REVIEW: Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler...

Thanks to beautyheaven, I recently won a $150 Mecca Gift Card by completing surveys through The Insiders Community - what a surprise that was, and I was thrilled to be able to choose anything from the Mecca website that took my fancy. I selected items that I normally wouldn't purchase because they were either a) not really needed, b) items/brands I wanted to try for the first time, or c) things I'd lusted after for quite some time, but couldn't justify the expense. In short, it was a beauty fanatic's dream come true! And while I already have a Shu Uemura one, the Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler met all three of the aforementioned criteria, so it was the first item to leap into my cart lol ♥...

The Shu Uemura curler is probably the only cult classic item in my beauty tool arsenal, and it worked amazingly well for many moons, however, its effectiveness has been declining over this past year. Perhaps I need to replace the little cushiony pad again (already done that once), or maybe my lashes are stiffening with age (eek!), or more likely I haven't devoted enough time in the morning rush to the art of curling my lashes. Whatever the cause, I was struggling to get it to work any of its previous magic - quite frankly it's been a battle just to even keep the curl long enough to take the closeup EOTD pics. But the Kevyn Aucoin curler is a triumph ♥ - in the picture below, the right-hand shot was taken after using the KA curler for 10 seconds, and the results are a blessed relief. In the pic on the left, it looks like I haven't curled my lashes at all, even after repeated squeezes with the SU ...

Shu Uemura                                                                                   Kevyn Aucoin

So what's the difference, apart from it being new? At first glance, they have a very similar shape, and the price tags are almost identical (around $30), but on close inspection, the Kevin Aucoin curler has a couple of features that do in fact stand out. Most obvious is the bright red cushion pad (replacement included in the box) - I haven't been able to confirm what it's made of (most websites say "rubber") but it looks more like silicone to me. The second obvious difference is that when opened, the gap between the cushion and the metal is twice as big (if not more), which makes positioning far easier, and allows ALL lashes to be captured, even the tiniest ones on the inner corner ♥...

Incidentally, that fuzzy blob in the bottom right of the above pic is the thumb handle, whereas the Shue Uemura one isn't even in sight. Which leads me to the third major difference, which is the angle of the handles...

In the photo above you can see that the hinge angle varies considerably too, and I guess all these differences add up to what makes it an award-winning design (Allure Magazine's 2013 Best Eyelash Curler). All I know is that it takes a lot less time to achieve a far better result, you can forget skin-pinching, and if you have stubby straight lashes like me, that makes it a godsend ♥...

Incidentally, below is the complete parcel I received as my prize, so exquisitely presented, and with a complimentary bottle of Mecca Cosmetica Micellar Water...

And here are all the goodies I chose - I'll be reviewing the other three in the coming weeks. The total cost was a little more than my $150 gift card but well worth the extra coin to create my dream box...

In summary, the Kevyn Aucoin The Eyelash Curler is brilliant, and I'll be eternally grateful to beautyheaven and The Insiders Community for the opportunity to add this marvellously effective tool to my kit. Considering how torturous eyelash curlers can be, this one is 100% pain-free, heaps more effective, and a whole lot easier to use - love it! ♥

What's your go-to eyelash curler?

Take care of you,

kats xxx