The Best Lash Curler For Your Eye Shape – 2018 Edition
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I’ve been blogging about (mostly) beauty stuff for nearly five years now, and I’ve learned a bunch of lessons. Most relevant right now: I’ve learned that all you lovely visitors here really like you some eyelash curler diagrams. Every single month, my ancient post on the Shu vs Shiseido curlers continues to be my most-viewed post, followed closely by the lash curler roundup I did a while later. Unfortunately, the Shu curler isn’t widely available in the US (only from their website), and most of the other curlers from the roundup have since been discontinued. Womp womp. Right, so you know what that means, don’t you? That it’s time for a brand-spankin’-new lash curler roundup, this time including some old favorites and lots of other options that you can still actually buy. But which one is the best lash curler?
So here’s the thing – even though most brands claim that their eyelash curlers are ‘universal’, that’s usually far from the truth. If the curler’s shape/size and your own eye aren’t at least in the same ballpark, it can be a recipe for pinching, missed lashes and general pain-in-the-ass-ness (technical term). If you are tired of applying mascara throughout the day, an eyelash tint kit is a great option you should consider.
As part of my never-ending quest to help everyone find the best curler for their eye shape, I’ve accumulated a slightly ridiculous number of lash curlers – it’s for science! I’ve also been updating my measuring methods & the metrics I use. In older posts, I traced around the curve of the curler to get the measurements, but then I had an epiphany – why not just put something on the curler itself and use that as a stamp? So I brushed a little liquid liner on the top rail (since it’s thinner) and used that to stamp the curve on the cards. Measurements are still made with a digital caliper to make them accurate as I can. I also went ahead and calculated the arc radius for a more apples-to-apples comparison of how curved or flat each curler is. Smaller radius = deeper curve, larger radius = flatter.
Just want to see the numbers? You can scroll to the bottom of the post for a sortable table.
I’ve also found that the downward curve of the bottom rail makes a big difference in how well a curler fits my eye, so I’ve also added that measurement to this edition of the lash curler roundup. To get that measurement, I wrapped a piece of paper around the base of the curler as a straight edge, and measured from it to the highest point inside the bottom rail (shown by the red line in the photo below).
Another new measurement for this crop: the size of the opening. While I don’t find that as critical as the width & curves, it does come into play with curly vs straight lashes, or any type of falsies. In fact, there are a few with openings so small that it’s a bit tough to get my natural lashes into them.
Before we move on, a note about curler pads since that’s a question I get pretty often. The only brand I know of that sells their lash curler replacement pads separately is Shiseido ($6), so I took that one and tested it in each of the others. On the wider curlers it didn’t quite reach edge to edge (we’re talking like 1mm gap on each side), but it fit into all of them and didn’t cause any functional problems. So I’d be comfortable saying the number of pads a certain curler comes with doesn’t need to be factored in as much as the shape & opening size. Likewise with the quality. None feel flimsy and with exception of the Laura Mercier they’re all made of metal, so you can let the numbers be your guide.
I was having a little difficulty keeping all the numbers straight in my head, so I added a table near the bottom of the page to help you sort by whatever is most important to you. And without further ado, here are the specs and some personal notes on each option-
Bobbi Brown ($25)
This is a really solid curler option, but a little large and a little flat for my eyes, so it’s prone to pinching if I don’t have it angled just right as I close it.
- Width: 29.6mm
- Curve height (front to back): 6.4mm
- Radius: 20.3mm
- Downward curve height: 3.4mm
- Downward radius: 33.9mm
- Opening: 8.2mm
- Pad Density: Medium
- Recommended for: Medium to large eyes with straight lash lines; if you like the Surratt curler but want to save $5
Kevyn Aucoin ($21)
This is my most recent lash curler purchase, which I got purely for this post because I know it’s a popular option. It actually ended up being one of the stand-outs for me! The width and curvature are pretty middle of the road, which makes them a good fit for my lash line. After playing around with so many options I’ve realized that I love curlers with generous openings, and this one delivers! It doesn’t quite take the prize for the widest opening (Surratt wins by fractions of a millimeter) but my real lashes and any faux ones fit through with ease. I’m also a big fan of the red curler pad since it makes placement a lot easier – it would have come in really handy back when I wore glasses.
- Width: 29.8mm
- Curve height (front to back): 7.1mm
- Radius: 19.2mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 5mm
- Downward radius: 24.7mm
- Opening: 10.3mm
- Pad Density: Firm
- Recommended for: Small to medium rounded eyes; people with vision impairments; long or false lashes
Lancome ($23)
Funny story about this one – I ordered it from Nordstrom recently (also especially for this post), only to discover that I actually already had it. Oops (luckily they have a great return policy). While I was testing it, I remembered why I had tossed it in a drawer – even though it’s objectively a good curler, it’s just all wrong for my eyes. It’s on the wider side, making it tricky for me to use, and the opening is really small. Not the smallest, but still a pain to get my lashes through.
- Width: 30.3mm
- Curve height (front to back): 8.7mm
- Radius: 17.5mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 4.8mm
- Downward radius: 26.3mm
- Opening: 5mm
- Pad Density: Soft
- Recommended for: Medium to large rounded eyes with straight lashes.
Laura Mercier ($16)
I’ll go ahead and say this style of lash curler isn’t really my cup of tea. I got it to try out for travel, and the compact shape definitely is much easier to pack. Unfortunately it’s relatively flat (in both directions), and the narrow opening makes it difficult to fit my lashes into it. It’s also closed off in the back, so if you have naturally long lashes, they might not even fit. The quality is good though, with no sharp edges or messy seams from the molding process. It’s definitely not an everyday driver for me, though.
- Width: 34.1mm
- Curve height (front to back): 4.6mm
- Radius: 33.9mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 3mm
- Downward radius: 50mm
- Opening: 5.2mm
- Pad Density: Medium
- Recommended for: Travel, and that’s about it.
Sephora Show Curl XL ($9)
Note: This one was provided to me by Sephora.
This is definitely the most unique curler of this crop. The shape of the arms creates a slightly different angle of approach, so the top doesn’t push against the area over your eye as much. The downward curve is extremely steep, so I find this one is easiest to use if I look upward to make sure my eyelids are completely wide open. It’s not my personal favorite, but I think it’s a great option to try for people with deep set or otherwise hard to fit eye shapes.
- Width: 31.4mm
- Curve height (front to back): 9.5mm
- Radius: 17.7mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 10.5
- Downward radius: 17mm
- Opening: 5.6mm
- Pad Density: Firm
- Recommended for: Deep set & rounded eyes
Shiseido ($20)
Ah, Shiseido, the cult favorite that doesn’t really work for me. I had given my original one away, but ended up repurchasing it so I could get my updated measurements on it, and use it in the side-by-side photos. It’s well built, but it’s fairly flat and just doesn’t fit the curve of my lash line all that well.
- Width: 29.4mm
- Curve height (front to back): 6.8mm
- Radius: 19.3m
- Curve height (bottom rail): 3.8mm
- Downward radius: 30.3mm
- Opening: 7.6mm
- Pad Density: Medium
- Recommended for: Small to medium eyes with a straighter lash line
Shu Uemura ($22)
Oh look, the other cult favorite that doesn’t quite fit me! The Shu curler is definitely too big for my eyes, since it tends to run into the bridge of my nose if I try to center it. I’ve kept it around for comparison too though, and after all, it’s one of the two that started this whole thing!
- Width: 31.5mm
- Curve height (front to back): 8.9mm
- Radius: 18.4mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 4.1mm
- Downward radius: 32.3mm
- Opening: 5mm
- Pad Density: Soft
- Recommended for: Larger, rounded eyes
Surratt ($30)
Up until the Kevyn Aucoin arrived at my house, the Surratt was my most-used curler even though it’s not the best fit for my eye – it’s narrow, but a little flat for me. The build is really sturdy though, and I looooove that the huge opening doesn’t make it feel like I’m trying to thread my lashes through a needle’s eye.
- Width: 28mm
- Curve height (front to back): 5.9mm
- Radius: 19.6mm
- Curve height (bottom rail): 3mm
- Downward radius: 34.2mm
- Opening: 10.5mm
- Pad Density: Medium
- Recommended for: Small to medium eyes with straight lash lines; long or false lashes
Trish McEvoy ($25)
Even though there’s nothing wrong with the quality of this lash curler, it’s my least favorite purely because the opening for your lashes to go through is almost uselessly small. I’m lucky enough to have a little bit of natural curl to mine, so they actually don’t fit unless I angle the curler weirdly while I’m getting it settled. It is the most rounded though, so those with a very curved lash line rejoice!
- Width: 30.2mm
- Curve height (front to back): 9mm
- Radius: 17.2m
- Curve height (bottom rail): 4mm
- Downward radius: 30.5mm
- Opening: 4.5mm
- Pad Density: Firm
- Recommended for: Medium to large rounded eyes; straight lashes
[table id=1 /]
What’s your go-to eyelash curler? If you have a favorite that’s not on here, tell us about it in the comments!
prunesmith
April 19, 2018 at 2:14 pmYaaaaay DATA! Thank you for taking all these measurements! This is super useful :D
Silvia
October 28, 2018 at 12:13 pmThanks for this! :)My measurements are width 38mm, height 5mm and radius 38.6 so Laura Mercier might fit the best although I wanted to try Shu Uemura
Jackie
August 19, 2020 at 4:32 pmI measured the Brilliant Beauty eyelash curler from Amazon and I got in mm Width: 31, Curve height: 9, Radius: 17.8, Downward curve height: 2.5, Opening: 9. Unfortunately I didn’t really understand the downward radius measurement to be able to get that one. And this is the first curler I’ve used in years so I don’t have anything to compare the pad density to. Thank you for a great resource!
Kali
November 13, 2018 at 11:45 amI don’t normally comment on blogs but I had to thank you for this super helpful post. Great job! :)
Nikki
November 13, 2018 at 2:23 pmI’m so glad it helped!
Emily
April 1, 2019 at 2:51 amCan you also do one on Koji brand. The limited edition one which comes with a case is very good, even more comfortable to use than Bobbi Brown and Shiseido’s latest.
D
December 21, 2018 at 4:30 pmI have been on a failed search for a good curler that fits my eyes. The one that fits my eye the best is Maybelline, but it’s so flimsy. Does anyone have a comparable curler that is actually good? I just returned the Shiseido curler, and Tarte before that.
Nikki
January 2, 2019 at 12:26 pmI haven’t used the Maybelline one, but there’s a great reddit post with crowd-sourced data here. It looks like the Kevyn Aucoin one has a similar curve, but is a bit wider. That’s the one I use most these days.
Ivelisse
January 10, 2019 at 10:39 amThis round up is has a lot of really useful information, thank you! I will say I got a bit lost thought, maybe you can help me out finalizing a selection. For my eye the arc width is 28mm and the arc height is 10mm, making arc radius 14.8mm. From your table I would lean towards Kevyn Aucoin, Sephora ShowCurl XL or Shu Uemura, do you have any insight as to which might be a better match?
Nikki
January 10, 2019 at 3:42 pmI think there’s a chance the Sephora and Shu ones might be too wide for your eye. For me at least, wider curlers run into my nose so I have to hold them at an awkward angle. The Kevyn Aucoin curler is what I use daily.
Steph
February 17, 2019 at 2:37 pmThis review is super helpful for people like me who like to analyse and research meticulously before every purchase :’D
I’m leaning towards the Kevyn Aucoin curler – people seem to rave about the curl and hold – do you find that this holds a nicer curl longer than others? I’m sure it’s quite subjective to each individual but would like your opinion sinec you said you use it daily now. Thanks :)
Nikki
March 1, 2019 at 2:43 pmEh, I’ve never really noticed any particulars curler affecting how long my lashes hold a curl. That’s more about the mascara for me (current all-around favorite is Hourglass Caution).
Monica
March 30, 2019 at 12:09 amThis is really impressive
el
April 1, 2019 at 9:21 amWhoah, this is totally a great review. Kevyn aucoin is already on my wishlist btw. But, I still not sure. Hmmm, I have almond shape eyes, which one do you think will fit me the best?
I purchased shu uemura last year, but I dont really like to use it, it’s too curve for my eyes.
Nikki
April 1, 2019 at 9:28 amBased on your description I think the Shiseido one might be a good option for you, or the Surratt curler if your lash line is a bit flatter.
Brit
April 16, 2019 at 5:18 pmThank you for all this!
I wish I had looked for this before I bought a new cutler. Currently I own one by Tweezerman (I don’t know the model, I’ve had it for years) and the “pro universal curler“ by Utowa x Sephora. I think my eyes might have two different shapes? I noticed that the Tweezerman one would occasionally pinch my left eye, never my right. It’s even more obvious with the Utowa – it doesn’t really fit either eye, but it definitely works better on my left one.
But I did notice that the Utowa one holds a curl better. I didn’t wear mascara yesterday, but the lashes were still curled by the end of the day, which never happened with my Tweezerman model. I’m going to try replacing the pad on my tweezerman, and see if that helps.
Brit
April 16, 2019 at 5:57 pmI was wondering where my curlers fit among these, so I measured my own. Sharing my tweezerman‘s measurement seems pretty useless, since I don’t know which model it is, but if anyone out there is wondering how the Utowa curler from Sephora compares, I found that it’s width is 30 mm, its height is 7 mm, and its radius is 19.57 mm. People in reviews say it is identical to the Shu Uemura model, but I guess it isn’t.
(For the record, I measured it using an analog caliper, I don’t own a digital one. Those measurements appeared pretty accurate to me, but it could actually be 30.2mm instead, and I wouldn’t know.)
Sara
August 30, 2019 at 1:17 pmThank you so much for this! You have just saved me some pennies as I was debating whether I should buy the Surratt one or the Kevyn Aucoin one or maybe both. I will just stick with my Shu Uemura one as the best for my large, fairly rounded eyes!
Nikki
September 6, 2019 at 11:23 amGlad to help!
Annie
September 15, 2019 at 7:16 pmI have been using a Japanese version (KAI) of the Laura Mercier plastic one and it is the best and easiest curler. It’s pretty flat but it allows me to have excellent control in all angles and for both corners of the eyes. However it breaks every so often and it is plastic so I want to transition to a metal one. The Shiseido is too big for my eyes and I keep trying to use it but have to switch back to the KAI. It sounds like the Surratt will be the most similar and I may also have try a half lash curler.
jess
November 18, 2019 at 10:48 pmmy measurements came out to be 28mm width, 8mm height and 16.26mm for radius.. which do you think would be the best option? would measurements smaller or larger than mine be best?
Nikki
November 20, 2019 at 8:31 amI would normally err on the side of going a little wider. If I had to pick, I’d say probably Kevyn Aucoin. Maaaaaybe Trish McEvoy if you can handle the tiny opening (I can’t) or have really straight lashes.
Trudye007
November 27, 2019 at 2:47 amYou’re awesome & you must be my long lost twin!! I never thought anyone would analyze an eyelash curler with such detail. I’ve been researching for one at least a year now (literally). I have deep, hooded & not so wide lids, so I’m trying to decide between B. Brown, K. Aucion, Shiseido, or Surrat (if it’s worth extra $$). Your thoughts?
Nikki
November 27, 2019 at 9:03 amGlad to help! Based on your description I would say the Kevyn Aucoin curler would be a solid option.
Susan Long
December 15, 2019 at 4:02 pmWow wonderful review I need help !!! I have very short downward facing lashes many curlers will not even encase my lashes I suffer from essential tremor and I now live in a state that does not have eyelash perms ( moved from Texas to Pennsylvania ) which was a wonderful solution I am 67 years old and have deepset hooded eyes any words of encouragement or advice?
Nikki
December 17, 2019 at 9:09 amSomething that may help you get a better angle at your lashes: tip your head down a little and look straight ahead – that will help get your lashes as horizontal as possible – and raise your eyebrows to shift the upper part of your eyelid skin.
When I was taking a medication that caused mild hand tremors, it helped me to brace my elbow against the table and try to keep my hand & wrist relaxed when I was doing anything close to my eyes. Everyone’s different in that respect of course, so your mileage may vary.
Nikita
January 22, 2020 at 10:14 pmGod bless you absolute genius!
Jane
March 7, 2020 at 9:04 pmThank you, for an awesome job! I have purchased so may curlers that end up in a drawer. This information should finally help me find the right one for my eyes.
Nikki
May 5, 2020 at 11:12 amThanks! I hope it helps – I’ve definitely discovered through this process that all curlers are NOT created equal :-D
JB
August 14, 2020 at 3:15 pmThis is amazing! How do you measure your eyes?
Donna L Haney
February 20, 2021 at 7:48 pmThis is an awesome analysis, thank you.
Did I miss something about how to determine your eye size and shape? I get that one could measure across the opening, corner to corner, but the other dimensions seem problematic to me (?)