Ever looked in the mirror and wished your eyelashes were just a little bit longer? Yeah, us too. At times like those, we're eternally grateful to the genius who invented false eyelashes. Also known as falsies or temporary eyelash extensions, false lashes were patented in 1911 by a Canadian woman, Anna Taylor, who stuck miniscule hairs to a circular strip of fabric to create an illusion of thicker lashes. They then had their first meeting with pop culture when, in 1916, filmmaker DW Griffith decided to enlarge his actresses' lashes with spirit glue and human hair.
Thankfully, false lashes have come a long way since then and we don't need to use any form of human hair to lengthen ours. Today, there's a variety of fibres like silk which are used to create false eyelashes.
The beauty of false lashes is that they can be customised to suit the wearer's preferences. If you just want a boost of volume for a casual weekend brunch, a wispy set of lashes with thinner strands can give you a natural look. If it's an end-of-the-year party where going all-out is part of the dress code, a bushy set with full fibres can change the look of your eyes completely. Falsies can also be trimmed to fit the wearer's eye shape and with individual false lashes (which are 2 or 3 strand miniature lashes), one can choose just what effect they want their eyes to have.
While it's natural to be completely thrown off your game when applying false eyelashes for the first couple of times, follow these steps to ensure that they go on smoothly and sit well throughout the day.
Step 1 - Once you remove the false lashes from their packaging, hold either end of their band and bend them. This will make sure there are flexible enough to naturally take the shape of the eye.
Step 2 - Next, place them loosely along the upper eyeline. The band with the shorter strands are meant for the inner area while the longer strands of hair are for the outermost area of the eye. Position it and see if it's longer than your eye line. If it is, keep it away from your eye and snip a few individual strands off so that it aligns well with the eye.
Pro tip: Don't skip this step when you purchase a new set of lashes. When false lashes aren't worn as per your size, they'll most likely look wonky and eventually fall off.
Step 3 - Next, squeeze out your eyelash adhesive all over the band then flap the lashes for 10 - 15 seconds just so that the glue becomes slightly tacky.
Step 4 - Now, use a tweezer to hold the centre of the lashes, very close to the band. While looking in the mirror, hold it close to your eyeline to decide its ideal position. Then use the tweezer to press it down in place.
Step 5 - Press down with the tweezer at the inner corner and slowly work your way to the outer corner, while continue to press gently.
Step 6 - Close your eye and let the lashes dry for 2 - 3 minutes then repeat the steps on the other eye.
Step 7 - Once dried, carefully use eyeliner to line your upper lash line so that the band of the lashes isn't visible. Then run mascara from the bottom to the top so that your natural lashes merge with the falsies.
Remember to glue on your falsies post any eyeshadow application and before any eye lining. Once you're clear with that, you're good to go and get your lashes on.
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