Lashes, Plus One or Two

Ever since I first saw the commercials (starring a now omnipresent Brooke Shields), I’ve been seriously wary about Latisse.

I love long lashes, but I just don’t know about something that needs FDA approval to make them grow. (Britt has also made her opinions on this topic very clear.) There are also a boatload of non-prescription products that claim the same lash-enhancing effect. We know lots of people who’ve used them, and apparently they work pretty darn well.

One downside I never even thought about until yesterday is that these products will also grow hair where you don’t want it.

Like, say you put one of them on your lashes, but then happen to rub your eyes. You might just start to sprout hairs on your upper cheekbone. EW! (This happened to a very lovely hairstylist I met on a shoot yesterday. Seriously.)

I spend plenty of money removing hair from places I don’t want it so there is no way I’m opting in on something that makes it grow anywhere it touches on my face.

A Shu Uemura curler and a Lancôme mascara are all I need to get by, thank you very much.

posted by guest

Jul 24, 2009 12:02PM

The fact that the FDA approved Latisse means that it is safer than nonprescription alternatives because the product had to undergo medical tests. The probloem with OTC (over the counter) beauty products is that they are not required to undergo any safety testing by the government or by an impartial third party.

Jul 24, 2009 12:07PM

i think abby is in love with britt. why does she ALWAYS mention britt in her posts?

Jul 24, 2009 12:11PM

Also (I commented on #1), the reason that Latisse should have been approved by the FDA is because it advertises a medical benefit -- growing longer lashes. Technically, any OTC product that promises to grow lashes is not in compliance with the FDA.

posted by nycshoegal

Jul 24, 2009 12:50PM

ummm i'm with abby and britt on this one. no, thanks.

posted by mpw

Jul 24, 2009 12:53PM

Sure, it may look like you have a touch of pink eye and put LiLo's self-tanner on your eyelids, and you may have a wee little goatee growing out of your cheek but, hey, at least you have long sexy lashes!

Jul 24, 2009 12:56PM

Honestly, I don't know if anything approved by the FDA is "safer" anymore, because of various products they pushed through in recent years that turned out to have more disadvantages than were worth the cure (Viagra will make you blind, Zycam takes your sense of smell, et cetera). Without going on too much of a rant, I don't like how drugs are seen as an easy solution. I wish people would acknowledge that they are indeed putting a substance in their body.

I totally understand why a woman who has gone through chemo would need help growing her lashes, but I am definitely happy to stick to my Diorshow regimen.

Sidenote-would the person who is always Abby-bashing please stop? Did you not get an internship or something? I just don't believe in negativity, nor do I understand your point, as it's never constructive, just nasty. If you really dislike what Fashionista has to say, go start your own blog. Peace.

Everyone else-have a great weekend!
xoxo
KateDarling.blogspot.com

Jul 24, 2009 1:22PM

wait? if you let the product dry properly, why would touching the eye then touching the face be a problem?

posted by sugarshock

Jul 24, 2009 1:32PM

Another potential side effect of this drug is permanent eye-color change - so if you have blue eyes, for example, there's a slight chance they could turn brown, permanently.
If that's not scary enough, I don't know what is....

http://www.latisse.com/FAQs.aspx?state=14

Jul 24, 2009 2:32PM

thank you commenter #6.

Jul 24, 2009 3:59PM

False eyelashes people...Hellooo

Jul 24, 2009 4:20PM

revitalash was around before latisse and it does not require an RX. I use it and never had an cheek hair problems and I am really spastic. It is ab $130, I received it as a gift but will buy again it is AMAZING. very good product.

Jul 24, 2009 6:44PM

I'm with commenter #8, when the commercial said your eyes may PERMANENTLY change color they lost me. My green eyes are better than longer lashes any day.

Jul 24, 2009 9:29PM

are you kidding me??? you'd have to rub your eyes and get the product on the same spot day after day. such a load of boloney! this website is kinda lame at times. please fashionista check your facts. aren't you supposed to be journalists?

Jul 24, 2009 11:20PM

well then thank god i have brown eyes!!

posted by grammyweezy

Jul 25, 2009 7:58PM

no. 13, i doubt that the lovely hairstylist that abby met repeatedly rubbed the product on her face day after day, so the little patch of hair growth on your face mustn't be that hard to achieve! this shit sounds scary.

Jul 27, 2009 1:55PM

I've got to say, I have Glaucoma and the treatment is a daily eyedrop solution called Xalatan. My guess is, Latisse and Xalatan are the same things. Xalatan also makes your eyelashes grow rapidly and can permanently turn your irises brown. I've used it for about a year to lower the pressure in my eyes and noticed within a month that my eyelashes were MUCH longer and MUCH thicker. I'm not sure this is the greatest testimonial, but I will say that Latisse would probably make any sparsely lashed woman very happy.

Aug 13, 2009 4:56PM

i noticed that my eyelashes fell out more quickly when i wore mascara on a regular basis. it got me thinking that mascara might be one of those products that creates its own market (thin eyelashes --> use mascara --> thinner eyelashes --> use more mascara, etc.) before going on latisse, try just cutting out the mascara and see if that makes a difference - it did for me.