How To Choose The Right Individual Lashes For Your Eyes
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False eyelashes. It can all be a bit overwhelming, right? Do you go for the traditional strip eyelashes, magnetic eyelashes, individual lashes? Well, while each style has its positives and negatives, but so many makeup artists swear by the latter — and they're perfect for you if you want an easy, more natural look that blends well with your natural lashes. One of the biggest positives? It's super easy to customize individual lashes by using as many or as few that are as long, short, short, fluffy or subtle, as you like.
"They're great if you want just a lift at the end of the eye," makeup artist Jacinta Spencer told Editorialist in June of why she loves individual lashes so much, noting, "They create an amazing cat eye with a lift." Jessica Tan agreed, sharing on her website, J. Tan Artistry, "They are super light so you can barely feel that they are on. They are great for enhancing your natural eyelashes by adding some volume or accentuation on the ends of your lashes."
But with so many styles out there, how do you know which are best for you? Well, look no further! There are plenty of YouTube videos out there to help you learn how to apply individual lashes (like this doozy of an explainer from Alexandra Anele or Sharatia Banks' step-by-step guide, which has over 1.4 million views!), first thing's first, as we're helping you decide which lashes to go for.
Use your lash type and eye shape to choose your individual lashes
When choosing the right individual lashes for you, it's important to take into account what kind of lashes you already have and what your eye shape is to make sure you're getting the most natural and blended look.
Make-up artist Edy London opened up to Daily Mail about the best lashes for each eye shape, explaining those with monolids are more suited to slightly longer lashes applied mainly on the outer corner. If you have downturned eyes, you may want to go for more of a cat eye effect, while upturned eye shapes better suit lashes that are a similar length from the inner corner to the outer. For our round eyed friends, London suggested fluffier lashes that get longer on the outer corner. Deep set eyed people may prefer to go for longer lashes with a more subtle curl, while if you have hooded eyes may better suit medium length lashes. If your eyes are more almond shaped, you can pretty much have your pick of lashes.
It's also a good idea to take your natural lashes into consideration. In Style recommends matching your individual falsies to what you already have, for example, if you naturally have shorter lashes, go for shorter falsies. If you have fluffier, longer lashes, go for the more dramatic option. But always remember that there are no hard and fast rules. No matter what, always go for what you love on you!
How to apply your individual lashes
There are a few tips and tricks to think about when it comes to putting on your individual falsies. Some individual lashes come with glue (though you may want to invest in one from a brand you know works for you!), and it usually works best if you put a blob on your hand and let it dry for a few seconds until it's tackier. Then, pick up your individual lash with a pair of tweezers, dip the bulb in the glue, and place the glued end on your lash line. This is when the tips above will come in handy, as, dependent on your eye shape, you can apply the different lengths in a flattering way (remember the longer lashes usually look better on the outer corner!). While all that sounds simple enough (although it'll take a little practice to get it perfect) there are a few other things you may want to take into consideration.
Founder of Envious Lashes, Clementina Richardson, gave a great tip to A Edit, suggesting when you've mastered putting them on, you can experiment with placement. Being very careful (always make sure you're safe when it comes to the eye area!), Richardson suggested getting lashes that can be placed under yours for a more natural look. A few more pro-tips that may help? Curl your natural lashes first to help the falsies grip, and get a lash applicator (like this Sephora one for $12!) if tweezers are tricky.