I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with Hamlet, because “to be or not to be” isn’t the question. The question is, “do I try this new serum/foundation/brow pencil/[WHATEVER NEW PRODUCT IS TREDNY AT THE MOMENT, or do I stick to what I already know works for me?”
You know how it goes… There you are, just bopping along, living your life, enjoying whatever particular product is rocking your boat at the moment (for me, it’s the lash serum that brought my lids back to life, Rodan + Fields Lash Boost), but then something new and shiny catches your eye (like Neulash Lash Serum), and you’re suddenly asking yourself questions like, “Isn’t this the Neulash serum Chelsea and Janet were raving about!? Should I give it a try? Will it take my lashes to next level OH MY WOW!?”
After you sit there debating with yourself, and laughing at yourself for obsessing over such a little thing, you come back to the original question, and you’re still stumped. Do you try something new, or do you stick to what you know?
Because the thing is: you just NEVER really know. You never know if you’ll stumble onto something new that’ll completely blow your expectations away.
And it doesn’t even have to be a new product. It could be a new technique you haven’t used before that you discover works even better than whatever you were doing before (like how you can get away with skipping under-eye concealer, SAY WHAT?).
Of course, trying new things can sometimes lead you to places you would have rather not gone, like the phase I went through circa 2014-2015 when I was contouring my face daily, which, to be perfectly honest, ended up messing with my perception of my nose and my cheeks for a while…
As a lifetime beauty lover, this dilemma has plagued me since that first stick of forbidden purple Lancôme eyeliner found it’s way into my life. Is there something better for me out there? Should I try the new shiny thing?
I can’t help but wonder if we’re naturally built that way, built to be curious about the shiny new thing, or if we’re just conditioned by all the marketing.
All I know is that this is a good opportunity to try an experiment! For the next month, I’m going to stick to using R+F on my left eye, and I’m also going to try Neulash on my right. ? Hopefully this eyelash serum Battle Royale scratches the itch to try something new…for now!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Kim says
Oh, I think we’re all crows who are attracted to the new, shiny thing. 🙂 I’ll usually try something new if it’s getting rave reviews, especially from people’s whose opinion I trust. But, as you say, you just never know. What is one person’s holy grail is often just meh for someone else. I find this to be especially true for skin care. Different things work for different people. Thank goodness or we’d all look like clones. HAHA! Good luck with your experiment!!!
Rachel says
I will be interested to hear/see the results of your experiment! I just bought Neulash during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale but the Rapidlash I was using worked well too. I guess I like to try the shiny new thing!
Janine says
I am personally a victim of YouTube influencers. Particularly since you got me turned onto Emily Noel, several of my latest purchases were because of her recommendations. So my bright and shiny new Real Techniques foundation buffing brush and Revlon Vinyl Liquid Lipstick are because of her, and I am sincerely enjoying both products. So, yes, I do go for the shiny and new, but on the other hand, they will pry my MAC Browset from my cold, dead hand!
Hollie H says
I love Neulash. My short stubby lashes are now almost touching my brows. This stuff is legit. I am also using the NeuBrow and my tails are filling out.
Karen says
I’m super stoked to try it. So many of my friends here RAVE about it. Woo hoo! I’m going to start using the brow serum on my right brow, which pretty much fades into nothing. LOL
How long have you been using Neulash?
Hollie H says
I have been using it since the end of April. I saw growth in 4 weeks and max growth in 8. I keep using it because…who needs falsies when you can grow amazing lashes yourself. Same with the brow stuff.
Jane says
I always go for the new, I’m a complete magpie for anything new and shiny- a marketing person’s dream! I once worked with a woman who never ever changed a thing with her makeup, her attitude was “I know what I like and I like what I know”. I think that’s sad, there is so much lovely stuff to try, why deny oneself the pleasure? Heaven knows what she’ll do when Estee Lauder discontinue Rose Tea lipstick.
Sue M says
So timely for me – I have been wanting to try the Rodan and Fields lash boost but I heard some people have serious problems when using it and I was afraid to give it to a try (because it is expensive). I was researching other lash boost products, but have yet to find one I want to try. Have you had any issues with the R&F lash boost? How long have you been using – and do you use morning and night? So many questions!!
Karen says
Hi Sue,
Here’s a post I wrote about it recently. I had great results — increased length and volume! I had to wait a while to see results, though, and when I stopped using it in May for about a month (there was a death in the family, and I cried a month straight), I pretty much lost all my lashes and had to start all over again.
Let me know if you have any other questions about it!
Suzanne C says
And then there’s the other end of that stick, when you’re in a rut and trying something new is exactly what you have to do. That’s what I’m doing now- watching videos like “Beginners Eyeshadow Tutorial” and such.
On the lash serum subject, I’ve had good success with a $30 product I got on Amazon. I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks non-stop. It’s actually worth putting mascara on now!! Since it’s VIB sale and I was about to run out, I’m switching to another brand, so we’ll see how that goes.
Stephanie Smith says
I have tried and true favorites that I will always use, Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey for example, but I like new stuff too. I’m only iffy when it comes to skin care, I’ll try new stuff, but if I’m on a regimen that is working for me and that I like, I’m not going to add to it.
Lorraine says
I love to try the shiny and new but still tried and true. When I find a product I love, I try all the colors and iterations of what works for me. and when marketers/influencers tell me there is a new and even better version… well, I take that with a big ole grain of salt and wait for the reviews from my trusted beauty bloggers (Karen, Sabrina, Eugenia and Christine) before I pull that trigger. Usually I am so tardy to the party I miss the Limited Editions, but sometimes I get a deal on the price because by that time, insta-world is onto the next shiny trend!
Chelsea says
Ooh good luck with Neulash! I need to buy a new tube soon. It worked really well for me.
Tatiana says
Imagine how boring life would be if we never tried anything new. On the other hand, it’s nice to have tried and true products that you can rely on in a crunch. In the end, I think a mixture of the two is probably best.
I’ve tried new products only to hate them, but I’ve also tried new products that have gone on to become my tried and true favorites.
Diana says
Can’t wait to see the lash serum battle results! I have light hazel gold eyes and I’m afraid to try them if by chance using would darken my eye color. I so want to though! I am usually up for trying the shiny new but keep the old!
Michele DiCola says
GM Karen ,
Trying on different eyes is a great idea !
R & F works for me but everyone is different . Not every lash boost works for everyone.
I get more lashes but neice gets sky high lashes ! Oy !
Keep us posted .
Nicole says
I freaking LOVE NeuBrow. Here is something I found unexpectedly. If you put on the brow serum and comb it through per the instructions, and then do what I did (safety and consequences be damned) and comb the residual through your lashes and blink, maybe you’ll also find that using it that way makes both your brows AND lashes grow like mine did. But yeah, true story, and I also just bought another 2pack (or hey 2Pac if you wanna) during the anniversary sale. So this makes 4 bottles of Neubrow I’ve bought to date, at $100 a pop. So yes, I definitely recommend the Neubrow serum (which apparently can also work for lashes). My guess is Neulash is also the bomb-diggity, but I haven’t tried it. This is my way roundabout way of saying “try the NeuLash, Karen…try it!”