Easy and Affordable Eyelash Options
Have you looked at someone in the eye and felt that you were seeing their whole face even with them wearing a mask? I have looked at clients and strangers and had to think back if they even had a mask on. 100% of the time, they did. Your eyes really are the windows to your soul. With mandatory mask rules in place, your eyes are even more important now.
As you may already know, we are in a pandemic and still going strong. If you're in California, getting any beauty services done may be hard to find but not impossible. As a lash artist, I have chosen to stop lashing until I feel that it is safer for me and my clients. In the meantime, I have been testing different lash options that is accessible to everyone. Some of them have worked well and others definitely failed. These are from my own personal experiences and may not be true for everyone.
1. Lash Strip and Glue
One reason why there are so many eyelash choices now are because of the new eyelash craze. Eyelash extensions used to be a new, not so well known service but now it's everywhere. Those who have gotten them, love it. Those who haven't, want them.
As a makeup artist, I still use the lash strip and glue method on my clients. These are fast to apply and lasts all day long. I still prefer this method for myself. You can find lash strips from $1.00 to $30.00. The glue can be found for less than $15.00.
My favorite eyelash glue is D-UP Eyelashes Fixer EX 552. (24 hour wear?!)
The downside to the lash strip and glue method is that it is hard. Truly hard to put it on right and see what you're doing. If you don't wear lashes everyday, then you might not ever have the patience to put on lashes. You first apply the glue onto the lash strip and then apply it along your lash line above your natural lashes. After so many years as a makeup artist, it is easier for me to put lashes on others than putting it on myself. I think this method just takes practice but lasts the longest. There are many YouTube videos on how to apply your own lash strips.
2. Magnetic Lashes
One fine day, I went on a walk to my local Rite Aid (a drug store) and picked up some magnetic lashes. They were around $14.99 for the Kiss brand of lashes and the magnetic eyeliner kit. I have been wearing eyeliner since I was 12 years old so using this magnetic eyeliner was easy peasy for me.
First, you apply the eyeliner just like any regular eyeliner. It is like a liquid eyeliner with a brush but with magnetic properties. The lash strips already have magnets on them. They are fairly light and it should be easy enough to just plop those lashes onto the magnetic line you just applied along your lash line. Except, if you accidentally put the lashes on wrong where it looks wonky then you have to take the lashes off and try again. Once you take off the lashes to reapply, you might take off the eyeliner with it. That means you have to reapply the liner before you can reapply the lashes. Finally, I was successful and wore my new magnetic lashes for the day.
Sadly, magnetic lashes do not work for me. They started to wear off in the inner corners throughout the day. It would pop out at the ends and I would not know unless I looked in a mirror. I forgot to bring the eyeliner with me so I was not able to reapply. When I took off the lashes, it took off the black magnetic eyeliner as well. I felt it was a lot of maintenance to do. I'm the type of person that just puts on makeup in the morning and never ever look at the mirror again until I go to take off makeup for the night. I needed a stay put all day option and this was not for me.
If you have tried this method, let me know any tips!
3. Lash Glue Eyeliner Pen
Clear Lash Glue Pen by Kiss
I just recently found out about the lash glue eyeliner pen and saw how easy it might be! It costs around $9.00. I was excited! It was like the strip lash and glue method and the magnetic lash method had a baby. I was right! It gave me the longevity that I wanted and was so much easier to apply. You do not need any special lash strip to use with the glue eyeliner pen. Just any lash strip will do.
To start, I had clean eyelids. I applied the white clear glue like I would an eyeliner. The tip is like a marker where the glue oozes out. Before the glue dried on my eyelid, I applied my lash strip right where I applied the glue line. I think it is so much easier because when I placed the lash on incorrectly, I could still lift it back up and readjust. Also, when I try to apply the lashes, I am not getting glue anywhere else on my eyelids that I did not want. The glue has strong adhesion so my lashes stayed on all day. I am in love with this method.
It is also easy to put the eyeliner glue on top of my black waterproof liquid eyeliner. Just make sure to wipe the tip after with a lint-free cloth to clean.
Let me know if you love any of these methods! What other eyelash methods have you used? I may have to give the magnetic lashes another try.
Watch out for a video on how to apply strip lashes! I shared this tip with my four sisters but will share it with you, too!