"I’ve always had a bit of what we’ll call “commitment issues” with my beauty products. In this career, I try so many products and consume so much information about products that it makes it feel hard to really stick with anything; even if something really wows me, it’s easy to convince myself that something else will be better and keep looking for it even if it doesn’t really exist.
This 24-ounce Stanley is the take-anywhere hydration essential that’ll make an everyday appearance.
All of that counts for everything except for one, single product; one that has made a visible change so much that I’ve shelled out the cash to purchase it four times (four!) and have gotten just about every woman in my life to buy: Grande Cosmetic’s GrandeLASH Lash Enhancing Serum.
About My Lashes
My eyelashes have always been somewhere around exactly average. I never had a huge problem with them—they’ve always been semi-long but pretty sparse—but they were mediocre enough to the point that when I saw the lash serum on a one-day deal back a few months ago, I decided to give it a shot.
About the Serum
With 2.6K reviews and 4.5 stars on Sephora, this serum has a bit of a cult following. It uses vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids to help your lashes appear thicker and longer over time. It’s good for damaged or thinning lashes, but also for anyone who just wants to enhance the appearance of their lashes. It also is ophthalmologist-tested and approved and cruelty-free.
Application: 10/10
I’m all about the instant gratification of a product, and this doesn’t even begin show results for 4-6 weeks, and you don’t get the full results until after three months. Knowing I’d need to apply it every night for weeks before I noticed a difference made me think it was going to probably be more effort than it was worth for me.
I applied it every night at the end of my skincare routine. To use it, you apply the serum just above your lash line—much like you would a liquid eyeliner. As far as product usage goes, this one is about as quick and easy to maintain as possible. I kept it in the section of my medicine cabinet that my nighttime skincare lives, and it made it easy to use consistently. I also make sure all of my eye makeup is completely off before I apply it, and that my lashes are dry as well.
I’m honestly unsure of if people generally use this on their bottom lash line too, but I stuck exclusively to the top. I consider myself to have pretty sensitive eyes, and I’ve never noticed any issues at all with irritation.
When I used up my first tube, I was curious to see how long my lashes would maintain their newfound beauty. I took a break from it, and after maybe about a month, noticed that they were looking ever so slightly more sparse. I ordered another tube and used it consistently every night until I was out of it; but now, I keep one more for maintenance than anything else. I use it about every other night just to keep them looking great, not to try to get them to grow longer. Eyelashes obviously fall out and grow like our hair on our heads do, so the results of this aren’t going to make your lashes look amazing for the rest of your life; but with the right use, you can keep them looking at their prime without using the serum every single night.
Results: 9/10
Luckily, this was last March, at the beginning of quarantine, a time I had nothing to do but apply a serum to my lash line every night and hope for the best. I was consistent with it, and after about eight weeks, I suddenly noticed a difference I can’t even put into words. My lashes not only probably doubled in length, but were suddenly thicker, curlier, and darker.
I felt, frankly, like a new woman. In my no-makeup mess of a work-from-home situation, I couldn’t believe the difference my new lashes made me feel: more awake and somehow put-together without makeup every day. At this point in time, my boyfriend said, “Can you please stop using that lash serum? Your eyelashes look like spider legs, and it’s freaking me out,” and if that isn’t a testament to it, I don’t know what is. (Just this weekend, my mom also told me “I look creepy” because my eyelashes are so long, which was another lovely piece of evidence that this stuff really works).
I love how they look on their own, but obviously, the results are really amplified with mascara. I love to use a volumizing mascara since, to be honest, if I use a lengthening one, they actually probably look a little too long. It takes no effort to make them look great—usually I just use one coat of mascara now, and sometimes even forego curling them.
Price: 5/10
The big caveat of this product to me is the price. For a completely unnecessary step it’s obviously expensive, at $65 for their regular-sized, 12-week supply. It definitely is what held me up from purchasing it sooner, despite all the hype I saw it consistently getting.
If you want to try it out without fully committing, they also have a six-week supply for $34, which allows you enough time to start seeing results and decide if you want to continue. Or if you’re addicted to it like me, they just released a jumbo size, which is a 24-week supply for a whopping $120 (which to be fair, will last six months). There are definitely more expensive lash serums on the market, but this one is not cheap by any means.
Since then, I’ve repurchased it every time I ran out so I can use it consistently, and it’s kept my lashes in tip-top shape. I recently got a pack of both the serum and their lash conditioner, and while I didn’t notice a difference from the conditioner, consistent use of the serum has made my lashes stay long and full. I hesitated to buy this product for so long for fear of shelling out a decent amount of cash on something that wasn’t going to work, but I now can’t imagine a time I won’t use this stuff. It’s an automatic repurchase in my book, which is something I can’t really say about any other product. Trust me: you won’t be disappointed by this.