- Indian women are often praised and envied for their long, thick lashes. Though my lashes are long, their sparsity is the exception to that.

- Since I started wearing makeup about 14 years ago, my go-to look has consistently changed, but mascara has always been the one essential that's always changed my look most quickly.

- I tried a travel size version of Lancôme's Cils Booster XL Vitamin-Infused Mascara Primer on a whim one day in high school. I immediately noticed the way it lengthened my already-long lashes and filled out any sparsity I had.

- Over the years, I've tried and loved many mascaras, but Lancôme's lash primer has always been consistently underneath them to further enhance their benefits.

Nordstrom

Since I can remember, I've always loved and admired my mother's naturally long eyelashes — they practically tickle her brow bone. A natural beauty, she never really wore makeup, but I started raiding the beauty aisles at CVS the second I started getting an allowance.

As a dancer, I'd worn false lashes on stage before, and knew how good they could look, but it was never a feasible option for me on a daily basis. The goal was to find something that looked just as good as falsies without the heaviness or effort of putting lash glue on.

My lashes were always more sparse and never as long as my mother or sisters. Indian women are known for thick, long hair on their head, eyebrows, and lashes but I've always been the exception to that genetic rule — till I started faking it with Lancôme's CILS Booster XL Mascara Primer.

I first picked up a mini travel size of the lash primer on a whim. I had seen so many beauty YouTubers (pre-Instagram) rave about the life-changing effects of the product, so when I passed by it in the aisles at Sephora as a 15-year-old, I figured it was worth a shot.

I used it immediately underneath the Maybelline Falsies mascara I was obsessed with at the time, and it made a dramatic difference in my lashes. They were immediately more full and longer than I'd ever seen them without false lashes.

How I Use It

I hold my eyes wide open and rest the plush brush at the base of my lashes, wiggling them slowly through to the very tip. That may sound overly simple and like what you could already have been doing.

But, the key takeaways here are to really push the product into the base of your lashes so that you get as much product as possible to push through your lashes and to really make sure the product extends to the very tip of your lashes to get maximum benefits.

Because I like really big, long, and dramatic lashes, I'll layer two more mascaras on top of this one. It might sound excessive, so if that's not the look you're going for, I recommend just topping the Lancôme lash primer with your current go-to. I, however, go by a "more is more" mentality when it comes to my lashes.

After I put on the lash primer, I like to let the product dry for about a minute. I find this lets the liquid dry a bit to get just a little sticky — the perfect consistency to let it adhere to whatever you'll be putting on top of it.

Personally, I like to top it with a product like Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara with a thickening brush to maximize the plushness of my lashes. I'll then end with a lengthening mascara to really comb through the lashes, making them look extra long and natural. Lancômes defining mascara from is a perfect example of one, and it's what I attribute the natural look of my lashes to.

A combination of all three is what prompts the inevitable "Are you wearing false lashes?" question every single time I do this routine.

How I Take It Off

I have extremely sensitive eyes, and one of the biggest risks I run with wearing pounds of mascara on my lashes is the drudgery of having to take all the product off at the end of the day.

I've tried hundreds of eye makeup removers over the years. Most either sting, are ineffective, get too oily, or leave me with panda eyes. Though I've accumulated a couple of the years that I've come to love and appreciate as standbys, one of my favorites is Lancôme's Bi-Facil.

To be honest, I've never been able to justify the price, which is why I don't use it terribly often, but, I keep it for the days I really want to indulge in something that feels a bit more luxurious on my skin — you wouldn't be able to tell by the water-like look, but it feels like silk on my sensitive eyes and gets rid of every ounce of waterproof makeup without my having to rub or scrub too hard.

Conclusion

I'll occasionally go through times at which I can't justify the cost of the Lancôme lash primer, but my lashes look significantly different without them. I've considered L'Oreal's lash primer as a low-cost alternative, and while I do like it and would recommend it to someone who may already have very naturally thick and long lashes, nothing quite lives up to the dramatic difference offered by Lancôme's lash primer.

If you're really on a budget but want to try it, be sure to try the mini version of the lash primer as I did several years ago — beware, you'll probably get hooked, though.

I would recommend the primer to anyone who has the money for a luxurious splurge, really wants to see a dramatic difference in their lashes, or would just like to keep it as a solid go-to for special events.

Odyssey may earn a portion of purchases made via links on this page.