30 Days to 10 years younger--10 minute tips. Tip 4: Curl your lashes

I know this sounds incredibly picky, but think about it.

Ages conspires to bring you down--both literally and figuratively. Think about what it's done to your figure. You still have everything you've ever had! Unfortunately, it's two inches lower down. And the same is true of your face. Just as your body seems to want to move south, your cheeks start to migrate towards your jawline.

OK, I'll stop before I get us all depressed. The thing is, you can counteract this effect by drawing the eye back up. This will de-emphasize your face's journey southwards.

This is why women used to cut their hair short as they got older--to draw the eye upwards. It's why bat wing eyeliner was invented. I suspect it's one reason we all love wearing sunglasses. And for all I know, it's why women used to wear hats all the time.

So do me a favor and at least give it a try. Curl your lashes, and see if it brightens your face--and your outlook.

What kind of eyelash curler should you use? Genuine hard-core fashionistas swear by Shu Uemera's model


which is available at Ulta for $19.00

But I get perfectly respectable results with a Revlon curler, also available at Ulta for $4.29.


How to curl your lashes

1. Start with clean, dry lashes, and curl them before you apply your mascara. If you curl your lashes when you're wearing mascara, you're likely to leave a few lashes behind on the curler. Ouch.
2. Position the curler so that it's just ahead of the roots of your lash line. Close the curler and squeeze firmly for a slow count of five.
3. If you have large eyes, you might want to curl your lashes more than once, aiming the curler towards one corner, then holding it in the middle, then doing the other corner of each eye.
4. Some people achieve a more natural-looking curl by curling their lashes in stages. They curl once at the roots, then "walk" the curler further out along the lash and curl again.
5. If you have stubbornly straight lashes, try heating your eyelash curler first with a hair dryer. (Just don't let it get crazy hot, OK?)
6. If your lashes are simply impossible--the equivalent of a sullen teenager--there are also heated lash curlers. (Which, to continue the metaphor, must be boot camp for eyelashes.) This Japonesque one is available at Ulta for $17.39.

I hope I've convinced you to at least give this a try. Honestly, on days where I'm really rushed, there are times I curl my lashes and skip mascara. The bright-eyed effect of curling my lashes has become more important than the lengthening/thickening/darkening effect of wearing mascara. I know--gasp!--but it's true.


Enough information to make your eyelashes curl:

Seventeen magazine has a short video that illustrates the process--to watch it, click here.

Makeupalley is one-stop shopping for product reviews. If you haven't joined, please do--it's an invaluable resource. Then check here to see reviews of eyelash curlers.