It’s a lovely sunny day where I am, the perfect kind of day for a soft spring look. This quick and easy FOTD builds a little extra pink on top of my everyday makeup look and only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to do. Products, tools, and some tips for short and stubborn Asian lashes below.

Product List:

Skin: Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream (No. 21 Light Pink Beige), Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki foundation brush

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream (No. 21 Light Pink Beige), Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki foundation brush Cheeks: L’oreal True Match Super-Blendable Blush (C1-2 Baby Blossom), Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki foundation brush

L’oreal True Match Super-Blendable Blush (C1-2 Baby Blossom), Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki foundation brush Brows: Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow (Tough as Taupe), Sigma E75 Angled Brow

Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow (Tough as Taupe), Sigma E75 Angled Brow Lids: Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow (Inked in Pink), Sigma E60 Large Shader

Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow (Inked in Pink), Sigma E60 Large Shader Liner: CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus (Grey Khaki), tightlined on top, waterline on bottom

CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus (Grey Khaki), tightlined on top, waterline on bottom Lashes: Heroine Make Volume & Curl (Jet Black), Heroine Make Long & Curl (Jet Black), Shu Uemura eyelash curler

Heroine Make Volume & Curl (Jet Black), Heroine Make Long & Curl (Jet Black), Shu Uemura eyelash curler Lips: Paula’s Choice Perfect Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss (Rose Blush)

Easy Asian eyelash tutorial

Let’s talk lashes! Specifically, Asian lashes.

I have the stereotypical Asian problem lashes. They’re sparse, they’re short, they point practically straight down, and under most conditions, they will not hold a curl for longer than five minutes. I’m also unstereotypically lazy. Fiddling with false lashes and tweezers and teeny tiny dabs of eyelash glue isn’t for me, and in any case, I’m not usually a fan of the overly artificial false eyelash look, at least not for everyday. (Special occasions? Maybe, if I had a few hours beforehand and were in a patient mood.) The “heat your eyelash curler” trick does work, but given the natural state of my lashes, I’d rather not heat-style them on a regular basis. That would only make the problem worse in the long run.

Luckily, I’ve figured out a method that never fails to give me significantly longer, thicker lashes with a 12-hour curl. It’s easy and fast. Here’s the rundown.

What eyelash curler you use makes a difference. At a glance, most eyelash curlers look about the same, right? It can be hard to see why anyone would choose the $20 Shu Uemura eyelash curler over the $3 drugstore eyelash curler. After many years of struggle, however, I can tell you that what eyelash curler you use really does matter. In general, Asian eyes sit differently in the face than Western eyes, and Asian eyelash curlers tend to fit Asian eyes better than Western ones do. What that means is that an Asian eyelash curler may be able to catch and curl more of your lashes than Western ones, which I find often miss the last few lashes at the outer corners of my eyes. The two major names in the Asian eyelash curler game are Shu Uemura and Shiseido. From what I can tell, Shu Uemura curlers are better suited for more prominent eyes, while the Shiseido curlers fit flatter eye shapes. It’s best to try both and see which one works for you.

At a glance, most eyelash curlers look about the same, right? It can be hard to see why anyone would choose the $20 Shu Uemura eyelash curler over the $3 drugstore eyelash curler. After many years of struggle, however, I can tell you that what eyelash curler you use really does matter. In general, Asian eyes sit differently in the face than Western eyes, and Asian eyelash curlers tend to fit Asian eyes better than Western ones do. What that means is that an Asian eyelash curler may be able to catch and curl more of your lashes than Western ones, which I find often miss the last few lashes at the outer corners of my eyes. The two major names in the Asian eyelash curler game are Shu Uemura and Shiseido. From what I can tell, Shu Uemura curlers are better suited for more prominent eyes, while the Shiseido curlers fit flatter eye shapes. It’s best to try both and see which one works for you. What mascara you use makes a difference, too. Not all mascaras hold a curl, and even the ones marketed as “curling” may fall flat when it comes to naturally straight and stubborn Asian lashes. Waterproof mascaras tend to hold a curl longer than non-waterproof ones, and after over a decade of experimentation, I’ve found that the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make mascaras hold a curl the longest. Even the non-waterproof Heroine Make mascaras keep my curl all day. I can watch a sad movie or go frolic in the rain with no lash problems. Try some Japanese and Korean mascaras out. I bet you’ll see a dramatic improvement.

Not all mascaras hold a curl, and even the ones marketed as “curling” may fall flat when it comes to naturally straight and stubborn Asian lashes. Waterproof mascaras tend to hold a curl longer than non-waterproof ones, and after over a decade of experimentation, I’ve found that the Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make mascaras hold a curl the longest. Even the non-waterproof Heroine Make mascaras keep my curl all day. I can watch a sad movie or go frolic in the rain with no lash problems. Try some Japanese and Korean mascaras out. I bet you’ll see a dramatic improvement. Layer mascaras for maximum effect. In the same way that you can layer different Asian skin care products to create a custom skin care routine, you can also layer different mascaras to create a custom eyelash effect. For example, my eyelashes are both short and kind of thin. I need length, but I also need volume. I’ve discovered that I get the best effect when I start with two layers of Heroine Make Volume & Curl and then add two layers of Heroine Make Long & Curl on top.

In short, choose the right eyelash curler, try some Asian mascaras, and consider layering on more coats and different mascaras to build the longest, thickest lashes you can.

And finally, make sure to treat your lashes right, so that time and abuse don’t make them even shorter and even thinner!

Eyelash care to protect and promote growth

There are a number of different lash serums on the market, some prescription, some over the counter, and some black market generics of prescription products. They all claim to keep eyelashes healthy and encourage them to grow faster and longer than they would on their own, and from what I’ve heard, some of them even work. (Think Latisse and its black-market generic doppelganger, Careprost.) But I have a much cheaper and easier-to-find treatment. Plain castor oil!

Castor oil is said to condition the lashes (and brows) and promote and encourage growth. I was pretty skeptical of those claims, but castor oil is dirt cheap and readily accessible, so I figured I’d give it a shot. After a few months of nightly use on my brows and lashes, I definitely see a difference. I now have to pluck hairs from my brow area in places where no hair has grown for years, and my lashes are both longer and more abundant. There’s a second row of lashes beginning to grow in just above the row I’ve always had; the new growth is much longer than what I used to get, and my lashes are significantly less puny overall.

If you want to give castor oil a shot, get some cotton swabs and a clean spoolie. Every night before bed, use a cotton swab to apply some castor oil to your eyebrows, gently massaging it in, and use the spoolie to swipe the castor oil onto your lashes, as close to the lashline as you can. It helps to blot the spoolie with a tissue beforehand. For your lashes, you only need a tiny bit, and anything more than that will be uncomfortable.

Of course, before you can put on your nightly castor oil treatment, you’ll have to make sure your brows and lashes are clean and free of product. I hope you’ve developed the healthy habit of removing all your makeup every night. If you haven’t, consider this: Regularly going to sleep in your mascara can dry out your lashes and cause them to break and fall out faster, and that will leave you with even fewer lashes to work with than you had before.

What are your eyelash tricks and favorite tools? And have I mentioned my Twitter and my Facebook page yet?