Article by Donna Hay for www.makeupbulletin.com

LASHES…LASHES….LASHES!!!!

Ask anyone what facial or beauty feature they notice first, and they will most likely say WHAT?? Yup! You guessed it! The Eyes! The eyes really are like little windows to our souls! They can inform people when we’re happy by sparkling and shining, they can flirt seductively at a selected specimen,( Mu ha ha ha!), they glisten and moisten when we are sad and unhappy, and they can also look just downright dull and lifeless when we are tired and ‘GATVOL’ as they say!

So we all know and love a beautifully blended smoky eye! Of course we do! Dark colours frame an eye and make it come alive! And if you are anything like me, I can’t leave the house without some smoky kohl framing my eyes because my friends are so used to seeing me with it on, that when I don’t have any on, they sympathetically ask me if I’m sick! Lovely!
Anyhooo… Putting a smoky eye on is like putting a beautiful frame on an expensive picture! But how much MORE pretty can a smoky eye look with long, luscious lashes? And they are SO easy to apply if you jut know HOW!

Here are some commonly asked questions and misconceptions on false lashes and the application thereof! All answered for YOU! Enjoy!

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1. What glue can I use and do I need an eye-lash glue remover?
A. The best glue is most probably gonna be the Duo adhesive, available from MAC make-up stores. This glue is great, as it is latex based, and you do not need a remover to take off the glue or the lashes!

Since it is a medical adhesive, it is perfectly safe for use on the eye area, and does not burn or sting. Eye-lashes are also easily removable, one simple has to pull gently at the lash and it will loosen and can be taken off.

2. How do I get the glue onto the lash without getting it all over the place?
A. The best method is going to be with the use of a pair of tweezers and an ear bud! Gently dip the ear bud in a blob of glue and carefully apply to the spine of the lash, being cautious not to get it onto the eye-lash hairs. Thereafter, the lash can be picked up with the tweezers, and applied to the eye.

3. How do I get the eye-lash to stick in the corners? It always comes loose?
A. I find the best way is to firstly make sure that the lash is the correct size for your eye. Before putting glue on the lash and before applying the lashes, make sure they fit! You can do this by gently removing them from the packaging with your tweezers, and resting one on each lid, as close to your own lashes as possible, to see if they hang off the sides of your eyes! If they appear a bit long on either side, snip a few hairs of either side of the lash. This will make your life a lot easier, as when the lashes are too long it will be difficult to get them to stick.

Ok, once you have trimmed them and they fit, the best way to get them to stick in the inner corner of your eyes, is to apply them with your eyes still open! Yup, you heard me! Otherwise, often times when you open your eyes it will feel like you have stuck your eyes together!

So, using your tweezers, gently place the lash with the centre of the false lash in line with the centre of your own lash, then press it down gently with your tweezers towards the ends of your eyes, and in the corner of your eyes, as mentioned with your EYES OPEN!

4. Can I put mascara over the false lashes?
A. Yes you can! Apply carefully to the ends to make lashes appear blacker..

5. Is it necessary to curl my own lashes before I apply my false lashes?
A. Yes if you can! It does make a big difference to the eyes when lashes curl upwards, and curling your own lashes will enhance the appearance of the false lashes. Curl your lashes and apply mascara, then attach the false lashes thereafter, making sure you get the falsies as close to the roots of your own lashes as possible.

6. The glue doesn’t stick, what can I do?
A. When using the recommended Duo Adhesive, squirt a little onto a surface, and then using the ear bud as mentioned earlier, apply the adhesive to the spine of the lash. Now this is the trick -after application of the glue, wait a minute for the glue to go ‘tacky’ This way the glue isn’t as wet, and application will be far easier as the lashes won’t slide around on the eye area, but they will stick due to the tacky glue.

7. The glue is still visible – It looks horrible. How do I counteract this?
A. The Duo adhesive goes a see through colour when it dries. If, however, it appears visible ,use a black gel eye-liner or a liquid liner and colour over the visibly lighter glue bits.
Alternatively- you can order the black eye-lash glue from the MAC PRO STORES, ( sorry guys, we have no PRO stores here in S.A. only overseas!) so get a friend to bring you some down when they visit you!

8. Does it matter what lashes I buy? Do I need to buy professional lashes?
A. You can buy the cheaper lashes, they still look nice. I do find though that the lashes bought from professional make up stores are far better quality, and can therefore be re-used a couple of times, which is great! Often times the slightly more expensive lashes are also easier to apply as they are natural hair and not plastic! What I do also like to do, especially with the harder cheaper lashes, is to play with them a bit first before application- just to soften the spine of the lash. Why? This makes them softer and more malleable and they are therefore a lot easier to apply to the eye.

Hope you gonna enjoy batting those lashes at all and sundry! I know I’m going to love this makeup trend!

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