Product Review: Latisse

Word on the Street/Company Claims: Longer, thicker, and darker eyelashes can be yours when you apply this bimatoprost opthamolic solution .03% every night to the lash line (like liquid eyeliner).

They are actually not sure why it works- funny, right? In summary, this product was first available as a glaucoma treatment (Lumigan… but was/is used IN the eye as a medication). Basically, a whole lotta glaucoma patients ended up with a whole lotta fabulous lashes! And so after an FDA trial and a repackage (kinda): Latisse was born.

Appropriate for who?:

People who feel like their lashes could be better… and unless you are one of those people gifted with epic lashes: who doesn’t?

NOT so good for:

Those already undergoing treatment for glaucoma, and those who may be having an upcoming opthamalic surgery or procedure,… ask your doctor.

Totally Fabuliz: (Favorite part):

It ACTUALLY works. If you like to put 2, maybe 3 coats of mascara on, you will fall in love with Latisse (and may even find yourself joining the rest of the 1-coat world!) Measurable change takes place over the course of about 16-18 weeks as your untreated lashes fall out naturally and the Latisse’d lashes cycle in.

Just OK:

I would guesstimate that I’ve seen maybe 2 of every 50 patients experience some eye irritation with this product. So while not often, that can happen. Also, there’s a chance of a pink-ness that can develop on your lids. It happened to me, and will go away as soon as I stop using it. Doesn’t bother me enough to discontinue use AT ALL… You can’t stop me now!! MUAHHahahahah (crazy laugh) … ahem… sorry.

The Lid-darkening on me: which doesn't phase me at all. Um have you SEEN my lashes? =)Needs work:

The disposable applicators are not as user friendly as a tube/wand package would be. (kind of like Revitalash). However,  since Latisse had to get FDA approval… they went over–the-top with safety so they could get approved, fast. The instructions say that one brush is to be used on one eye, disposed of, and then another brush used for the other eye. TWO applicators EACH DAY? I’m thinking: We apply mascara to both eyes every day with only one wand! I understand that its indeed a bit different here because there’s no preservative… but listen: You can almost hear the landfills crying.

Star Rating: 4 STARS!!!★★★★

★1 Star: Might pass this one up

★★2 Stars: Okay for the money

★★★3 Stars: Really nice product, I’d buy it

★★★★4 Stars: Pretty much deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, want it/need it/ have to have it!

Misc Notes/Other need-to-know's:

Don’t stop using it. Once you have your results you need to keep going! I don’t have a problem with the thought of maintaining though- once you have your fabulous lashes you want to keep them!!

More= Not always better! Don't waste your precious Latisse!!Check out my other blog post with additional Latisse info here, including a video of how I like to use my Latisse, (but always follow the instructions of your doctor!)

Click here for Allergan’s official Latisse Page. And PS- Definitely join their Brilliant Distinctions reward program so you can earn points for your purchases… you can get coupons for $25 off, $50 off, and even more if you spend enough or have treatments like BOTOX  Cosmetic.

Bottom Line:

I'm a Latisse-r for Life. Love. Love. Love.

Fabulous Lashes without Batting an Eye?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Latisse lately, so I thought I’d throw something together with my personal tips and some official information, too! 1)   Latisse rocks, but it’s $$$: Here’s a video of how I like to store and use my disposable brushes so you can get more use out of each package. This is considered off-label, meaning it’s not necessarily the way the product is labeled for use- so always do what your doctor or skincare professional recommends!

Click on the image to see the you-tube vid!2)   Let’s not get Crazy: I’ve heard of patients using a makeup brush to apply the product… I would NOT recommend this, as Latisse does not have a preservative in it. Hygiene is of course very important, especially with the eye-area, so stick with the disposables for sure.

3)   Night Owl: Only use Latisse at night, with your contacts out and makeup off. Contacts can actually absorb the product, so be sure not to cut corners here. Apply your eye products and treatment creams first, and Latisse will be the very last step.

4)   Browing out: An off-label use of Latisse is applying it to the eyebrows. I did that once for a period of time to experiment, and found that it would not grow hair where there wasn’t hair already, but that it did make individual brow hairs a bit darker and longer, too, contributing to a bit of a fuller effect.

5)   Changing Eye Color?!?: I think when patients hear this, they freak out and think their blue eyes could turn brown and vice versa- thankfully this is not the case.  To summarize, when Allergan did a 5000 patient study of the Lumigan version of this product (used IN the eye) for the treatment of glaucoma, there was a small percentage of people with hazel eyes that had darkening of the gold-flecks in their eye. This change was found to be lasting. If you have hazel eyes, consider if that would bother you, as it could be a risk… important to consider that it was only happening to a small % of the people using the solution IN the eye, like an eye-drop, which we are NOT doing with Latisse. Other eye colors have not been found to change or darken.

6)   No biggie?: There is a chance that you can get darkening of the lash line where you apply the Latisse, since it’s increasing melanin (and making your lashes darker!) it happened to me, but the trade-off for awesome lashes is just fine with me. It’s kind of a light pink, so it covers easily with a light shadow/I don’t even really notice it. Some of our patients who already have dark eye areas think twice about using Latisse. Thankfully, when you stop using it, it goes away… so no biggie if you ask me.

7)   Keep the Faith:  Latisse can take up to 16 weeks for full results… this is because when you first start using it, its treating the lashes that haven’t grown in yet. So, it can be hard to use a product every night when you don’t see much happening, but Latisse WORKS, so keep up the good work, and hang in there for fabulous lashes!

Here’s a link to Allergan’s Latisse page, please read up for full Rx info and more official business!