RevitaLash Advanced and RevitaBrow Advanced Try-out!

I've never been into off-the-counter lash and brow lengtheners because they are glorified conditioners that maybe help strengthen your hair fibers with daily use and prevent early breakage or falling. But despite the sometimes exorbitant prices (up to about SGD$100-200 for some premium brands), they won't significantly change the appearance of your lashes.

Everybody has a genetic set point that pre-determines the length and thickness of lash and brow fibers, and each strand of hair goes through a specific cycle over 4-6 weeks where it grows, then stops growing and falls off. While applying lash and brow serums can minimize the chances of hairs breaking and falling off prematurely, conditioning ingredients like peptides and plant extracts touted in all these luxury treatments do not really make a significant difference.

Bimatoprost

Not too long ago, it was discovered that bimatoprost, a prostaglandin analog specifically used in prescription glaucoma eye drops, caused patients' lash growth cycle to prolong significantly, resulting in the strange (but very welcome) side effect of very long lashes. Then someone decided to bottle it for cosmetic use, and the rest is history.

Now a very tiny handful of brands including RevitaLash Cosmetics use bimatoprost and bimatoprost-derivatives to stimulate lash and brow hairs to continue growing well past their natural "set point", and while these are not cheap and most have to be purchased from reputable clinics with a prescription, these are the only ones worth the money in my opinion.

How do you tell? Look out a "dihydroxy" - "enamide" or "enolamide" not too far down the ingredients list.

I've said it before and I will say it again. Brands like Prevage, Mavala, Avance, Talika and others that you can easily buy off the shelf are just conditioning serums that do NOT contain anything that can stimulate growth or length. Despite all the fancy claims on the boxes. And several of these are so highly-priced that I can't see why anyone would buy them when you can get actual lengtheners for the same price.

The company (RevitaLash Cosmetics) ironically focuses on marketing and talking about the ingredients like biotin, plant extracts and peptides - maybe because the average consumer "understands" these names as being beneficial. But in my humble opinion, these are the optional extras. The only reason I would pay for it and tell you to pick something like RevitaLash and RevitaBrow Advanced over generic serums is because of the prostaglandin analog in there. If you really want a visible difference (and granting you have no allergy to bimatoprost), don't waste your time with off-the-shelf stuff.

My Experience with RevitaLash and RevitaBrow

With lash and brow growers, application is pretty simple. Apply once a night along the base of lashes or brow hairs as near to the roots as you can manage. The brow and lash applicators are different - a doe-foot for RevitaBrow, so you can cover a wider area of skin, and a thin brush tip for RevitaLash so you can apply along the base of your lashes.

RevitaLash Cosmetics suggests applying RevitaLash along the base of your lashes rather than the skin. However, my tip is to apply it on the skin like a liquid liner, near where your lashes grow out of your skin. The prostaglandin analog needs to be absorbed and the magic happens in the roots of the lashes, not along the shaft, and I've found when I applied it only along my lashes and not the skin directly, the growth is not as significant or fast.

Application and Tips

For the first 4-6 weeks you apply once a day. I suggest the evening after cleansing your face. Don't be tempted to apply more to try and get faster results. It doesn't work that way - you'll just waste your product.

Some people like to do it just before bed, but I found sometimes my eyes water when I go to sleep, and the tears wash the treatment down towards my cheekbones. (I've found noticeably longer facial hairs under the outer corners of my eyes from that mistake!)

It's not really visible of course - just inconvenient when I need to take close-ups when I do makeup looks. So evening is a better timing for me because it's dried and absorbed by the time I go to bed.

With the brows, I also apply from inner corners out a little past my arch and then stop, instead of applying it all the way to the outer ends. The longer thicker strands from around the middle will help cover gaps towards the outsides, and I don't want the outer hairs to grow so long that my brows extend down and look "droopy".

After your hairs reach their maximum length in about 6 weeks, you can reduce usage to every other day. I've tried doing once or twice a week but I find I tend to get "patchy" lashes with some noticeable gaps, so maybe it's not the right time for me to peel back to such a low dosage yet.

The Results

I think the results sort of speak for themselves! I used the product for 8 weeks straight before taking the After shots.

I've always had rather long lashes, but RevitaLash has made them a lot longer. Where I did not get a huge amount of difference is in terms of thickness. I was hoping for thicker strands because mine are quite fine naturally, but I don't know if I see a huge difference in this regard.

I do also notice in pictures that the longest lashes do have more of a tendency to go "helter-skelter" and wave around in various directions, although it's fine once they are curled and mascara-ed. If you have naturally long and coarse lashes already, you will probably see more of this problem. I've seen images online of lash-growth product users whose lashes are completely out of control and actually look a bit messy. (Time to reduce the dosage, ladies!)

Honestly, the growth was so gradual that I didn't really notice how much longer they were until I applied mascara. Every little bit of additional length is amplified when you curl your lashes and put on mascara, so that's likely when you - and people around you - will notice how long they look.

As for the brows, mine are super sparse around the arch, and I was actually surprised that the hairs came out a lot coarser and fuller after using RevitaBrow. I will never be Cara Delevingne, and they will always come off a bit more sparse on camera than in real life, but on most days with a little filling in and brow mascara, my brows look pretty darned full. (Sometimes TOO full.)

The hair growth is also a bit more even now, and I'm pretty happy with my decision not to apply RevitaBrow all the way out to the ends, because I don't want to extend them out and down too much.

One small side-effect is that even though I applied the treatment only along the upper portions of my brows, the stimulant did make the stray hairs AROUND my brows grow a lot faster as well. Lots of plucking and trimming required when using this, for sure. But if you've over-plucked and just want to grow everything out then this is a perfect product to do it.

As for the lashes, they are definitely noticeably longer. And I don't mean "so-subtle-you-might-be-imagining-it" longer like with regular lash serums. My lash hairs are rather fine so honestly the difference is not that big when they are bare. But the moment the mascara goes on, people ask if I am wearing extensions, because even a small increase in length makes a huge difference when every strand is amplified and darkened.

Post-RevitaLash Advanced and RevitaBrow Advanced Brow treatment with makeup

Pricing

The main con, which is true of all prostaglandin analog serums and not just RevitaLash, is the price. Pricing differs by market and from clinic to clinic as well. The 3.5ml lash serum lasts approximately up to 6 months of daily use, and costs approx SGD$237.

RevitaBrow Advanced contains 3ml, lasts for about 4 month of use, and is $174. Many clinics will have package or promotional prices, so check around before you make your purchase. But often individual clinics will do promotional or bulk prices, so check around before you purchase.

One warning: there are many who try to save a quick buck and look for cheaper sources of these prostaglandin lash growers online. I really do not recommend doing that. There are a lot of imitation products made in China being traded online for prices that are too good to be true. These are completely unregulated. At best they do nothing and you waste good money. At worst, you could get a nasty eye infection or something more serious. 

If you're in Singapore, I suggest staying safe and going on http://revitalash.com.sg/ to find licensed clinics and sellers.

A few FAQs

I thought I'd address a few things that people are probably going to be concerned about.

1. Can I be allergic to this?
Yes. As with most things, there will be a minority of people who have some sensitivity to ingredients within. Do a patch test first. RevitaLash does sting the eyes a bit if you get it inside, but just rinse it out with eye drops and it doesn't really hurt them.

2. Will it make my eyelids or skin hairy?
No!! Well - not unless you put it on a place that already has quite a bit of hair. The ingredients stimulate growth in existing hair follicles and cannot cause more follicles to grow where there was none in the first place.

3. Can I use this if I am pregnant or nursing?
Not advisable. From what I read, the prostaglandin analogs can transfer to fetuses and babies through breast milk. While specific negative effects are not clear at this point, it's not worth the risk since prostaglandin analogs work like hormones, and you don't want to throw anything "off-balance" for your baby. Wait a while and stick with false lashes first!

4. Will my lashes/brow hairs all fall out if I stop using this?
No - your lashes will slowly, gradually return to their original state after you stop usage. New hairs are growing all the time and they don't all turn over at the same time, so it takes weeks for the longer hairs to shed off and be replaced by shorter ones. It's not patchy and noticeable like lash extensions shedding off.

5. Can I just buy glaucoma eyedrops and use them on my lashes?
Hmmm in theory it could work. But glaucoma drops like Lumigan are also a prescription medication and even harder to get without a legitimate need. And I wouldn't trust online sources that claim to sell it without a prescription. I should know - I actually tried it a couple of years back and it was probably fake cos it did absolutely zero for my lashes. Stick with the lash growth serum; you don't need an actual eye condition to get your doctor to prescribe it to you.

Lastly, there is a new Limited Edition packaging out this year, which is pink. A portion of proceeds go towards Breast Cancer research so if you are restocking or getting your first box, ask and see if they have the pink version.

Why not do good while you look good, right?