I Wore Magnetic False Lashes On A Night Out-Out And This Is How They Fared
False eyelashes are a bit like liquid eyeliner.
They can almost sense the fear in lash novices, and for the pros, well, they can still be a bit tricky to master.
So when Lash FX's Magnetic Eyelashes landed on our desk and promised to take the effort out of fattening up our natural lashes - with zero lash glue whatsoever, FYI - we jumped at the chance to give them a go.
Lash FX Magnetic Eyelashes - £12.95 BUY
Just when you thought things couldn't get any savvier than the make-up sponge that mimics your fingertips, right?
See ya, sticky eyelids.
Instead of a single strip lash that you smother with glue from a weirdly tiny tube and apply to the lash line, there are two separate bands of lashes, each with a teeny tiny rectangular magnet attached to the centre.
In order for them to actually work, the 'top' lash (which sits on the top lash line like normal) clings to the 'bottom' lash (which sits just by your top waterline) through your real lashes. You can wear them with or without mascara.
It's really not that tricky once you get the hang of it, and after a few goes, we managed to master perfect application in as little as ten seconds - a snip of the time it takes basically anyone we know to apply normal strip lashes.
Firstly, pick up the lash that has the magnet on the underside. Place this on the top of your lash line (just like you'd apply a normal strip lash) and try not to blink too much.
The lash that has the magnet on the top of the band needs to be placed just under your top lashes (near to the upper water line), et voila, the magnet has done all of the hard work for you, and they're on.
There is a nifty diagram inside the packet to guide you along, but if you're struggling, a quick YouTube search will turn up a whole hoard of bloggers and beauty-obsessives showing you what to do with similar lashes.
That said, Lash FX are one of the first brands to market magnetic lashes in the UK, with our other go-to lash brand Ardell following swiftly with their easy-to-apply offering.
Ardell Magnetic Lashes - £13.99 BUY
There are a range of different styles to choose from, including: Megan (full and fluffy and inspired by Megan Gale), Bella (natural lashes based on Bella Hadid), Rosie (full and fluttery a la Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and, finally, Gigi (guess who was the inspiration for those).
We chose Gigi (a pair that wing out 60s style at the corner) for our night out out.
Here's what they looked like just after we applied them:
A post shared by Jacqueline Kilikita (@jacqueline_kta) on Dec 11, 2017 at 2:49am PST
The magnetic lashes blend in absolutely seamlessly. They gave our natural lashes (coated with a layer of mascara, FYI) a fuller intensity at the outer edges but still looked perfectly natural, not weighty.
Light as air. So light, that we completely forgot we were wearing them until a friend complimented our lashes in the queue for the bathroom - cue a pretty hilarious application demo which amassed a group of around five or six women all staring in complete awe...
Unlike lashes that need to be fixed on with adhesive, there isn't that uncomfortable, tight or itchy sensation (not to mention sticky fingers, ugh). And because the band is virtually undetectable, there's no annoying feeling of them digging in to the corners of your eyes.
We can confirm that they're glasses compatible, too. Even though they're long and wispy they won't sweep your lenses. That's probably something to do with the clever cut, another great thing about them. No matter your eye shape, you don't have to snip them to size.
Each lash style is meant to sit more towards the outer corner of your eyes to give them a pretty, selfie-worthy, winged appearance instead of an overly 'done up', heavy or clunky look.
A post shared by Lash FX (@lashfxofficial) on Aug 22, 2017 at 12:27am PDT
Because they're pretty much featherweight, we'll admit that we were sceptical on application. Even with lashings upon lashings of glue, our regular falsies always find a way of pinging off at the corners...
But, these were still on after drinks, 50 minutes on the tube and when we stumbled through the front door at 1am.
The next day, we decided to really put them through their paces, so we popped them on for a HIIT session. Lo and behold, they were still on, even after that.
The best part? There's no need to psych yourself up to pull them off at the end of the night (ouch) and even if you coat them with a few lashings of mascara, there's zero make-up remover required - perfect if you're guilty of hitting the sack in a full face. Simply pinch them gently with your thumb and forefinger and they slide right off together.
Ge-ni-us.
Good news for false lash-junkies - the Lash FX Magnetic Lashes are reusable. We've worn ours three times and the magnet still feels as strong as it did the very first time we applied them.
To avoid getting damaged, the lashes come housed in a glitter-lined case, which is also magnetic, so there's less chance of losing them.
Lash FX's Magnetic Eye Lashes are £18.95 per set and are available to buy right now at www.lash-fx.com.
They aren't the only brand to jump on the magnetic lash bandwagon, though.
The false lash know-it-alls at Ardell have also just unveiled a collection of magnetic lashes which is set to grow. The difference? They boast four magnets for extra staying power as well as five different styles to choose from. Yep, we're talking Double Demi Wispies.
They feature a pre-curved band, which means they are slightly more contoured to fit the lid, but they are much bigger than the Lash FX versions, so you still might need to snip them to size to make them look a little more natural.
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