Trying A Heated Eyelash Curler?

I admit, if there's one step in my beauty routine that I tend to overlook more often than not, it's actually bothering (or even just remembering) to curl my eyelashes before doing my makeup. I think it's because, generally, I don't really find it to actually make that much of a massive difference. Though I may see a slight improvement on my bare lashes, as soon as I apply mascara I can't really tell that I've made the effort and all in all, mascaras tend to work just as well (or badly) for me, no matter whether I've curled my lashes beforehand or not. But, when I spotted this when rummaging through the beauty department of my local Primark not too long ago,  I was instantly interested. Maybe a heated eyelash curler would work differently and maybe just, better? We always tend to use heat on our hair when styling to really lock things into place - whether straightening or curling - so I guess the same principle could apply to our lashes? I'm well aware that this isn't an entirely new concept, as I've heard of plenty of heated lash curlers in the past, but the fact it's from Primark and therefore is so accessible and pretty affordable in comparison to some makes it a pretty intriguing release, if you ask me. And that's exactly why I decided to pick one up and test it out...

This Primark Beauty Heated Eyelash Curler comes in at just £5, which is a pretty reasonable price-point in my opinion. Obviously, that all depends on how well it works though. Inside the box you get the lash curler, the cap and a handy little instructions leaflet - although, the whole set-up process and using the curler itself is actually pretty straightforward, luckily! Simply remove the 'sleeve' of the lash curler, insert a good ol' AAA battery (which, FYI, you need to purchase yourself), replace the sleeve and slide the switch to 'ON' to start the heat-up. Wait till the guide light on the back of the cutler turns from yellow to green and you're ready to start curling those lashes! It's as simple as that. 

But how did it go? Well, I'd say it actually works pretty well. As I said, it's pretty easy to use quickly and effectively and despite the 'heat' element, it's not at all scary to use on your eyes. It doesn't actually get too too hot, just comfortably so and the precise applicator is perfectly shaped to get all up close and personal with the base of your lashes, without actually touching anything else around your delicate eye area. I found it to start working almost immediately as I started gradually working it through my lashes and though it didn't do anything majorly dramatic (not that I was particularly expecting it to), it definitely did give my lashes a nice, natural-looking curl and a bit of a lift to go with it too. In a matter of a few strokes, both eyes were done and dusted - I did say the whole process was pretty quick 'n' easy - and I went in with the rest of mu makeup routine as normal (after putting in my contact lenses first of course, as it's suggested you do not use it with those already in). My mascara applied perfectly fine, my lashes admittedly did look a little more fluttery than they normally do, however, like before with my bare lashes, I wouldn't say the effect was that massively dramatic or noticeable.

Now, all in all, what do I think? First off, as I've mentioned probably a million times by now, this is pretty easy to get the hang of and use successfully - and, most importantly, safely. It's also very quick to get both sets of top lashes done, so if you want to incorporate it into your makeup routine, it's easy to get done as a first step before getting started. In terms of actually getting the job done, it definitely does give the lashes more of a curly, lifted appearance and you can see a difference between when you've done it and you haven;t. However, would I say it's a real, massive difference that's better than that of using a normal eyelash curler? No. While it may be slightly more long-lasting and 'locked into place' with the addition of the heat element, it's not incredibly so and overall, I just wouldn't say this is anything groundbreaking. It's a bit of fun and a good thing to try out, but will I be reaching for this anymore than I do my 'regular' eyelash curlers (which I don't really do a lot of the time)? I'm afraid not...