Suddenly stubby eyelashes
March 10, 2022 6:35 AM Subscribe
Recently I've noticed a few patches where my eyelashes seem to have broken off in half. Like if they were 0.5 cm long before, now they are barely a couple of millimeters. I'm hoping to understand why and how, so that I can prevent them all from being this way, and also looking for tools and tricks to conceal this with makeup.
The why?? I have very light features and wear eyeliner/mascara more often than not. Sometimes I am not great about washing my face at night and getting it all off, so the mascara spends more time sitting on my lashes. I know this is a bad habit, but I have been doing this without problems for years and years. Why are my eyelashes breaking off now? And how do I reverse the trend??
And then to move forward, again, without the light features, it's important to me to be able to darken my eyelashes for definition and because I like the way it looks. Are there tips or tricks for mimicking the look of longer eyelashes (without getting extensions, etc.)? Anything I can be doing with liner, shadow, whatever?
The why?? I have very light features and wear eyeliner/mascara more often than not. Sometimes I am not great about washing my face at night and getting it all off, so the mascara spends more time sitting on my lashes. I know this is a bad habit, but I have been doing this without problems for years and years. Why are my eyelashes breaking off now? And how do I reverse the trend??
And then to move forward, again, without the light features, it's important to me to be able to darken my eyelashes for definition and because I like the way it looks. Are there tips or tricks for mimicking the look of longer eyelashes (without getting extensions, etc.)? Anything I can be doing with liner, shadow, whatever?
I also had birth control that affected my eyelashes. Also, and I hate to say this, but mine (red/blonde tipped, so irritatingly half-invisible in the best times) have also diminished, seemingly irrevocably, with age.
It's on the pricey side, but if you're looking for a quick fix, this is the best mascara I've ever used.
posted by thivaia at 7:17 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's on the pricey side, but if you're looking for a quick fix, this is the best mascara I've ever used.
posted by thivaia at 7:17 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Some hormonal changes within the last year, but nothing in the past few weeks/months. I have been getting older, inevitably, so maybe that's a factor. And I've been under a lot of emotional stress since the beginning of the year, if that is a culprit ("stress" does seem to be the answer to most of these questions).
posted by knotty knots at 7:27 AM on March 10, 2022
posted by knotty knots at 7:27 AM on March 10, 2022
Age, sure! Also it's winter so they might be a little drier than usual, making them just slightly more brittle if you sleep on them weird or something.
I do double duty by removing my eye makeup at night with oil after washing my face, and then just wiping it off - that way, you're sort of moisturizing your eyelashes at the same time that you're removing your makeup. I use jojoba or sweet almond oil usually, but any oil that doesn't react badly with your skin is fine! (my mom has always used vaseline - I find it sticky but she has great eyelashes for a 65 year old)
I had eyelash extensions which I had an allergic reaction to and ALL my eyelashes fell out after! it was very bizarre. for the couple months they took to grow back in, I upped the drama of my normal eyeliner (I usually do a slight flick at the end but I went for more of a full cat eye) and then I ran a brush with black shadow along the lash line to make sure there wasn't any skin gap you could see.
I use a serum now, I like this one because it's cheap, and it works great.
posted by euphoria066 at 8:04 AM on March 10, 2022
I do double duty by removing my eye makeup at night with oil after washing my face, and then just wiping it off - that way, you're sort of moisturizing your eyelashes at the same time that you're removing your makeup. I use jojoba or sweet almond oil usually, but any oil that doesn't react badly with your skin is fine! (my mom has always used vaseline - I find it sticky but she has great eyelashes for a 65 year old)
I had eyelash extensions which I had an allergic reaction to and ALL my eyelashes fell out after! it was very bizarre. for the couple months they took to grow back in, I upped the drama of my normal eyeliner (I usually do a slight flick at the end but I went for more of a full cat eye) and then I ran a brush with black shadow along the lash line to make sure there wasn't any skin gap you could see.
I use a serum now, I like this one because it's cheap, and it works great.
posted by euphoria066 at 8:04 AM on March 10, 2022
You can have your eyelashes tinted by a beautician, it’s fairly cheap, lasts a few weeks IIRC and will give you some of that definition without having to wear mascara (no more crunchy lashes! You can rub your eyes without looking like night of the living dead!).
Might be that the dye also upsets your lashes, of course, but worth a try, perhaps?
posted by penguin pie at 8:33 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Might be that the dye also upsets your lashes, of course, but worth a try, perhaps?
posted by penguin pie at 8:33 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
A long time ago I was informed that if you wear eye make up a lot it creates an environment where nematodes can thrive, that they colonize the pores where your eyelashes grow, and expanding there cause your eyelashes to fall out. This is the reason why you are never supposed to share eye make up or use someone else's old eye make up.
Eyelashes are critical to protect your eyes from dust - so much so that if you get chemo and lose all your head and body hair you may well not lose your eyelashes. This means that when you do lose an eyelash they grown back fast. The stubby ones you are seeing could be new eyelashes growing back in.
I would ditch the eye make up for two months in order to leave the area clear enough to assess for changes and watch to see if the short ones are growing in.
The nematodes are usually Demodex Folliculorum, also called eyelash mites. If you also have any symptoms of rosacea that increases the chances that nematodes are the problem.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:10 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Eyelashes are critical to protect your eyes from dust - so much so that if you get chemo and lose all your head and body hair you may well not lose your eyelashes. This means that when you do lose an eyelash they grown back fast. The stubby ones you are seeing could be new eyelashes growing back in.
I would ditch the eye make up for two months in order to leave the area clear enough to assess for changes and watch to see if the short ones are growing in.
The nematodes are usually Demodex Folliculorum, also called eyelash mites. If you also have any symptoms of rosacea that increases the chances that nematodes are the problem.
posted by Jane the Brown at 9:10 AM on March 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Your eyelashes get more brittle as you age, and sleeping with mascara makes them stiff, which together can lead to breakage.
Do try to take your makeup off every night, get a silk pillow case (good for your hair and skin too!) and use a lash serum like Latisse if you have the budget, or castor oil if you don't. Just apply sparingly along the upper and lower lash lines. This will condition your lashes and make them softer and less likely to break.
I know that probably seems like a lot of work, but I promise you'll get used to it, and it beats having stubby lashes. Seconding lash tints as well. Definitely make sure to condition your lashes of you do, though. Tints can be drying.
posted by ananci at 9:12 AM on March 10, 2022
Do try to take your makeup off every night, get a silk pillow case (good for your hair and skin too!) and use a lash serum like Latisse if you have the budget, or castor oil if you don't. Just apply sparingly along the upper and lower lash lines. This will condition your lashes and make them softer and less likely to break.
I know that probably seems like a lot of work, but I promise you'll get used to it, and it beats having stubby lashes. Seconding lash tints as well. Definitely make sure to condition your lashes of you do, though. Tints can be drying.
posted by ananci at 9:12 AM on March 10, 2022
This was age related for me. I had gorgeous long lashes. Sigh.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:49 AM on March 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:49 AM on March 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
Have you been crying a lot lately (ha ha, haven’t we all?) Sometimes that can dry/stiffen things and then there’s all the blotting/rubbing.
Latisse (bitmaprost) will give you Snuffleupagus lashes but you’d of course want to get the all-clear from your doctor, test for underlying conditions, and make sure you understand the risks. Castor oil couldn’t hurt, as long as you use a light touch.
posted by kapers at 10:58 AM on March 10, 2022
Latisse (bitmaprost) will give you Snuffleupagus lashes but you’d of course want to get the all-clear from your doctor, test for underlying conditions, and make sure you understand the risks. Castor oil couldn’t hurt, as long as you use a light touch.
posted by kapers at 10:58 AM on March 10, 2022
Wearing mascara overnight and especially wearing waterproof mascara overnight breaks my lashes. Before I got obsessive with my PM skincare routine, I used to keep makeup remover/micellar water next to my bed along with a stack of cotton rounds so that I could do a quick wipe off before sleep.
Besides wearing false lashes, the one makeup trick that works to give the illusion of longer lashes is tightlining the upper water line with a waterproof eyeliner. It makes it look like the eyelash starts further back which makes it appear that the lashes are longer. This bargain eyeliner from NYX has been a great one for me, it doesn't irritate my eyes. If you are OK with using black liner and need it to never ever budge, I like MAC's Liquidlast waterproof liquid eyeliner - it's spendier, though. Using a lengthening mascara with fibers in it can also make a difference.
Tinting my eyelashes has never been a winner for me - the effect was not dramatic at all. I think it's only worth doing if you're a blond or a redhead with extremely light lashes.
posted by quince at 11:48 AM on March 10, 2022
Besides wearing false lashes, the one makeup trick that works to give the illusion of longer lashes is tightlining the upper water line with a waterproof eyeliner. It makes it look like the eyelash starts further back which makes it appear that the lashes are longer. This bargain eyeliner from NYX has been a great one for me, it doesn't irritate my eyes. If you are OK with using black liner and need it to never ever budge, I like MAC's Liquidlast waterproof liquid eyeliner - it's spendier, though. Using a lengthening mascara with fibers in it can also make a difference.
Tinting my eyelashes has never been a winner for me - the effect was not dramatic at all. I think it's only worth doing if you're a blond or a redhead with extremely light lashes.
posted by quince at 11:48 AM on March 10, 2022
I asked an AskMe question about hair issues (my eyelashes were affected a bit but not as badly as yours, it sounds like). Someone suggested I ask my doc to check my iron levels. Lo and behold, that was a lot of it (the rest was normal aging, which, sigh). An iron supplement has helped me with head hair loss and texture issues and eyelash loss.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:54 PM on March 10, 2022
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:54 PM on March 10, 2022
When I hit my mid-30s, my oil production shifted and I developed non-infectious blepharitis with abnormal sebum production at my eyelids. This may be all you need to fix. I use a foam cleanser made for eyelids in the shower, or as an alternative, have individual wipes, to help clean off the lids. Both of these have a little tea tree oil (in eyelid safe amounts!) to really help with lid cleansing. Don't use baby shampoo, buy the stuff made safe for eyes.
posted by cobaltnine at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2022
posted by cobaltnine at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2022
Do you use an eyelash curler? You might need to replace the rubber pad.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:06 PM on March 10, 2022
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:06 PM on March 10, 2022
Going forward, if you'd like to try to speed up the lash growth process, you could try an eyelash serum, like Grande Lash Serum. I have not personally tried the lash serum, but I have used the brow serum, and it WORKS. Here also is a review of the lash serum from a blogger I trust (Grace Atwood) with lots of before and after pictures describing her experience with the product.
posted by airplant at 9:54 PM on March 10, 2022
posted by airplant at 9:54 PM on March 10, 2022
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posted by lovableiago at 6:55 AM on March 10, 2022