Way before Sophia came out in the December SaladBox, I first saw Talika eyelash enhancer when I read about it in some magazine three years ago. Fortunately, I was able to buy the Talika Lipocils Expert, duty free, from an airline! It even came with a cute little eyelash curler and pouch, which I have obviously lost by now.
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| Talika Lipocils Expert eyelash enhancer |
I used this from December 15 to January 15, and the promise is that after 28 days of using it twice a day, your lashes should be 36% longer, 50% darker and 50% curlier. Does it work?
Price: Duty free price, lost in my memories. Online, it can be ordered for Php 2850/10ml.
Product Information:
The product is a clear gel in a mascara container. I think the only difference between Lipocils (Php 2310/10ml) and Lipocils Expert (Php 2850/10ml) is the wand, which I totally love. The Lipocils wand has a regular mascara wand but the Expert wand has a foam tip so that you can apply the product better to the roots of your lashes.
How to use:
Use the foam tip to soak the roots of your upper and lower lashes.
Use the wand to spread the product up to the tips of your lashes.
Apply twice a day for 28 days and once a day afterwards.
Performance:
The gel did not irritate my eyes at all. I'd like to confess, dear reader, that I used this once a day, instead of twice. It's just too tedious especially if you're particular about getting product on each eyelash. I couldn't wait 'til one month was over so that I could take this dratted thing out of my nightly regimen.
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| Talika Lipocils Expert before and after: Before shot on the left taken Dec. 15, 2012. After shot on the right taken Jan. 15, 2013. |
As you can see, my before lashes had a range of 7mm-9mm. After using it once a day for 28 days, I'm happy to report that my lashes have grown to an almost even 10mm. I have the same mascara in both pictures so that my lashes could be seen through the ruler but my naked lashes have not thickened by much and it is still as straight as it was. It curls a little easier under mascara though, I guess.
I am even happier to report that my lower lashes showed a lot of improvement. By my estimate, it is 2-3mm longer and so much darker/thicker. I unfortunately don't have a comparison shot because I didn't anticipate that Talika would have the most effect there. I have mascara on my lower lashes in the before picture, and none in the after picture. Horrible, I know.
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| Bigger After shot. Lashes at an almost even 9-10mm. |
Edge:
The 36-50-50 promise. I don't think there's another brand of eyelash grower in the market that's as dedicated as Talika to put up actual figures of expected improvement.
Rebuy:
Well honestly, I just care about the length because thickness and curl are easily remedied. But still, I've proven that it holds mostly true to it's promise, maybe even more so if I used it as recommended. Even better news, it seems to work more magic on sparser, thinner and shorter lashes!
Still, with how lazy I am on skin care routines, I would probably only use this after getting eyelash extensions. That's when my eyelashes are balding so at least now I know how to speed up the rehabilitation of my poor lashes. With one session done, I still have a lot left in my tube and I don't plan on using this regularly so it should last a while. Should I decide to constantly get my lashes done, I think I'll need a regular supply of Talika.
Beauty by Tellie score:
4.75. It's perfect, I love it! It holds true to its promise even if I didn't use it as directed. It really works and I can't wait to use this after getting eyelash extensions, when my lashes are so bald. I would have given it a 5 but it's just too much a hassle for me to apply. It's not really that difficult to apply, it's just like really slick mascara. I just balk at the thought of adding more steps to my nightly routine.
Check out their site! They have a lot of really cool, specialized products :P