4 Things to Know About Wearing Faux Lashes

At one time or another, we’ve all vowed to never try a certain thing in the name of beauty, all to try it once and fall in love with it. This was my case with lashes. I couldn’t understand how people could put these things on their eyes and not wake up blind or peel them off. While I’m definitely a fan of sporting your natural beauty, in my eyes, there’s also nothing wrong with enhancing what you have. I never saw them as a simple beauty enhancer, until now.

In the last couple of years I’ve fallen head over heels with lashes and in this time I’ve learned so much about them and want to share a few basic things you need to know about wearing them.

This info will cover my experience with full strips, not individuals.

1. Bonding glue is not a proper adhesive.

I am not sure where the practice came in for makeup artists to use bonding hair glue to apply lashes, but from my experience this is not only terrible for your eyes, but it’s just flat out bad to do. Before I knew what the proper way was truly, I had a makeup artist use this glue and let’s just say it took Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the 3 Wise Men to get the suckers off. The artist mentioned that the glue has staying power (she was right) and is good for those that want to keep their lashes on for days at a time (never an option for me).

My recommendation: use Duo lash adhesive. It’s water proof and comes in clear, which dries clears for lighter skin tones and black, which dries black for darker skin tones. Clear adhesive that dries on darker skin ends up looking crusty. Duo adhesive is also gentle on your skin when it’s time to remove your lashes.

2. It takes practice & patience to apply them properly.

It took me a good solid week to finally apply strip lashes properly, but I managed to do it. Be patient to make sure each end of the strip is fully attached so the ends don’t stick up. Lastly, the lashes should only be applied at the base of your natural lashes so they fill in naturally. If you rush, the lashes won’t set in the right spot.

3. Know which lashes are suitable for the time of day.

Yes, girls. Like fashion, there’s an unwritten rule of daytime lashes, nighttime lashes, and photo shoot lashes. If you’re shooting with Dave LaChapple in his studio for an artistic magazine or shooting a music video, then go for the outlandish lashes. However if you’re going to the store to get a loaf of bread and run a few other errands, leave those lashes at home! Betty Boop lashes are never cool and there’s no need to be super-giraffe dramatic on a regular day. The goal is to enhance.

Look for strips that have a clear band at the base to hold the lashes in place, so they are transparent against the skin and blends naturally. Black bands tend to be thicker and move less because they hold more lashes, yet they provide a dramatic look. Again, I would only buy these if we’re shooting your album cover or walking in a show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

4. Lashes should be clean before application. Always.

Would you apply lipstick on your lips with gunk and junk on the tube? No! The same applies for lashes.

Understand that lashes are near your eyes, so they can do more harm if you are not cleaning your lashes. It’s true, you can wear a strips multiple times. However, after a few times of cleaning and wear, I switch to another pack.

You can use a q-tip with alcohol to remove the adhesive gently, or use your tweezers to remove excess gunk. Use a spooly brush to remove any excess debris.

If you decide to use mascara on the lashes after application, I recommend tossing them and grabbing a new pair to wear next time.

Here are my picks for applying my lashes: