How to Apply the Strip Eyelash

Have you ever spent hours in front of the mirror trying to apply false eyelashes, only to end up with them sticking out at strange angles, or—worse—fall off completely after a few hours? Because false eyelashes are tricky to master, we tapped Los Angeles–based makeup artist Gia Brescia to show us her tried-and-true application (and removal) tips.

1.     Size the lashes. Before gluing the lashes on, you will need to make sure they are not too wide for your eye. Hold the lash strips up against your eyelid, and trim them down on the sides if necessary. If the lashes are too long for your personal taste, consider trimming the individual lashes down to achieve a more natural look. Lashes should be longer toward the outer corner of the eye.

2.     Apply high-quality glue for lasting results (Brescia suggests avoiding the glue that comes with your lashes). If you have a steady hand, you can squeeze straight from the tube onto the strip. Tend to get shaky? An easy trick: put glue on the reverse (handle) end of a tweezers and glide it across the strip, as pictured. Be generous at both the inner and outer corners so the glue won’t unstick when you blink.

3.     Place the strip on your eyelid, positioning it as close as possible to your natural lashes. Bring the strip down from above, not from the front. This is to ensure that you get as close as possible to your lashline

4.     Apply mascara to your lashes. This will help blend your natural lashes with the false ones, achieving a more natural look. You can use black, brown, or dark gray mascara.

5.     If you see a gap showing on the eyelid between your real lashes and false eyelash, don’t worry! You don’t have to pull it off and start again, says Brascia. Just fill in the gap, using a matte black eye shadow as a liner to hide it (we used Inglot Cosmetics Freedom System Eyeshadow in 391). This step will also help the glue dry more quickly.