Only in LA: Padina, an Organic Eyelash Conditioner

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We'd be lying through our mascara wand bristles if we said we didn't want longer, fuller eyelashes. But considering the horror stories about certain lash-enhancing products, we were pretty happy to stick with our Diorshow. Until now. We've been lured in by the promises of a new product, Padina, sold exclusively at Ron Robinson Apothia for a competitively priced $120.

Unlike other lash enhancers, which are actually just chemical byproducts of glaucoma treatments that had some really cool side effects, Padina is made from 23 different herbal extracts blended together. So at least you're rubbing amino acids, ginseng, peptides and calcium on your eyelids, as opposed to chemicals that you probably can't even come close to pronouncing. After lining your eyes with the liquid for 30 days, you should start to see thicker, longer and fuller lashes.

Padina was developed by Cil D'or, a Japanese-based salon with two Tokyo locations, where they apply extensions to 450 customers per month. Since their specialists glue 60 to 80 individual falsies onto their customers' lashes, it's in their best interest to promote thick, healthy growth, because only strong lashes can stand up to the weight of an extension. Although it seems a little counter-intuitive that someone with short, stubby lashes is the worst candidate for extensions, it's the truth.

For the launch of Padina, Cil D'or set up a chair at Apothia and showed us what they could do. And we're pretty happy with our new set of curled eye fringe—we estimate at least a 33% increase in free drink offers at bars. So when the owner of Cil D'or told us that he's working towards opening up a salon in Los Angeles in about a year, we got pretty excited. And we appreciate the heads up—a full set of extensions costs about $200, with $100 worth of upkeep every 3 weeks or so. We'll need to start saving our pennies and using our Padina way in advance. Who knew the tiny hairs on our eyelids would cost more in upkeep than the hairs on our heads?
· Ron Robinson Apothia [Official Site]
· Padina Cosmetics [Official Site]
· Cil D'or [Official Site in Japanese]