For the most part, I pride myself on being pretty good at makeup application. I’ve become the go to girl in my circle of friends on best application techniques, which tools get the job done best, etc.
But…I have a confession. When it comes to false eyelashes? I’m a complete novice. To be fair, I don’t have much of an interest in wearing them in the first place. I always feared that once I start wearing lashes frequently, I’d get used it and will always have to have them! I didn’t want to become “addicted” to them and feel like my look wasn’t complete sans falsies.
My perspective on false eyelashes is: I would never want to include them as part of a daily routine – kudos to the girls that do, but I’m just lazy and don’t have the time! I also just feel a little overdone wearing them. I’m the type that likes to bust them out for special events like weddings or the occasional weekend night out.
Enter the intimidation factor of gluing the darn things on to my eyelid, and I have enough excuses to enable me to stay away.
That is – until I heard of magnetic lashes. Sound too good to be true? It kind of is, (so I’ve heard for most brands!) but I think one of them got it right!
The first time I heard of magnetic lashes was through watching YouTube tutorials of “As Seen On TV” brands – and almost all of them had negative reviews and were overpriced. They seemed to take longer to figure out how to apply than the traditional glue-y mess route! After seeing those, I told myself I would never waste my money on this – (some were $60!) if these beauty experts were struggling, I for sure would!
Then, a couple months later, Ardell jumped on the magnetic wagon and I was intrigued by the trend again. Now here’s a brand I trusted and had used before, and at a reasonable price point! The handful of times I had applied lashes in my life (and by “applied” I mean forcing my older sister to put them on for me) I had used Ardell. They’re an affordable brand that you can find at almost any drugstore, and they hold up well!
I went down a rabbit hole of reading tons of reviews online and quickly learned through my research that the accent style lashes were the best way to go for me. Most people had trouble with the full strip styles because the magnets want to lay straight when you sandwich them between your eye. (we’ll discuss the “sandwiching” technique more in a second)
With the accents, it’s just the outer ends of your eyes which makes it easier to apply. Eyes are curved so this makes more sense than magnets going straight across.
I tried the Accents 001 and Accents 002 styles. My personal preference? The Accents 001s. As you can see in the comparison photo below, they just looked more natural and blended better. The 002s were too doll-like and made me feel like baby bop! The 001s tend to be easier to find – I always see them in stock at Ulta!
Left: Accents 002 Right: Accents 001 (I prefer 001)
The first time I used these, it took a few tries before I got them on properly. After I got the hang of it? ITS SO EASY! I can put these on in 5 seconds now, on the first attempt. (Seriously!) There’s just a few tricks to get it right.
Tips to make them work:
- Coat your natural eyelashes with mascara BEFORE you apply these. Why? The mascara gives a tacky grip for the lash to lay on (since you’re not using glue, the mascara substitutes as a sticky surface for the lash to press on to)
- Place and align the upper lash first on the outer edge of your upper eyelid.
- Take the under lash and press under your natural lash (creating a “sandwich” with your natural lash in between the false strips)
The magnets of the top lash will lock with the bottom ones. Done!
BOOM. You have lashes that will last all day and you didn’t have to make a mess or break the bank to do it!
I’ve seen prices for these cost up to $13.99, which is a little pricey for drugstore lashes. I would suggest purchasing at Ulta – they frequently offer coupons for drugstore brands! (Tip: I’ve spotted these at TJ Maxx for as low as $9.99!)
When you take into account the fact that they are reusable and won’t wear down easily as no glue is involved, the price seems worth it!
This is a no – brainer and a timesaver for me! It’s a great option if you’re a beginner, or just can’t hack traditional false eyelashes!
Have you tried magnetic lashes yet? What did you think? Are you an expert eyelash applier or a rookie like me?
