soon.) The beauty of this lash comb is its curved design with rounded sides (see photo of purple Perfect Lashcomb). This comb has gold-plated or silver-plated teeth. The layered teeth glide easily through your lashes, separating them perfectly.

2. Tweezerman Folding Eyelash Comb ($6.99, drug stores and http://www.sephora.com/). This beauty gadget also separates lashes with great success. It, too, features gold-plated metal teeth for quick and easy lash combing. You end up with long, natural lashes. Very convenient too, as it folds up neatly (see bottom photo).