March Lashes Out

False eyelashes don’t have to look natural.  (image Matheus Ferrero via Pexels)

Hey everyone – In the states, you may (or may not!) be heading off for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Seemed like a fine time to do a random makeup post.

I have a smaller face and deep-set eyes, and over the past year I’ve had multiple Adventures With False Lashes (as opposed to Adventures With Mascara, a topic for another day.)  My eyelashes are long but sparse.  Here’s the brief summary of my adventures, from worst to best, in case you’re thinking about trying it yourself.  I’ve added links to various videos for further edification.

Magnetic lashes that apply by “sandwiching” your upper lashes in between two sets of falsies:  queue the nope nope nope meme.  You need a second set of hands and some voodoo magic to make that work, and then they look ridiculous.  They’re just too heavy and obviously fake.

Lashes that apply using magnetic eyeliner:  the liner actually works, and once you paint that line on there, the lashes go on easily and stick pretty well.  (Try using your own very fine brush for better control.)  Downside: the eyeliner itself is hard to remove, except when it decides to suddenly peel off in one strip at the least convenient time, like during a presentation at work.  Annnnd I don’t love the final look for the same reason I don’t wear heavy eyeliner – it takes up lid space and makes my deep-set eyes look that much smaller.

False eyelashes applied with lash glue – this is a bit of a cheat, since there are so many kinds, in varying lengths and qualities.  The good news is there are ones with “invisible” bands, plus clear adhesive.  Also, with a little practice, they were surprisingly easy to apply. The bad news: I had to trim almost all of them to fit, and except for a couple of faux-mink pairs which feel exceedingly soft, I never got past the sensation of having something glued to my lash line.

Lashify – this is newer and has been getting a lot of attention among makeup fans on Youtube and the blogs.  The lashes come in small sections and apply with lash glue underneath your lash line.  They’re surprisingly easy to do, and the first time I put them on, they looked amazing, and also quite natural if you don’t choose anything crazy in terms of length.  So, what’s the downside?  Their starter kit (which you’re required to buy first) is crazy expensive, which I’d resent less if their fancy secret-sauce adhesive wasn’t such a ripoff and didn’t dry out so quickly.  After a couple of tubes I ended up switching over to regular old lash adhesive which works much better (for a fraction of the cost).  If I’m careful I can get three or four consecutive days of wear; the lashes are half-price in their lash club, which can be paused or cancelled after a couple of deliveries.

Am I sorry I did all this?   Aw heck no; it was a hoot!  Application got much easier with practice, as is true about all sorts of things.  I didn’t pull any lashes out or glue my eyelids together or any of the other sorts of horrors I’d worried about.  I’ll continue to purchase Lashify occasionally when I want a few days of that doe-eyed look.  The regular false eyelashes—eh.  I’ll probably wear the ones I like best and pass the others on at work.  The magnetic ones…. You know, I haven’t given up on those yet.  If I could improve my liner application and longevity, the fact that you can pop them on and off (e.g., at bedtime) is pretty sweet.

 

  • rosarita says:

    Oh, no no no. I’ve worn contacts all my life but I went to glasses only a couple years ago and never looked back. Because I couldn’t see if I tried, har. That’s the downside, I’m so terribly nearsighted that I have to get an inch away from the mirror just to put on mascara, I’d have no room to try to maneuver false lashes. Glad you are having fun with them.

    • Musette says:

      LOL!  That’s what I was thinking, as well, R(A)!  I quit with the contacts back in the Jurassic Era and so the whole false eyelash concept was off-point (though, to be fair, the stylist on 100% Hotter has made the whole Glasses/Eyelashes/Bangs trifecta a WINNAH!

      But she’s 30 yrs younger than my po’ old self.

      xoxoxo

  • Musette says:

    My eyelids just puffed up like a cobra bit me!  Everything you write of, here, makes me SCREAM!  ITCH!  ITCH! Red eye!  Pink eye!  Black eye! 

    Itch!

    did I mention ITCH!?

    I’ve worn false eyelashes persackly twice in my life – and each time they were amazing.  Until they weren’t.

    You must have titanium eyelids!

    I have tissuepaper eyelids.

    alas.

     

    xoxoxo

    • Ann says:

      Me, too, dear! I used to wear contacts but as I’ve gotten older my eyes have gotten

      even more sensitive and very tic-y about anything being put on/in them. I haven’t found a mascara that works on my next to nothing lashes and I rarely even wear eyeliner and/or eyeshadow anymore, ha! BTW, hope you had a fabulous birthday! And thanks, March, for the 411 on all this — now I KNOW that it’s not for me, wink wink.

  • Dina C. says:

    I tried the magnetic lashes when they came out, and I found them incredibly hard to put on. When I act, I wear false lashes and those are weird feeling but fine. But for every day, I’m perfectly happy with good ol’ mascara. That Lashify product is amazing! Had no idea that was out on the market. Cool!

  • Kathleen says:

    I have had similar experience with lashes.  I bought an expensive set of magnetic lashes a couple years ago, thinking the concept sounded so easy and no glue on my eyes.  Wrong, after much practice I could never get them straight.  Then I tried the lashes with glue, easier to put on but never looked natural and one always starting slipping off.  I’m back to regular mascara.  It looks so much more natural.  Lash extensions sound wonderful, but the cost and upkeep is something I don’t want to start with, because of all my other skin care/makeup/perfume expenses.

  • LaDona says:

    I started getting lash extensions a few years ago, and I luuuurve them so much. Yeah, it’s pricey. But it’s worth it. I think it’s terribly unfair that, along with a bottom that spreads out like the blob to make chairs disappear, my once long fluttery lashes have gone short and straight. No more! I say! Bring the extensions. ALL of them. Lol.