Spend Or Skip? Rodan + Fields Lash Boost

If every anti-aging product on the market really did what it claimed, we'd all look 18. And while there are many effective products that help make the most of our looks as we age (and I, for one, like the way I look better at 45 than I did at 18), there are also many that are nothing but snake oil. Thus, I've created this series, Spend or Skip?, in which I will apply my twenty years as a beauty guinea pig to objectively road-test and review buzz-generating, anti-aging products that everyone's talking about. The mission: to help you decide whether to buy—or bypass—the latest fountain of youth.

First up: Rodan + Fields Lash Boost

Around the holidays, I ran into a friend, Katie, at Orange Theory Fitness, and I could not get over how long and full her lashes looked. At the gym, sans mascara. She said she’d been using Lash Boost for about two months, and her lashes had grown so long, she'd had to trim them.

Shortly thereafter, I noticed Lash Boost before/after photos in the Facebook feeds of two former-beauty-world-colleagues-cum-Rodan-and-Fields-reps, and the results were so dramatic, if I didn't know these women in real life, I’d swear the photos were doctored.

My guess is many of you have probably heard about Lash Boost by now too, as this product has been getting remarkable word-of-mouth love, even among women who aren't big beauty-product users. In fact, two friends that don't even wear makeup recently asked if I had a professional opinion on it. I don't. Yet. Which is why there is a tube of Lash Boost en route to my house right now. In the near-term, however, here are my thoughts.

Lash Boost, which launched last October, is officially deemed a lash “conditioner,” which means it keeps your lashes moisturized (thanks to panthenol) and strengthened (thanks to keratin and biotin) and thus less apt to break off or fall out prematurely. It also contains a peptide complex said to nourish lash follicles—and support healthier growth (kind of like plant food, but for hair). It is not a prescription product like Latisse and so therefore cannot legally claim to accelerate growth or make lashes grow longer or thicker. But the word on the street, as I've already noted, is that it does indeed do those things.

So how is Lash Boost different from the dozens of other so-called lash conditioners on the market? I'm not sure yet, but I’ve also never witnessed results like Katie's from another over-the-counter lash product, so that's a notable distinction. I have, of course, seen comparable results with Latisse, the prescription-strength lash treatment that uses the drug bimatoprost to extend the growth cycle of your lashes, making them both longer and fuller. It really works. There are, however, some downsides to Latisse, such as the potential for irritated eyelid skin, that low (but unnerving) risk of permanently darkening the iris of light eyes, and the inconvenience of having to go see a doctor whenever you need a prescription. Also, at around $120 for a one-month supply, it is not inexpensive. 

Lash Boost, if it consistently garners results that even approach those you score with Latisse, may be a worthy alternative, as it carries no risk of iris discoloration, there is no Rx needed—and at $150 for a two-month supply, it's a better value.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. According to my contact at Rodan + Fields, I should start to see results with Lash Boost at about four weeks, so I will report back then. And, in the meantime, if there are other buzzy, anti-aging products you'd like my opinion on, email me at genevieve@mediumblonde.com. If I've tried the product, I'll share my honest opinion—and if I haven't, it may show up in a future Spend or Skip?

UPDATE:

See my report after using Lash Boost for four weeks

...and after about eight weeks

...and after about twelve weeks

---and after eighteen weeks!

You can also see before/after photos on my Instagram account @medium.blonde