The Easy Way To Apply False Lashes
They’re a bitch to work with, but they look so good
As a drag queen, false lashes are the epitome of a drag face. Without them, you may as well just call yourself a man in a dress. For women, they are the essential ingredient for a flashy face, adding a new layer to your eye sockets.
But for anyone who’s tried to glue them to your eyes, they know they can be such a pain. Your eyes can stick together thanks to the glue and sometimes they don’t sit quite well. But once they’re on, they look gorgeous.
So here is my plan for placing on lashes good every time.
Cut them down
The first step whenever you get a new pair for falsies is to cut them down. Most of them come quite long, too long to sit well on the eyes. They can go over the edge and look really tacky. So cut off a bit to help make it fit on the eye better.
My usual rule is 2–3 centimetres and always cut from the outside edge. The inside edge, the side closest to the nose, has lashes that are smaller in length than the opposite side. This is because it needs to match the aesthetics of the eye socket. If you cut from this end, it can stuff up the aesthetics.
Draw a line
Before you go about getting the glue, grab some liquid eyeliner and draw a line above your eye. This is to help mask the lash line and make it look as if it’s your own lashes. I’ve seen faces with false lashes on and no line and it is extremely noticeable. As a drag queen who uses larger lashes, I find I have to draw a thicker line, usually a centimetre or two, but the thickness depends on how thick your lashes are.
Apply glue on the eye first
The biggest mistake for anyone gluing false lashes on is they apply the glue straight to the lash itself and try to hold it in place while it dries. But this is problematic. Holding it in place means straining your arms. Don’t be that person.
The best trick is to apply a strand of glue to your eye using a small thin brush, one that you’re not so worried about soiling. Dab some glue along the top edge of the eye you want to start with, then find the accompanying lash and apply glue to the edge of it.
Wait
Don’t rush and apply the lash straight away. The glue would be wet and takes about 30 seconds to get tacky.
Hold the lash in a lash applicator or a pair of tweezers and blow on the edge of it to get the glue tacky. Use your other hand to fan your eye socket. Try not to blink here as you can get your eyelids stuck together. After 30 seconds, the glue should be tacky enough to stick together, so edge the lash to the adorned spot and then use the back of the tweezers or the handle of your small brush to push down the edges into place.
Use black eyeshadow to darken your own lashes
A lot of people will likely use mascara to blend their false lashes with their real ones, but a lot of them, especially the cheap ones, can clump up the false lashes and make them look less natural. This can shorten the life of your false lashes, too.
I recommend using black eyeshadow and brushing the stuff underneath your eye just to darken your own lashes. Some of it may fall to your cheekbone, but this can be fixed with foundation or simply wiping it off. This is also why I say it’s best to work on your face from the top down.
And that is how you apply a false lash with ease.
