The Ultimate guide to applying False Lashes

Fake lashes. We’ve all been there. Having "that discussion" with ourselves in Superdrug:

"Don't waste your money you know what will happen, you'll just end screaming at them with eyeliner all over your chin, crying and vowing you'll never buy them again... just like last time and the time before and the time before that"

You vow that this time, this night, this party will be the time that you finally master the dark art of strip lash application.

Cut to later that night, you're late to the party, lashless, panda-eyed and with a sinking suspicion that you've triggered some sort of eye infection. Great. Plus one of the errant lashes you tore off in a rage is stuck to the bum of your dress completing it's evil plan to push you over the edge entirely.

But fear not, after years of practice, tears, frustration and approximately 45 pairs of screwed up pairs of lashes chucked in the bin I have finally nailed it. Now I can apply my lashes in less time than it takes to apply mascara, they last ALL DAY without fail and I can make one pair last a whole month, saving heaps and heaps of money. I am the self-proclaimed Lash Guru.
If, like the Milly of 3 years ago, you have been pushed over the edge by these tiny plastic demons then fear not, I have written this 10 step guide to get those lashes just right. Because lets face it... There is no Smokey-Eye like a Fake lashes Smokey-Eye and sometimes you just want to a be a little bit Jessica Rabbit for the night.

1.       Getting the lashes out of the packet. Sounds simple right? Apparently not. This will shock you but this is key advice: NEVER EVER use pair of tweezers to remove a set of lashes from their packing. Lashes are FRAGILE, easily bent and extremely easy to break, Tweezers are metal and hard so use your fingers there are no better tools. If you need to cut the plastic packing then do, you didn’t pay £5 for the packaging did you? No. So cut it to bits if needs be, but never ever try and get them out with Tweezers. A friend did this and ripped her only pair of lashes into 3 pieces half an hour before our taxi was due to arrive for a night out. Luckily, being the "Lash Guru," I was able to carefully glue the three pieces back into one strip and successfully apply them for her. It was nerve racking, like a game of Operation but I did it and it's going up there alongside my degree and my shortbread recipe as one of my major life achievements

2.       Trim your lashes to size. This is vital as everyone's eyes are different. They will look silly if they’re hanging off the outside of your eye and it’s bloody painful when they’re poking at the inside of your eye – trust me. Hold them up and cut them a little at a time from the outside of the lashes, this is where there are more longer lashes so cutting them there shouldn’t affect the shape, don’t cut the inside corner as those little lashes are the ones that give the nice graduated shape you need.

 

3.       The Glue. The glue is the key. If you have decent glue then you can apply any lashes you want. You can buy £1 lashes from Primark and they’ll still work because it’s ALL ABOUT THE GLUE. Cheap lashes = cheap glue so bin it, it's going to have as much chance sticking things to your face as I have at sticking to a diet. You wouldn’t glue a broken mug back together with a Pritt Stick would you? No, you’d use that strong extra-adhesive because you can stick anything to anything with the right glue. Personally I always use Eyelure lashes, I favour their range of shapes over most other brands but most of all I favour their glue. It doesn’t matter what brand of lashes I’ve picked up on sale I always use Eyelure glue as it’s the best for long-lasting wear. Equally it doesn’t matter which brand of glue you find works for you, just make sure you save that little bottle of miracle goo like your life depends on it. Afterall you can get hundreds of applications out of one tiny bottle!

4.       Eyeliner. I would advise using liquid eyeliner as this disguises the point at which the strip lashes are adhered to the lid, although pencil will work too. Do your liner first, it’s almost impossible to apply liner once the lashes are on (unless you are highly skilled) and make sure the liner is completely dry before you apply the lashes. You can always touch up the liner afterwards to cover any gaps or glue marks.

5.       Next, putting the glue on. The glue is extremely runny and will run into the lashes and ruin them if you don’t take the applicator out first and stand it up to dry for 30 seconds or so before applying to the lash, this allows the texture the thicken to a tacky consistency and means that the glue will stay on the lash line when you apply it and not run everywhere ruining the lashes.

6.       Once you’ve put the glue on, put the lash down on a flat surface, glue side up and leave the lash alone for a good couple of minutes. Until the glue has completely dried and gone clear. Then repeat this. Seriously. The base of strip lashes is too thin to support long-term wear. If you build of a couple of layers of glue before applying that final layer then you will have a much more supportive base and they will last longer. 

7.       Once you’ve applied your third coat of glue, wait for 30 seconds or so again for that tacky consistency. Far too many people put try to put them on straight away when the glue is wet resulting in a eyelid full of glue, nothing left on the lash and as I recall from memory; crying. By waiting for that tacky glue texture again it means that the lash is more likely to stay put when you apply it.

8.       Application. Guess what? You can bend lashes! That's right you can bend them into whatever shape you like, personally I like to bend them up slightly at the end as I wear winded eyeliner and this gives the lashes a nice little flicked shape. Be careful when you bend them but have a good play around while you're waiting for the glue to go tacky, you don’t have to stick to the shape they’ve been stuck into the box in. Always apply your lashes just above your natural lash line, not too high or you can easily distinguish the two separate lines of fake a real lashes. But not too low as you’ll up pulling out your natural lashes when you remove them. Do not apply them too closely to the inside of your eye as they will end up poking you in eye causing pain and even worse – watering! Eye make-up ruined.

9.       Don’t be afraid to push the lashes onto your eyelid to make sure they’ve stuck all the way along, if you’ve left the glue to go tacky enough then this shouldn’t alter their position and the last thing you want is a big gap in the middle or for them to be hanging off at one side by 10pm.

10.   If you’ve followed all those steps correctly then you should have a nicely fitting and sturdily glued pair of lashes – go enjoy your night on the town! But when you get home don’t just tear them off and screw them into a ball. They cost money! You can re-use lashes indefinitely, after all they aren’t cheap. Just carefully peel them off from the outside edge inwards and put them somewhere safe. The glue can then be carefully peeled off the lash line, thanks to those extra layers you added for stability this is easy peasy. Then you can give them a quick clean with make up remover and leave them somewhere safe to dry for next time. Seriously a £5 pair of lashes will last me a month and I wear them daily. Just make sure you thoroughly clean them as dirty, make-up clogged lashes are an eye infection waiting to happen!

So there you go! It doesn’t matter if you’re an everyday wearer (guilty!) or you just fancy treating yourself to pair of lashes for a special occasion, with this guide you should all triumph and be able to flutter those big fakies without the worry of them flying off into someone’s drink.

Any questions feel free to comment and let me know how you got on if you tried my guide.

I've used MAHOOSIVE lashes for this post so that they are nice and clear in the photos. These steps can be used on any lashes, so don't worry, you can go for a more subtle daytime lash look if you don't fancy these fly-swatter lashes.