False Eyelashes: A Trial

So, after an email from Revlon asking if any of the EAD bloggers would be interested in testing out eyelashes and artificial nails, I ended up with maybe 12 sets of false eyelashes and 4 packs of fake nails (and I love mail so I got quite excited) to my door. I was thinking we could do some big photoshoot with some Birmingham girls, especially recent brides or soon-to-be. I decided I should also test them out myself, so I started by wearing a pair last weekend at a wedding I was shooting. I should probably start off by saying I have only worn false eyelashes one other time, for halloween, and I can’t remember for sure but I think they were adhesive (as opposed to glue). The eyelashes I’m testing come in various styles, and the first I tried was “Intensifying” because they seemed less wild than some of the other pairs. The sub-title of the lashes is “fantasy lengths” so I guess they are meant to be a little more than your average lash.

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photos from author’s personal collection

The pack comes with an extra adhesive strip so that you can get 2 wears out of it, a pseudo-unexplained eyelash applicator (it’s a little plastic rounded piece that I think should help you secure the lashes to your lash line), and has a left and right label. I apparently forgot about the labels and put them on backwards at first. I switched them, which I think voided some of the adhesive effectiveness. So, what did I think?

Probably because of my misuse, one corner kept coming up and annoying me. I had them on for about 18 hours, and by the end of it my eyes were building up a lot of protein. I wear contacts and the constant touching of my eyes I did might’ve caused it. I will say that when I put them on the wrong eyes they felt really secure, so I think they would’ve performed better if I hadn’t had to switch. I liked how they looked, they would definitely have seemed unnatural to people that know me but I think in general they just looked great! My favorite thing about them? The adhesive makes for a permanent eyeliner line. Eyeliner always seems to rub off or run under my eyes so it was nice to always look like I just applied it. Here’s an artsy close-up:

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Just to see how the adhesive would do for a second wear, I wore the pair again yesterday. I reapplied the lashes to a second strip of adhesive and put them on. I don’t think I did the best job of applying them to the adhesive, and during the day the adhesive often stuck to the fold in my eyelid. I certainly couldn’t give a full review of the lashes at this point, because I’m apparently a giant spaz. However, this has brought to my attention that if you are planning to DIY your makeup and are considering applying false lashes, you should be prepared to buy several pairs and test them out more than once. I would say for sure that on your big day if you are using the adhesive kind you should use the first strip, since it’s already attached and more secure. I’ll let you know how I feel about the glued ones in future posts. All of the products I have to test are Revlon.

Other things to consider if you want false lashes but are too afraid to DIY: MAC has false eyelashes that they sell and we’ve had a few clients get their day of or portrait day makeup done there for the minimum purchase price (not sure how much it is). They use glue and since they know what they are doing, they’re probably pretty secure. I’d still have a trial since you might have sensitive eyes and your wedding day is not a good day to want to scratch your eyes off.

What are your experiences with false eyelashes? Anyone going for extensions or that new latisse product?