False Eyelash Tutorial

9:22 PM

One of the attributes that I wish I was a little more blessed with are my eyelashes. I know a lot of you feel the same way. Maybe your mascara just doesn't get the volume you want, or maybe you curl and curl and you still feel like your lashes are invisible. If you have wimpy, short, sparse, thin lashes, or even if you just want your eyes to really stand out, there is an alternative to just mascara: false lashes.

I know falsies can seem very intimidating at first but when done properly, it can actually take less time than applying mascara. Plus, it is something that has a lot of instant gratification because it can make such a big difference.

Just as an overview of false lashes, they come in many styles and lengths. My personal favorites are Asian-brand lashes like Shisem or Echo. They often look more natural because they are shorter to accommodate the sparse lashes that many Asians have. They also come in real hair or synthetic hairs, and prices vary from a couple dollars to really fancy designer Shu Uemura lashes up to $100 per pair. I personally believe you can get great results from cheap lashes at $2-5 per pair. If you take good care of your lashes (cleaning, removing previous glue, repositioning the curve of the band, etc), you can wear them basically until it starts falling apart or losing its shape. I chuck mine after an average of 5 uses.

Just to show you a few varieties, here is my collection of falsies.


I put a heart next to my two favorite pairs. The right one is my newest, style XOG특 (a bit thicker than regular XOG) from Shisem. They are criss-cross style with thicker lash groupings and are one of the shortest I have, making them great for "ordinary day" use.
The lashes on the left are really lush and long, which pairs nicely with a dark smokey eye for photoshoots. I used them for this previous look. The brand is Smashbox and I'm not sure of the style # but it has nicer fibers than drugstore lashes and the band is clear which makes it more seamless on your lid.

You can try many different kinds for different looks but I find criss-cross lashes to usually look good. For first timers, I recommend looking for shorter lashes as you want to get used to how it looks with your face first.

Another important thing to know about is false eyelash glue. Many lashes come with glue but I have MUCH MORE success using glue bought separately. I personally have two kinds, and I prefer the dark-colored LashGrip adhesive. It dries dark and blends in with your eyeliner. White glues must be colored over with eyeliner.



One thing to note is that lash glue isn't crazy sticky. Don't worry though, it will stick! I always hear people saying to wait a while until it gets tacky and honestly that doesn't work for me. I wait maybe 5 seconds and just go for it while it is still wet. :D

Now, on with the tutorial!

Ok, so the first step you need to do is curl your natural lashes. This will help to keep the falsies in place and blend with your natural lashes.



Next you want to measure the length of the false lashes compared to your eye. Many are too long for me so I place the glueless lash on my lashline and see how much I want to cut off. I know it's a blurry picture but you can see at the end where it would look nicer a bit shorter.



Take some small scissors and cut the amount you want off from the outer edge. Many lashes taper in length and you want to keep the short, inner lashes because it looks more natural. Notice I am cutting right outside of a large grouping. This is to help hide the band at the end.



Next, apply the glue in a thin line on the band of the lashes. I try to make sure it is covering the outer and bottom edges because that is what will hit your lid and stick.



Since de-sticking usually happens at either corner, I add a little extra glue there to make sure it will stick well. I wait 5 or 10 seconds, then apply while the glue is still wet.



Here comes the hard part! Take the lashes and apply them as close as possible to your lash line. You can either apply the lashes to your lid (which is what I prefer) or you can glue on top of your lashes as long as it is very close to the roots. I place one corner first, holding it down for a few seconds, then do the same for the other corner and middle. Try to adjust while the glue is still wet because it dries quickly. If you mess up, don't give up! Just try again. It takes practice and is much easier the more you try.



Successful attachment! By the way, these are lashes from the 2nd row, 1st column. Now, you can stop here but these are looking a little sparse for my taste so I will go to the optional next step...



Mascara! I don't use mascara with all my falsies (more to clean, yuck) but it is great for blending in your real lashes with the false ones and gives a nice boost and final touch.



Here's the final look, a photo with a toothy smile because you asked for it. ;)



Hope that clears up the mystery of falsies for a lot of you. Leave me a comment if you have any other questions!

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32 comments

  1. great post! where do you buy the falsies? i've been looking for a store in the US where i can buy shisem or darkness falsies but haven't found one yet :(

    thanks!

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  2. Finally you showed your teeth when you smile :D

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  3. Great tutorial! I rememeber the first day of falsies...I didn't know I was supposed to push the lashes up right when they're drying so they were like all pointing down and in front of my eye ! I use dark glue too. Work better for me :)

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  4. Hey, where can I buy this line of shisem lashes? I can't find them online like I can when I'm looking for korean beauty products.

    Also, where did you get that white hat you are wearing in your post back in january?

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  5. alexa: I bought mine at a local Korean video/beauty supply store.

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  6. Kimmy: Yes, it's very important to have the lashes where you want them when they dry! Pushing up for the 10 seconds or however long it takes to dry helps keep it in place. :)

    Anonymous 2: I bought mine locally so I'm not sure. I know http://xppinkxdrugz.blogspot.com/ has a couple but most are sold out.

    I bought the white hat from Forever 21. :)

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  7. I know a site where you can get some asian make up products. I haven't bought anything from there before but it looks pretty legit.

    It's: LunaBeauty.com

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  8. smile more with your teeth! soooo gorgeous!

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  11. you're so pretty :D
    i love your blog

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  12. Ahh, I can only apply falsies while the glue is still wet, too! If I wait until it's tacky, it doesn't stick. I thought I was the only person like this, haha.

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  13. Sasa.com has a broad assortment of korean and japanese falsies.

    and Jen you have a lovely smile!

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  14. can you do more tutorials for single eye-lids? I noticed you had one and thought it was great!
    thanks!!

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  15. Thanks for the tutorial!
    I've been so bad at putting false eyelashes >.>
    sometimes it pokes the inner corners of my eyes =\ and i have a paranoia of them falling off in public LOL

    I never knew dark eyelash glue was good to use. I remember reading another false eyelash tutorial and they actually said not to use dark eyelash glue O_o.. but i guess that's preference right?

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  16. Nice tutorial! However, I was looking more for some instructions on how to trim the lashes. The false lashes I got are way too long for me; when I put them on, it looks awkward and unnatural. I tried to trim them, but it ended up looking really really awful. Could you give a few tips on how to trim the lashes?

    Thanks!

    - l3oosh

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  17. Hi Jen, can you please do more tutorials on single eyelid makeup?? I'm sure most of us asian readers have single eyelids.. at least I do.. and we could use some help on applying eye shadows >.< I have seen your tutorials at soompi and they are great! But please can you do another? Thank you so much! ^^

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  18. I only started trying to use false eyelashes recently. I have a silly question. Do you put them on before or after you do your eye makeup?

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  19. Hey Jen, I was wondering if you can do a post with all the NYX makeup that you have, and possibly swatches for them? I'm interested in getting some, and I think you have more than just the ones you got for your birthday haul? Thanks!

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  20. Hi Jen,

    I got to know your lovely and info-rich-on-make-up blog by accident. You would know why if you read my previous comment to an anonymous.

    What's the brand of the eyelid tape that you are using? I always use eyelid tape to hold up my crease when I put on falsies as my natural creaseline isn't too high which tends to hide the falsies. Mine is running out and I can't seem to find them anywhere in my country.

    Oh btw, the trick to cover up the appearance of the white glue would be to paint a line of glue on the back of your hand and rub the stem of the falsies onto the glue. This ensures that the glue fully lines the stem w/o it overflowing resulting in visible glue line.

    I find painting on the stem itself very difficult and I would often end up with more glue than ever. =D

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  21. Anonymous 6 and Ali: I've been thinking about doing "single-lid saturdays." I'll do a single lid look once in a while that way. Would that be helpful? :)

    Tiffany: Hmm, why did someone not like them? I've tried both and I like dark better, personally!

    bethyb00sh: I try to just buy shorter lashes in the first place but if you find some are too long, take cuticle scissors and cut them perpendicular to the band so you are cutting down the hair toward the band. This will help keep from having blunt edges on the hairs. Good luck!

    Than: I apply them after makeup. As you can see in this tutorial, my eye makeup is already in place.

    Chiu: I will do a video on my makeup collection when my husband gets time to record me. :)

    Jo: I use Eyecharm brand tapes. I am going to sell a few on here soon if you need any. I bought a few extra from the local beauty store. Let me know!

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  22. Thank you Jen for the tutorial. I have just started trying falsie once or twice. I know there is a website to buy cheap falsies at http://www.madamemadeline.com/ (I learned about it from Glamour.com if I remember correctly). I have bought some from them and I think the quality is fine. They have a large selection of falsies and tools also.

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  23. Dark eye lash glue is the only way to go. Every time I see girls w/the clear ones and they didn't put liner or shadow over it, it looks horrible.

    I also put them on when the glue is wet. That way it's easier to position them where you want them, esp when placing on the 2nd eye.

    Do you curl the false lash after they're already on w/a lash curler? I've seen ppl do that a ton. I personally don't like the result or understand why ppl do it since the false lashes are already curled.

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  24. Hi Jen, I live in Houston,TX and I dont know where to find a Korean video/beauty store. Does any one out there know? please let me know. Thanks. Elaine.

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  25. Where do you buy your double eye lid tape (The one that you are wearing)Can you give me the website link please?

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  26. Awesome tutorial! I struggled for a while to find a eyelash glue that would hold the lashes firmly in place.. I use the ardell ones now and they seem pretty good. If you are stuggling with the lash glue there are quite a few good ones to choose from on this site: www.falseeyelashglue.com

    Emma x

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  27. Hi Jen! I was wondering what is the local korean beauty store called? the one where you got the shisem lashes? I would love to get them as a gift for a friend of mine.

    Thanks!!

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  28. thanks for the tutorial.. i managed to find the falsies in my korean neighborhood.. im super excited! thanks.

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  29. I think this is a good False Eyelash Glue the other brands tends to be too gloopy! xxx

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  30. To apply adhesive to lashes what kind of adhesive type did you choose Instant adhesive or any other? If it is sticks in your eyes how you can remove it?

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  31. Thanks for sharing this post with us...great creativity...cyanoacrylate
    .

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