MERMADE HAIR CURLER REVIEW
I was after the undone, messy waves of a Season One Carrie Bradshaw… but did I get an electrostatic Hermione Granger?
I put Mermade’s cult 32mm Original Pro Waver to the test…
Loose, soft waves with a “lived‑in” finish — the catwalk trend to replicate
The key trend in hairstyling right now? Hair that’s intentionally undone — polished, yet never overworked. Cast your eye over the catwalks of fashion month, designers are all about the following aesthetic language:
Hair that embraces imperfection, celebrating natural texture and spontaneous movement.
Romanticism revival — designers are leaning into 70s influences, refreshed with a modern sensibility.
Soft waves, subtle bends and piece-y texture, over uniform, rigid or severe ringlets.
“Perfectly undone” aesthetic — hair that’s wild and messy (in a controlled way).
Relaxed and effortless, yet intentional.
Achieving that “just-woke-up” aesthetic is harder than you think, often requiring hours of backstage prep — think oils, salt sprays, texturising shampoos, hair clips to set the shape, combs, wands and curling irons. But Mermade’s cult 32mm Original Pro Waver is one way to cheat the look…
SS26 at Simkhai, Simone Rocha, Sportmax, Dior
SS26 at Bronx and Banco, Ralph Lauren and Roberto Cavalli
Everything you need to know about Mermade’s 32mm Original Pro Waver
In a new study, published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, scientists found that non-prostaglandin formulas do indeed work. Natural ingredients like peptides, ginseng, panthenol, proline, pumpkin seed oil and Jarilla Coffea extract all “present promising mechanisms for eyelash enhancement.”
Photographic assessment showed that a response was most evident in patients at 24 weeks; and they found the herbal extract to demonstrate comparable efficacy to the chemical-based solution (minoxidil 3%). What’s more no adverse events were reported from using the herbal alternative.
And so, with that in mind, I decided to embark on a little experimentation of my own…
Styling pointers
Break up patterns
After curling, gently finger‑comb or rake through your hair with a wide tooth or your fingers to loosen perfect “S” shapes into more irregular bends.
Use texture sprays, not stiff sprays
To get that lived‑in, slightly gritty feel, a light texturizer can go a long way. Avoid coatings that gloss or freeze your hair completely.Add a gloss or weightless serum
Especially if you’re going for a wet‑look wave, a tiny dab of shine serum or mist over the midlengths and ends can simulate that after-lovewater finish without drowning your hair.Root variation / slight lift
Many runway waves keep structure near the roots (a bit of lift or grit) before letting waves flow. This avoids the “flat top + curls below” trap.
Combine with other elements
For example, part your hair deep, tuck one side behind the ear, pin in minimalistic clips, or integrate baby wisps to give dimension and surprise.
Application:
Respectfully, I’m more of a ‘learn on the job’ type of gal. Instruction manuals bore me and, like any self-respecting Leo, I don’t take naturally to being told what to do. Case in point: you’re explaining board game rules, I’m eyes glazed over, contemplating the meaning of human existence. Insert discombobulated cat meme:
But that cavalier attitude will not fly in the world of eyelash serums. Read. The. Manual. Revelations were made on day 15, that really should have been ingrained knowledge at that point.
I’ve condensed the key advice, so you don’t have to:
Use the serum daily, at night, for 4-6 weeks. Then twice a week thereafter. Applying it at night will optimise growth and, frankly, you’re less likely to rub it off.
Don’t overuse the serum or fit in a cheeky sesh — it’s counterproductive as the eyelashes won’t grow exponentially. There is a limit, don’t push it.
The product takes 2 minutes to dry once you’ve applied it.
Don’t inadvertently apply any product on the eye area, it will likely sting and cause minor irritation. It goes without saying — do not get it in your eyes! Apply carefully using a mirror, and not in a slapdash manner. Don’t play fast and loose with an iPhone front camera in the half dark (a guilty conscience needs no accuser).
Evenly space the serum along the lash line — moving from the outer corner, to the inner corner of your eye. You want the most amount of serum at the outer corners.
Try patch-testing a small area of your skin before using any serum on your eyelashes.
Do not leave the tube open on your counter, always keep the lid on — it is very fluid/transparent in colour, and unlike like mascara, it will flood out the tube. I lost about 1ml of serum this way — nearly went the way of my serum and totally lost it.
You can also apply the serum to your eyebrows, should you so wish.
Before and After - Images from Sweed’s website
The Verdict:
Disclaimer, this is my personal opinion — these observations won’t necessarily be matched by everyone. Ethnicity, pigmentation and age affect the appearance of eyelashes and, consequently, how they respond to the serum.
So did I achieve mega-watt lashes in 30 days? There’s not a doubt in my mind that the product actually works. It certainly promotes lash growth and, most importantly, without any of the extreme side effects caused by prostaglandin-based serums.
Here are a few conclusions I’ve drawn:
You’ll start to see results from around 3 weeks (some reports have suggested it takes just a few days to see growth - which, in my view, isn’t realistic).
Lash growth from the natural serums is not as extreme as with the prostaglandin-based serums — you may need to adjust your expectations.
There is not a great amount of uplift in the eyelash growth. You really need an eyelash curler and mascara to reap the full benefits. Once the lashes are lifted you can really see the huge difference/the impact of the Sweed serum.
You may experience some irritation, but this is due to getting the product (inadvertently) in your eye.
In terms of cost and investment — I believe the Sweed eyelash serum is good value when compared with the alternatives. RevitaLash, for instance, is three times the cost of Sweed (£139 vs £42). I estimate you’d require 2-3 of the 3ml Sweed eyelash serum per year. Additionally, the serum could reasonably replace beauty treatments — such as lash lifts, tinting and extensions — which are notoriously costly, time consuming and require top ups every 6-8 weeks.
Personally, I wasn’t as interested in applying the serum to my eyebrows — I tend to leave my brows to do their own thing, preferring a boyish, very natural look. I did apply some of the excess serum on the applicator (after applying to my eyelashes), but I can’t say that the serum had much of an impact on my brows.
The design of the applicator could be improved — the plastic wand always seemed to be dripping with the serum, whereas the tiny brush was relatively dry. Perhaps, a better design could be a smaller bottle where only the brush tip is in contact with the serum, or even a brush pen like a liquid eyeliner/touche éclat situation.
Do your homework before using any eyelash growth serum.
