Let me start this review with this declaration: I love false eyelashes. No, that statement doesn’t even properly capture my devotion. I worship at the alter of false eyelashes and I take my communion with Duo eyelash glue. And let me tell you, I’ve been wearing falsies for a long, long time. This is not some new found or passing fad for me, ever since I was a mere teen I’ve been obsessed with lashes. For me, they are the single most glamorous thing you can stick on your person. Lashes are the ultimate pick-me-up for a dull look or even a bad mood. It’s really hard to feel shitty when your lashes are on point. Feel free to put that on my tombstone. With this, I found my natural lashes stopped growing and started getting damaged by the cheap glue, I used to use. After trying everything, I found the best eyelash growth serum, which I used to apply every night after taking my lashes off. Not only did I get my length back, but it strengthened them, so I can continue to wear lashes.

In all my years of wearing lashes I’ve tried just about every brand you can think of, American, European, Asian, all of ‘um from every brand and every price point. When I worked as a professional makeup artist I would carry a veritable eyelash buffet in my kit, different brands, and styles for just about any look you could imagine. What I’m trying to say here is, I’m a long time lash connoisseur so there’s not much in the lash world that elicits more than just a “oh, that’s cool” from me. Recently though, I came across a brand that made me go “WHOA, YES MAMA YES”, all caps warranted. After all of these years, I have found my holy grail lashes. I hadn’t heard of this brand until a little while ago, but I’m so glad I have found them now. That’s always the thing with small businesses, a lot of people don’t hear about them, even though their products are normally amazing. Small businesses, like this one, should really consider investing in some marketing so that more people hear about their products as they’re some of the best lashes I’ve used. Perhaps some SEO would be beneficial for this company. They could just get in contact with an agency, like Victorious (check here), to help them increase their website traffic and boost their online visibility. That could really help this company to get their name out there, hopefully, helping them to sell more products.

Velour lashes, a Toronto (yay Canada!) based company founded by friends Mabel Lee and Angela Tran, sell 100% mink eyelashes. Yes, mink, and yes, it makes all the difference in the world. I’m sure the word mink might raise some questions, as well as some eyebrows, but from their website they let us know:
“Our 100% natural mink hair is free from any chemical processing or dyes. Velour mink is collected from free-range zoos and recycled during the shedding seasons, it’s then sterilized to ensure it is completely safe for use.”

They also claim there is absolutely no harm done to animals to make this product, so animal lovers can purchase these with a clear conscience. If you’re wondering what the benefit to mink is compared to synthetic or even human hair lashes, I find them much more lush and with an ethereal sheen, while still managing to look natural. Well, as natural as you want them to be, these come in styles ranging from ‘totally believable’ to ‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race winner’, so the choice is yours.

These babies are amazing. And don’t just take my word for it, everyone from Queen Beyonce to Anne Hathaway to Jane Fonda wear Velour lashes, and for good reason, they’re absolutely flawless!

The other thing I cannot rave enough about is the lash band itself. If you’re familiar with lashes you’ll know how wire thin most lash bands are. This usually makes them more difficult to apply. These have a study ribbon band, the added weight of which make application so incredibly easy. That’s not to say these are in any way noticeably heavy, they’re not, the lash band is just sturdy as hell, which is something I’ve never come across before. An added bonus to that is, I find it makes you look like you’re wearing eyeliner on the top of your lids even if you’re not, and if you are already wearing liner, it enhances it just that much more. That eye line enhancement is what really sells me on these as opposed to eyelash extensions (that and the fact that you can’t use oil cleanser with eyelash extensions so, bye extensions, no thank you).

Speaking of that sturdy band, just because it seems so much more hardy than your regular ole’ drugstore lash, that does not mean you can be crazy with these things. They’re still delicate and require extra attention to ensure that they’ll last up to their potential. It’s recommended that you be gentle when removing them, don’t just yank them like you might with a cheaper lash. Also, don’t ever soak the lashes, as it may ruin the style. Another very important thing, do not use mascara on these! Trust me, you won’t need it anyway, but don’t be tempted to run a coat over them out of habit.

These babies are amazing. And don’t just take my word for it, everyone from Beyonce to Anne Hathaway to Jane Fonda wear Velour lashes, and for good reason, they’re absolutely flawless! Now here comes the part that might leave you with some sticker shock, these start at $30 a pair, with some styles ringing in at $40. However! And I mean a big however, if you are anything like me, you end up tossing your $5+ lashes after a few wears anyway thanks to the breakdown and quick degradation of their shape. Think about how much that cost adds up. Because of the stellar craftsmanship, quality materials, and sturdy band, Velour lashes can last you up to 25 uses. That ends up being cheaper or just about even in the long run. Plus, if you have small eyes like I do, one pair can end up doing double duty for you. Velour lashes are long and more than likely will need to be trimmed to fit your eye. My eyes are small enough that the trimmed part can be used as little corner demi-demi lashes and I use them as such on my “glam-lite” days.

My favourite styles are the dramatic night out Doll Me Up, the uber natural Are Those Real, and the sweet right in between You Complete Me. I’ve pulled some shots of me from my Instagram wearing Are Those Real and Doll Me Up.

I want to leave you with how big of a difference something so small can make. Here I am with one eye done with just mascara, and the other with my You Complete Me lashes. I’m not even done with my makeup yet and it’s already made such a big, yet at the same time subtle and not overboard impact.

I’m hooked on these things!

I’m so happy I gave these a try, they’re my new holy grail lashes. I reached out to Angela from Velour and she was kind enough to share a limited time offer for The Beauty Wolf readers. Starting today, Dec 11th 2014 to December 19th 2014, they’re offering you a very generous 15% off your Velour Lash purchase! The ultimate Treat Yo Self! Just enter the code COCOVELOUR at checkout!

And full disclosure I don’t make a dime off of this code, this is for your benefit only, but you can bet your sweet buns I’ll be using it today to purchase myself some more lashes 😉