Ah, eyelash curlers. What would we do without them? Since I have extremely stubborn poker-straight lashes, curling my eyelashes has always been a rather time-consuming step of my makeup routine.

I’ve spent years looking for the best eyelash curler and so, I’d like to share my journey and nuggets of wisdom I’ve gained from hunting for this simple little beauty tool.

The different types of eyelash curler

I like to liken the eyelash curler to the scissors – both deceptively simple-looking tools that are difficult to make and vary greatly in type and quality. So here goes:

Metal eyelash curlers

The oldest and most common type of eyelash curler out there, metal eyelash curlers curl your lashes using simple finger pressure and lever action. When I started curling my lashes, the stainless steel eyelash curler looked rather dangerous to have around my eyes, what with its jiggly metal parts. I was afraid I would accidentally pinch my eyelids with it or pull out all my lashes. :P

Plastic eyelash curlers

These things do not make any sense at all, really. Because the part of the plastic eyelash curler that grips your lashes is built in line with the handle, I had a hard time trying to hold the eyelash curler at the right angle (practically plastered to my face) and actually curl my lashes at the same time. They also do not fit very well, especially for small, flat eyes like mine.

Heated eyelash curlers

Since I had stubbornly straight lashes, I was really excited to get my first heated eyelash curler. Not the plastic type, though – the kind that looked like a mascara wand but with metal heating elements embedded. The heated eyelash curler actually made my lashes curl beautifully, but still took a long time – I had to hold the curler to my eyelashes and the heat was SEARING.

In addition, I thought that since I wasn’t gripping my eyelashes in any way I could apply mascara first to help make my lashes curl more easily. Big mistake! After a while, the gunk from my mascara clogged up the heating elements inside the wand and couldn’t be removed due to the heat drying it up into an unhygienic mess.

Expensive isn’t always better

I started off my lash-curling experiences with cheap drugstore-brand eyelash curlers such as QVS, Manicare, and Maybelline – or even non-branded ones from Sasa. Eventually, I also tried the expensive, well-known brands like the Shu Uemura eyelash curler and Laura Mercier eyelash curler – despite the fact that almost all eyelash curlers look and work the same, the difference in price was huge.

So, did brand and price make a difference? Not for me.

The Maybelline eyelash curler had loose joints, but fit my eyes perfectly. The QVS one had rubber padding that wore out quickly. One heated eyelash curler broke just two weeks after I bought it. The Laura Mercier eyelash curler, despite its price, was still awkward to use (for me at least). The Shu Uemura one was solid and well-made. But eventually, no matter what the brand, my eyelashes still got similarly decent curls.

So… which is the best eyelash curler?

After going about trying all sorts of eyelash curlers, I still find the best eyelash curler to be the original, time-tested stainless steel eyelash curler. You can easily clean it and heat it up with warm water, and replace dirty/worn rubber pads without having to buy a whole new curler.

As for brand, my Maybelline eyelash curler is working great for me despite its flaws. I would say most drugstore brands offer great eyelash curlers, but stay away from Sasa’s offerings as they fit really poorly and break easily.

The most important thing when finding your best eyelash curler is to get one that fits your eyelids and eyelashes comfortably. Of course, if you really want the “best eyelash curler” as other people have claimed, then the Shu Uemura eyelash curler is the way to go!

If you have an amazing eyelash curler you’d like to recommend, do let me know so I can try it :)