Fake Lash How-to!!

Who doesn’t love looking in the mirror and seeing long, dark, thick eye-ball hairs looking back at them? For those of us who aren’t blessed with extraordinary supermodel lashes, we fake it with a great mascara, or a set of falsies. (So we are clear, I have NEVER called them falsies in my entire life. But my mom does. Sue me.)

When mascara doesn’t quite do the trick, we turn to the strip. Too many times, I’ve had a client complain to me and say, “I WISH I could get a strip of lashes to look good on me, but no matter what I do, they never look just right!” Often, they are too big, they pop-off in one or both corners, or they’re in the wrong spot completely, making you look more like a drag-queen than a pretty girl with delish lashes.

Let’s break down the RIGHT way to wear them and a couple of tricks on how to make those babies stay put, look great, and last all day!

1. Pick the right pair:

Ask yourself: do I want these to look more “barely-there” or more “Gaga?” There is NO wrong answer! But be real with yourself. If crazy dramatic lashes give you the willies, shoot for some right down the middle that look like pretty lashes with lots of mascara on them. Avoid: the suuuuper thick, jet-black pairs that all end at the exact same point. Those that look like split-ends at the end will actually look a touch more natural, but still give you the impact you may want.

2. Trim trim trim:

Most lashes come way larger than we actually need them. Someone, somewhere has these MASSIVE eyes that require every centimeter of those lashes. The rest of us, however, do not. My lash-rule is always to aim for the lash covering ¾ of your lashline. Did you know that moisture loosens the adhesive?! If you glue it on corner-to-corner and sneeze, cry, or keep your eye open for a second too long, your eyes will water, thus loosening one end or the other. And when the glue gets too loose, that’s when you see a corner pop-off and begin to lift. Make sense? Bottom line, don’t glue it corner-to-corner. Instead, hold it up to your eye pre-glue, keeping the longest side at the very end of your lashes. Size up how long ¾ of your eye is, and trim the lash accordingly. (I trim from the outside for a more natural look.)

3. Glue:

You need the lash-glue DUO. It’s available at every drugstore, every Target, and every MAC counter. It’s the best of the best. It holds, it lasts, and it’s super easy to use. In fact, it comes out white, and dries clear which basically works as an indicator light to tell you, “WAIT…we aren’t dry yet!” when you’re trying to pop them on. I apply the glue to the back of my hand, (you only need a teeny bit,) then use the bottom of a small makeup brush or a bobby pin to dip into the glue and apply a line directly to the lash. Scared of the ends popping-off still? Apply a thicker dot of glue on each end to ensure that it’ll stay put and not pop-off later.

4. Shake it:

Super wet glue has a hard time staying in one spot. Hold the lash in your fingers, and shake it 5-10 seconds. If the glue gets sticky or tacky, it’ll stay RIGHT where you put it. A lash that’s too wet will slide around and ultimately, give you problems later on. Boo.

5. Apply it:

Finish your makeup completely, mascara included! If you can start natural lashes off with a little curl, it’ll make your fake ones look even better! Apply shadow, liner and mascara, then apply the strip directly on top of your lashes. I use my eyeliner as a type of blueprint or map to show me exactly where the lash is supposed to go. If you get it too high, it looks unnatural. The easiest way to apply it for me? Grab a handheld mirror and look DOWN into it. Basically, hold it at your chest level. When your eyes are looking down, you’ve got way more access to your eyelid, making lashes way easier to put on! Hold the strip right in the middle and press it straight into your liner. Using your finger, gently press on the middle until secure, then move back and forth pressing every part of the lash into the remainder of your lash-line. Using DUO lash glue, you’ll notice that the glue is white at first, but dries completely clear. When you see white, keep looking down! Once they dry in the right spot, they won’t bug you later!!

6. Wait 5 minutes, apply Mascara:

Once they are totally dry, (aka you don’t see white anymore,) gently pull your mascara through them. This step is totally not about applying product to them… it’s more about combing YOUR lash into the fake one which will make them feel less heavy, and more blended. Without doing this step, your blinks will be SO heavy and pretty uncomfortable. Blend them quickly and gently, and they’ll feel like they’re barely-there!

Done. Seems like a whole lot of words to explain the process, but I promise: after one or two times with a couple of these tricks, you’ll be able to apply them in your sleep.

Maybe. Idk.

Try it, love it, tag me @makeupwithme_!!

Xx

AriAnne