Beginner's Guide: How To Apply False Eyelashes

False eyelashes have the power to transform your entire face, drawing people’s attention to your eyes and giving you a polished, feminine look. When properly applied, they will enhance your beauty, giving you long, luscious lashes. However, poorly applied eyelashes can look cheap, tacky and obvious. Let us help you with this simple step-by-step beginner’s guide.

Select your style of false eyelash

There are so many types to choose from, so think carefully about what type of look you want to achieve. Do you want longer lashes? Are you looking for more volume or a dramatic curl? Are you after a daytime or night-time style? If you want a bold party-ready look, SoCal Beauty offers a 5 pack of STRIPP’D Non Magnetic Designer Lashes.

There are three main styles of false eye lash: individual, full, and "long and short". Full lashes are very photogenic, as the bold, thick style really makes you stand out from the crowd. Long and short lashes feature a dramatic difference in tip length for a feminine look. Individual lashes give you a lot of freedom, allowing you to really customize your lashes. These are a great choice for when you want to create an effortlessly graceful, natural look.

As you become more confident applying false eyelashes, you may even like to experiment with different styles and alteration. For example, you can cut your fake eyelashes in half and apply exclusively to the outer corner of your eye for a creative twist. Individual lashes can also be applied to create a more subtle, natural-looking style. For a quirkier look, you might like to consider fake eyelashes in dramatic colors such as electric blue and deep plum.

Give yourself plenty of time

Nothing is easier to mess up than hastily applied fake eyelashes. This is a delicate process that requires a steady hand, so make sure you give yourself enough time. Also, fake eyelashes are applied after your eye makeup, so if you rush, you can easily smudge your eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara.

Prep your lashes

Applying fake eyelashes should be the final step in your eye makeup routine. You should always curl your natural lashes and apply your eyeshadow and mascara first. Otherwise, you risk both uneven makeup coverage and nudging your fake eyelashes out of place.

Remove with care

It’s very important to remove your fake eyelashes from their box very carefully as you don’t want to damage them before you’ve even started. It’s best to gently peel them out using your tweezers to make sure they don’t get bent out of shape.

Trim down the lashes

This isn’t always necessary, but sometimes your false eyelashes are longer than needed. After all, everyone’s eyes are unique. Use sharp scissors to cut your false eyelashes and remember not to start cutting from the side with the lashes. For precision, we recommend SoCal Beauty’s multifunctional Cut Off Gold Mini Scissors.

Apply glue

If your fake eyelashes require glue, now is the time to carefully apply it along the lash band. For even coverage, dab glue onto an implement such as a Q-tip rather than trying to use the glue straight from the tube. Once applied, let the glue sit for a few minutes before use; this lets it get nice and sticky. Never apply the glue directly onto your eyelid. This is dangerous as you run the risk of gluing your eye shut. Other types of fake eyelashes have adhesive covers that you can simply peel off before applying, thereby avoiding the need to carefully apply glue.

Press into your lash line

This can be really challenging to do with your fingers, so it’s recommended that you use tweezers for this part. It also helps if you look downward. Using the tweezers to assist you, gently but firmly press the fake eyelashes along your lash line, getting as close to your natural lashes as possible so they blend seamlessly. For greater control, press them into the middle of your lash line first before focusing on the inner corner and outer edge.

Disguise the lash line

Use the eyeliner of your choice to conceal the lash strip and hide away any gaps. Dark colors work best. A black or brown liquid eyeliner, such as SoCal Beauty’s Liquid Designer Eyeliner, is a good choice as it will let you fill in tiny gaps with ease to create an alluring, dark lash line.