There comes a time in every girl’s life when a slight miscalculation changes her entire morning routine forever. For me, that time came in a series of events that led to my ripping my natural lashes off of my face.
When I first gave falsies a try, I’d just got paid and was mildly interested, having succumbed to the millenial urge to look like one of those super cute girlies on insta with gorgeous lashes that immediately drove their like count to numbers well beyond heights my own pictures have ever gotten in the twelve or so years I’ve been on the app.
I said to myself, “Why not?”, gave myself a few other logic nudges and I was, seconds after, on Amazon scrolling for deals.
In about two weeks, there they were. On my vanity table, giving me the “I dare you” look. And girl, did I!
I had lash glue on my hands, lash glue on the applicator handle, lash glue on the desk, on my cheeks, in my hair, lash glue everywhere, and my gorgeous silk lashes would still not stick (yes, even when I let the glue semi-dry to a somewhat perfect degree of tackiness).
So about two hours in, I quit and decided false lash application was for the pros, and also gave myself a serious earful for having thought I could take on fake lash installation by “baby-hands” self, on my first try.
A week later, watching those upsettingly stunning women on a Turkish soap opera, I thought to myself, hey, what if I get the professional strength lash glue and try one last time? So I did. I went to the fanciest cosmetic shop in my estate (because everyone knows the fanciest places actually bother to get the good stuff) and bought the black one recommended by every makeup enthusiast on my InstaFeed.
It didn’t work at first, and my falsies wouldn’t stick as close the the lashline as they’re supposed to (mostly because I kept freaking out about the possibility of me poking my eye) – who’s not afraid of that?
Eventually, I got them to stay put, close to the lashline (not actually ON the lashline, 😂). Then I took an old mascara wand I’d cleaned way back with which I’d intended to apply lash serum, and I went in with some more lash glue so that I could at least get indivual lashes to stick together for that “Rule of Thumb” seamless blend.
The idea was I that I would keep the falsies for as long as they “wanted” to stay on, neatly. Why disturb them anyway, with all the trouble I’d gone to for week or two at least of fresh confidence and a new sway to my hips.
The falsies stayed put a week!
Finally, when I’d decided it was time for the falsies to come out and for my natural lashes – that I’d weirdly grown to miss – to breathe, something crazy happened.
I hadn’t done any research on how to uninstall fake lashes. And I thought it would be a breeze, as long I was gentle with them. But no, they wouldn’t come off. Not even when I tugged harder. I panicked.
And that’s the moment I took a deep breath and frantically yanked them out!!!!
In all honesty, in those few seconds, the math I’d done hadn’t included the strength of my natural lashes. Even if you’d asked me, I probably would have told you not to worry about it. I trusted my natural lashes. Heck, they’re God-given, and God’s the strongest thing I know🤷🏿.
So now, I can never wear false lashes ever again, at least until my natural lashes grow back.
Do I regret having given false lashes a solid try? Nope. My regret is how bad at math I get when it’s a life or death situation (I really should think about getting help with that).
MORAL OF THE STORY…
This is how to correctly install falsies.
- Your eyelids should be clean and makeup-free
- Hold the false lash strip against your eyelid to measure. If it’s too long, trim from the outer edge.
- Curl your natural lashes with an eyelash curler.
“Okay, but what if my lashes are already naturally over-curled?“
-Try pinching them between your index finger and your thumb for few seconds to uncurl them slightly before laying falsies on them.
- Squeeze a thin strip of lash glue onto the lash band, letting it sit on the lash band for about 30 seconds.
- Place the falsies as close to your natural lash line as possible, from the center, then adjust the inner and trimmed outer corners. You can use your fingers for this step, but lash applicators get the falsies all the way to the lashline better.
- Gently press the falsies against your lash line with your fingers or the back of the tweezers, holding for a few seconds to make sure it sticks.
- Go in with a coat of mascara.
- Fill in any gaps between your natural and false lashes with eyeliner.
- If you have a lashcomb or a clean finetoothed hair comb, use it to separate and define your lashes.
This is how to correctly un-install falsies
- Wash your hands – to avoid transferring any dirt or bacteria into your eyes.
- Soften the lash glue by applying an oil-based makeup remover or a gentle eye makeup remover to a cotton pad and holding (not rubbing) it against your lash line for a few seconds.
- Starting from the outer corner, gently peel the false lash off. Use tweezers if needed, but be careful not to pull on your natural lashes.
- Remove any residual lash glue with the same eye makeup remover.
- Use a clean cotton piece of cloth dipped in eye-makeup remover to remove any lash glue and makeup from the lash band.
- Then soak the false lashes in a small bowl of rubbing alcohol for a few minutes to disinfect them.
- Place the cleaned lashes on a paper towel and let them air dry – don’t use a hairdryer.
- When they’re dry, store the falsies in their original case or in a clean, dry lash case.
- After removing the lashes and cleaning your eyelids, apply a gentle moisturizer or eye cream to soothe and hydrate the skin around your eyes.
- DO NOT rub your eyes after removing the lashes.
Just like with hair extensions, give your eyes a break for two weeks in case you intend to reinstall them.
