In a test of the latest eye make-up removers, six experts were asked to try five products.

The best was L’Oreal Dermo Expertise Gentle Eye Make-up Remover (pictured) with a perfect score of 10/10. It was described as gentle for sensitive skin, quick to act and effective.

Second, with 9/10, was Simple Conditioning Eye Make-up Remover. The bottle design was found to be particularly useful when using cotton buds for correcting.

Third, with 8/10, was Lancome Bi-Facil Non-oily Instant Cleanser Sensitive Eyes. The fact that it’s non-oily and gentle to the eyes were its plus points.

A survey by the UK College of Optometrists reveals the 92 percent of women are putting their health and appearance at risk by using old makeup.

It’s not generally known that makeup has a sell-by date in most advanced countries. For example :

* Mascara has an expiry date of 3–6 months.
* Liquid and cream foundations, concealer, cleanser, moisturiser, 6–8 months.
* Pressed, loose and compressed powders, eye shadow, blusher, lip gloss, lipstick, toner, 1 year.
* Eye and lip liner, 18 months.

The problem is that these products can be a “hot house” for bacteria which can cause infections when the makeup is applied. The bacteria builds up over time until it becomes dangerous to use. Mascara is a particular problem because the stick used to apply it can scratch the soft tissue surrounding the eye.

The worst offenders, says the study, are women in their 30s and early 40s.

Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to the college, said, “Mascara can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so it’s not surprising we’ve found nearly half of women suffer from itchy, watery and red eyes when they are holding onto their eye makeup for so long and sharing it among their friends.”

We’ve all seen the Hollywood stereotype of the female scientist with her hair in a tight bun and her tortoise-shell framed glasses who changes her studious look suddenly by whipping off her glasses and deftly letting her hair down by pulling at one central pin. Immediately, her male colleague who thought of her only as a fellow scientist is enraptured by the vision before him, exclaiming “My word. Dr. Smith, you’re beautiful!”.

While switching from glasses to contact lenses may not elicit such instantaneous attention from the male of the species, many women find contact lenses to be a freeing and fun experience. Glasses may do in some situations and circumstances, but can be less convenient in others. And if you have spent a lot of time on the creating the perfect makeup look for your eyes, it’s nice to have people be able to see it.

Contact lenses are available for almost all prescriptions and vision problems, including astigmatism and bifocal needs. Contacts also come in disposable versions that are worn for specific lengths of time and then replaced with a fresh, clean lens, which reduces the incidence of infections and irritations from the build-up of protein, calcium and lipids - all found naturally in your tears.

There are also colored lenses that can change or enhance your eye color while you wear them. They are available without vision correction for those whose eyesight is within normal limits. Colored contacts are clear in the center, allowing clear vision. At times, blinking may cause the lens to slip a bit bringing the colored portion over the pupil and at night your pupils may dilate with diminished light, making them larger than the clear center.

I wear both glasses and contacts. Finding a fun frame for your glasses makes them perfect for certain occasions or just casual wear. Since switching to disposable contacts, I find my eyes are more comfortable than they were with daily lenses. I haven’t tried colored contacts yet but would love to. If any of you have tried colored contacts, let me know about your experiences with them.

What if you could have thicker, lusher lashes permanently? How far would you go to achieve that look? Would you have hair transplant surgery?

Once used exclusively to restore the eyebrows and eyelashes of women and men who had suffered loss of eyebrows or eyelashes through accidents, burns, disease or other physical reasons, transplantation of eyelashes is now being sought after for purely cosmetic reasons.

The procedure involved in eyelash transplantation is minimally invasive and usually takes only one session to complete. Surgeons remove donor hair, usually from the back of your head and transplant them onto the eyelids. The result is fuller and thicker lashes. The cost is about $3000 per lid.

The lashes will need to be trimmed regularly, as they will grow just as head hair grows. They may also need to be curled to follow the general curve of the existing lashes.

Check out this site for an explanation of the procedure and some before and after photos:

Hair Sight dot com

Read the story from Reuters on CNN:

Docs look to create perfect lashes