The Best Products + Treatments for Fuller Lashes and Brows

With age comes wisdom – or so they say – but thick, glossy lashes and full, fluffy brows are two coveted features many of us struggle to achieve, especially in our “mature” years.

The lash and brow sectors of the beauty industry recognize demand as well. According to a MarketResearch.biz report, eye makeup sales hit $18.6 billion in 2023, and brow enhancers and mascara raked in a hefty chunk of that income.

If you’re struggling with flimsy fringe or barely-there brows, we’ve got the answers.

Ask Your Dermatologist About Latisse

Like many women over 40, I’ve tried dozens of lash serums that promise everything from strengthening fragile fringe to creating actual volume. Sadly, most do very little aside from hydrating these itty bitty hairs. Latisse, however, is one worth trying. To date, it is the only serum approved by the FDA to make lashes longer, thicker, and darker.

Stanford-Educated, Board Certified Dermatologist Doctor Tess Mauricio says, “It really works if you are consistent.” She has been recommending bimatoprost (aka Latisse) for years but cautions that some people may not be able to use it. “Latisse is proven to help grow eyelashes, [yet] there are contraindications in using Latisse, so we screen patients prior to prescribing. Anyone with any eye disease should consult their eye doctor first to ensure Latisse is safe for them. Patients with light colored eyes may experience darkening of the iris. There are also reports of hyperpigmentation of the skin,  eye redness, dry eyes,  possible irritation, and skin allergy.”

Nulastin Works, Too – Without a Prescription

Latisse really does work, but contact lens wearers need to remove their lenses for at least 15 minutes while the serum absorbs. That’s not a lot to ask in terms of down time, but I hate the wear and tear on my fragile under eye area when I remove/insert my lenses daily, so I asked Beautytap Editorial Director Elycia Rubin and Celebrity Makeup Artist Jamie Greenberg for their guidance and discovered Nulastin Lash Follicle Fortifying Serum.

After a full 12 weeks of twice daily usage, my lashes are more visible AND there are more of them! I was also surprised by how quickly the serum absorbed, so there was no interference with my eye makeup application nor did it make my mascara smudge or run. And the biggest upside for me: no need to remove my lenses!

Embrace Lash Primer

Fortifying lash serums take weeks to work, which is why you should have a couple good lash primers in your makeup arsenal. Jamie Greenberg likes “them before traditional mascara. Opening Act by Tarte is [her] jam [because] it lengthens and protects.” The Beautytap Expert Community also gave high marks (4.5 stars) to Winky Lux for its First Swipe Conditioning Lash Primer. The vegan, paraben- and gluten-free formula combines Argan Oil with hair strengthening yuzu fruit extract to condition and volumize lashes under mascara.

Choose a Better Mascara

Mascara is, and will always be, a mainstay in my routine, but I have no loyalty when it comes to this product. If you lack volume and length, you may appreciate fiber mascara. Many use nylon fibers, but read labels carefully because plant-based cellulose fibers are becoming increasingly common and are less irritating.

Ingredients matter here as well. Hydrating oils, like sunflower seed, Argan, and castor oil condition lashes instead of drying them out. Tubing mascaras, like Greenberg’s favorite Thrive Causemetics® Liquid Lash™ Extensions Mascara tend to muscle through hot days yet wash away gently with a mild cleanser and warm water. “Every other mascara throughout the day usually runs because I’m always in the heat,” she says, “and I run and I watch sports outside, so I love the mascara that creates tubing and lengthens my lashes.”

Get Better Brows with Microblading

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the brows play an immense supporting role in how balanced your face looks in the mirror. If you’re tired of applying brow pencil, powder, or gel to hide what nature is gradually taking away, it might be time to consider permanent makeup, specifically microblading.

Microblading isn’t new, but technology has changed substantially over the years, which is why some of the most natural looking brows in the world today are anything but. Lucy Hart has been a licensed esthetician since 2003 and is one of the most sought-after brow artists in the business. With a 20+-year career understanding everything from skincare to muscle movement, Hart explained that the “old multi-needle approach where 3–5 needles were utilized to implant pigment has been replaced with a handheld tool, so the artist can manually embroider hair strokes into the skin, simulating the appearance of individual strands.”

Outdated techniques, like shaving away existing brow hair prior to using a tattoo gun, can damage the follicles and impede future hair growth. “Whether you’re microblading or using a permanent makeup tattoo machine, we do not shave off the hair. We shape the brows, map them out then fill them in with the powder effect or the hair strokes.” Technique is so important to Hart that she has been training artists since 2015.

Plan to Do Your Part When It Comes to Brow Maintenance

If you’re thinking about having your brows microbladed, Hart has some sound advice regarding aftercare. “There are a lot of factors to consider if you want your beautiful brows to remain that way as long as possible. Excessive exercise and sun exposure can shorten the longevity and composition of the pigment. Brown, for example, is a composite color made up of primary and secondary shades. If the molecules separate, say with sun exposure, the most powerful color stays behind, which could make your brows look more red than brown.”

Plan and budget for yearly touch-ups and be aware that anti-aging skincare products that increase cell turnover, particularly retinoids, may also affect the appearance of your brows. Brows also “get skinnier over time,” Hart says, “and if the shape begins to contract, you may need a revised shape as well.”

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How are you dealing with aging lashes and brows? Drop a comment below.