Tutorial: How to put on false eyelashes

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.
How to cite: Wong M. Tutorial: How to put on false eyelashes. Lab Muffin Beauty Science. January 18, 2013. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://labmuffin.com/tutorial-how-to-put-on-false-eyelashes/

I’ve been really getting into falsies lately (I’m Asian and I have no lashes so I need all sorts of help). At first I was completely daunted, but after doing them at home twice, I managed to put them on on a moving train.

There are a lot of methods out there for putting on false eyelashes, but this is mine. Hopefully this comes in handy if you new at this. Don’t be scared – it’s the first few times that are the hardest.

You’ll need:

Eyelashes: I’m using Glam by Manicare Jessica Lashes, which won beautyheaven’s 2011 Best in Beauty award. They’re really luscious, voluminous lashes which

It’s a full lash that I worry might be too over the top, but they always look lovely in photos. A tube of hypoallergenic eyelash glue is included, but I just stuck to my usual.

Eyelash glue: I use Ardell LashGrip Glue in Clear out of habit – it’s the first tube of glue I’ve ever used, so I can’t compare! Make sure it’s for strip eyelashes and not for permanent individual lashes, otherwise you’re in for a world of pain later.

1. Trim your falsies – the strip will definitely be too long! You want the inner corner lashes to be short (otherwise they’ll irritate), so trim from the outside. For your first pair, go slow – it’ll take a while to work out how long you like them (you can see how far along the eye mine go – any closer and they’re unbearable, but that’s just my weird eyelid shape). For later pairs, you can line up your old pair and trim. Keep the trimmings – you can stick these on the outer corners of your eye when you want extra oomph.

2. Make up the rest of your eye, including eyeliner. Here I’ve used Bed Head Cyberoptics in Wine and Make Up Store Microshadow in Cupcake to make a smoky eye, then added Face of Australia Budgeproof Gel Eyeliner along the lashline. I also curled my lashes and added a swipe of mascara (Lord & Berry Alchimica in Black) to stop my lashes from getting pushed into my eye by the weight of the falsies. It also helps them blend in.

3. Glue them up. Squeeze a small blob (about 3 mm across) of eyelash glue onto a scrap of paper.

Using your fingers or tweezers, drag the strip through the glue. Dab a bit extra on the ends, since those are the bits that unstick most easily.

(There are other methods (using a toothpick, squeezing it straight out of the tube), but this is the most foolproof way of getting the right amount on in my experience.)

4. Bend the lashes a bit to better fit the curve of your eye (I do this mainly out of superstition, because the strip never stays curved). Let the glue go tacky (about 30 sec).

5. Hold the end side of the eyelashes around the middle of the strip. Line the eyelashes up with where you want them, then stick the middle of the strip just above your eyelash line. You can steady your elbow on something (table, wall) if you find you’re a bit shaky.

5. Grab the first fingerful of lashes that aren’t stuck down towards the outside of the eye from the middle and, with a little twist so the loose strip lines up with the curve of your eyelid, jam the sticky onto your lashline. Continue sticking the strip to your eyelid, one segment at a time, then go from the centre towards the inner corner of your eye. In this pic I’m sticking the last of the outer lashes down (excuse the peeled off polish).

(Some people stick the inner corner down and work their way out, but I’ve found that the outer end will flail around and spread glue everywhere if I do that, although I think it‘ll be easier to get the left and right perfectly even that way. Each to their own!)  

6. Gently pat the tips of the lashes towards your eyelid with the pad of your finger to make sure they’re stuck on firmly.

7. Wait for the glue to dry clear, then use liquid or gel eyeliner to cover up any gaps or shiny bits. You can also use mascara to blend the falsies with your natural lashes if you want (I usually don’t because it makes reusing them harder!). The Jessica lashes I’m using have a black strip, which means I barely had to do any filling in, but clear bands (which I usually find more comfortable) tend to need some work.

8. Flutter your eyelashes everywhere and try to get away with murder.

Removal and aftercare

Taking them off is easy! Provided you didn’t already rip them off the moment you leave the party, just dab a cotton bud soaked in waterproof makeup remover along the adhesive line, wait a few minutes and they should come off easily – if not, repeat.

To clean your lashes for reuse, hold the lashes firmly between your thumb and finger like so:

Then using long fingernails or tweezers, you can pull the glue away. If you used a latex glue, it comes away in a fun stringy strip! Then, if you used mascara, you can wipe them down with a cotton bud soaked in makeup remover (this makes them lose their shape quicker though). Store them back in their tray for reuse.

(I can’t be the only one who has too much fun pulling off glue. Whee!)

Glam by Manicare Jessica lashes retail for $12.95 and are available from Priceline, Target and various pharmacies Australia-wide.

Manicare, Make Up Store and Lord & Berry products were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.


Skincare Guide


Related Posts

16 thoughts on “Tutorial: How to put on false eyelashes”

  1. “using long fingernails or tweezers”
    Yes! God gave women built-in tweezers! I’m glad that others recognize this, too.

    Your post is really good, Michelle! It caught my attention because I thought the line “so I need all sorts of help” was funny. I’m not a falsie wearer but this is the best tutorial I’ve seen! =)

    Reply
  2. Thanks for posting this! When I saw this in my blog roll I was like “meh how different can it be to how I do it”…completely different! I didn’t even know thre were different ways of applying the glue…I just pop it straight on the strip.
    I love wearing falsies!!
    xx

    Reply
    • Hahaha, when I was starting out I read about 6 different tutorials and none of them were the same. Now that I’m used to how much glue needs to be on the strip, I’m ok with squeezing it straight on the lash, but at the beginning I kept putting too much on, and this solved the problem! But on trains, I don’t bother 😉

      Reply
  3. Maybe this is a stupid question, but is there a way to “wash” false lashes? What chemical could clean these without dissolving or causing problems for the eyes? I’m a little worried about reusing but they’re too expensive to throw away!

    Reply
    • You can soak them in eye make up remover, or soapy water, but they tend to lose their curl (especially the ones made from real hair). You can reshape them by wrapping them in tissue then securing the package around a pencil with rubber bands. Alcohol would kill bacteria, but it might also dissolve the glue holding the hair in place for some brands. I’ve been lazy and just reuse them after picking the glue off without problems, but my eyes are used to the abuse (I’m a nightly rigid contact lens wearer).

      Reply
  4. that’s so funny you posted this because i JUST was looking up tips on putting on false lashes, i tried for new years and faillledd. great tips, i’ll keep this in mind for the next time i go out!

    Reply
    • I’d recommend trying to put one on before you plan to wear them out – I didn’t do that and had the most stressful night running around trying to find the right glue! Good luck 🙂

      Reply
  5. You make it look so easy! I’ve never been inclined to wear falsies before, but I’d probably give it a try for special occasions given how simple it is. Also, those lashes look so much more natural on than they do in the packet– I’ve seen them on the shelf before and thought they looked insane 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply to LabMuffin Cancel reply