YSTYLE HIT LIST — Beauty

Lashing out

MANILA, Philippines - Every time I see a picture of Kim Kardashian, my initial thought is, Why did Kanye dress her in that? Then I think about how she looked so much better with dark hair, and then I zoom in on her eyes and wonder how many kittens I need to sacrifice to get eyelashes like that. Even when not enhanced by a strip of falsies, her natural lashes are insane. They’re thick, dark and long, and she and her sisters have them on both their upper and lower lashlines, and it’s just another indication that the world is very, very unfair.

I would do anything for lashes like that. I’ve tried lash serums (and ended up discontinuing using them because I was too lazy), I’ve tried lash extensions (twice — both times were a disaster because while lash extensions look great at first, eventually the natural lashes they’re glued to start to grow out, so the extensions cause them to droop, and then everything falls off, everything), I’ve tried castor oil (as lash extension rehab), I’ve mastered the art of false lash application. I’ve worked long enough in beauty to know that nothing I do will ever truly work; lashes like those are the kind that you need to be born with. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try whatever I can to come as close as humanly possible.

Enter Estée Lauder’s Little Black Primer.

I’ve used lash primers before. Any true mascara junkie worth her salt has. We’ve all tried those double-ended mascaras, with the first wand depositing a white, thickening film (sometimes with little fibers to enhance length) all over your lashes, and the second wand topping that film with a coat or two of black tint. But this primer is something else.

Like the tube says, it can be used to tint, amplify, and set. The primer is black instead of white, so you can actually use it in lieu of mascara to tint your natural lashes a little darker. I’ve worn the primer on its own on no-makeup days, and it deposits just enough tint to give some definition; not mascara-thick, but very natural-looking, coating each individual strand without ever getting clumpy. I’ve also applied it to my lower lashes with absolutely no trouble.

Or you can use the primer for its primary purpose: to amplify the effects of mascara. Apply it first to curled lashes as a primer, and it’ll boost volume, lift and length. Then, apply your regular mascara. I’ve been using Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Extreme Zero Smudge All Effects Mascara with the primer. I’m obsessed with it because it does what it says it’ll do: It enhances length, amps up volume, and holds a curl. Plus, the little brush at the end of the wand is smaller than the usual brush you see on most mascara wands, which I actually have come to prefer because it gives you more control and precision. You can coat every small section of lashes without ever poking your eye out, and you can even apply mascara to lower lashes as sparse as mine without making any mistakes. It’s fantastic.

And finally, the primer can be used to set your mascara. You can apply it like a topcoat of sorts over your mascara to help it hold longer and make it just a little more water-resistant.

Little Black Primer is a very effective multi-purpose product that I feel deserves a spot in your kit as soon as it hits our shelves this summer. Will it Kardashian-Jennerize your lashes? Not completely, but it’s about as close as any of us can ever hope to get. Fight!— Regina Belmonte