by LittleAsianDoll

Custom Fitting Lashes: Make ‘em Natty!

You know it. You’ve always wanted to try them. You’ve drooled over the ones you’ve seen worn on mascara commercials (because they certainly can’t be real… who do they think they’re fooling, anyway?!).

But your nightmare is sweating them off, or even worse, looking like a perpetually shocked drag queen. No need to be intimidated by this wonderful beauty tool that, when used properly, can pack a punch and dress up any makeup style!

No need to be natural on this playing field: behold! Today, Fit Girl World is about to arm you with the must-know false-lash tricks and tips learned the hard way, now passed down to all of you wonderful fit girls!

This in-depth guide will open the door to faking it with the naughty, natty lash (you cheater, you!).

A Fit Girl’s Natty Lash Ingredients

• False eyelashes
• Tweezers
• Small scissors
• Eyelash curler
• Waterproof liquid eyeliner in black

As a fit girl on a budget, I like to use E.L.F.’s lashes and eyeliner as they’re very affordable and versatile. Here, I’m using false lashes in dramatic (I really like the natural kind, too…… okay, okay, I’ll stop with the overused puns now), and the eyeliner in black, along with my favorite tools.

When taken care of properly, one pair of lashes has lasted me up to a month, but most likely it will start crimping in two to three weeks. When lashes start overlapping one another and clumps begin to fall you know to replace them.

Step 1: Detach from the tray.

You’ll need to gently pull off one eyelash strip by pulling the band (long lash side) with tweezers in an outward motion. Avoid pulling upwards as this might damage the lashes.

There might be some tacky adhesive on the lash band to help attach it to the tray. This is normal, but it’s bulky. You don’t want it. You want to remove the unnecessary glue by holding the band by the end of the lashes then pulling gently with your other thumb and finger at the glue.

Don’t pull by the lashes like I did here:

Step 3: Trim the band.

Now grab the freed lashes by the middle of the band near the root and hold as close as possible to your own lash line. The trick is to line them up on the outer ¾ or ½ edge of your eye; any longer and it starts to look too heavy instead of helping “open up” your eyes.

When you’re finished, it should be hard to distinguish where the falsies begin; your own lashes will start shorter then blend into the false ones. You can take off a few “clumps” of lashes by nipping them from the outer end then fit to your eye and repeat the process until you are satisfied.

Step 4: Camouflage the band.

The next step is to camouflage what a common telltale sign of false lashes – the band.

Most strips have gaps between the individual clumps of eyelashes attached to the clear or even white band. If your lash band is black, good for you! Skip this step.

If it’s not, grab your eyeliner and carefully “paint” the band, and try to avoid getting any on the lashes.

People are going to be looking at you from all angles, so paint the outer edges, the part that you will glue, the top, the bottom, and most importantly, don’t forget about the front-on side that people will see most!

Spread the clumps apart to make sure you get every little space. You definitely don’t want strange white or clear spaces on your lash line.

This is what you want to hide.

Step 5: Repeat.

Lay the lashes on the tray provided and repeat steps 2-4 with the other lash.

Step 6: Uncurl the lashes.

For proper blending with your own lashes and the falsies, the curl of the false eyelashes must be close to your own. Most store bought lashes come with a curl that borders on being obnoxious.

Because this creates a gap between your own lashes and the dramatic ones (creating two layers of eyelash – eek!) we need to “uncurl” the false ones. The way to do this is to curl them right side under.

Detach and grab your lashes (making sure to do this when the eyeliner is dry) by the band, flip it, and curl it with your favorite eyelash curler starting from the root. Use very light pressure, repeating as many times as needed to make the curl a little more natural, moving out from the root and close to the tip.

Lashes are durable but delicate – if you use too much pressure, you will crimp them! You can even get them to have no curl at all then attach to your lash line and curl it to see what looks best, or leave a little curl – it is up to you.

Step 7: Customize the lashes.

More often than not the lashes will still be too long to pass as natural. You can forgo this step or trim very lightly if you want a more dramatic look (but I recommend keeping this for the stage!).

I like lashes that start shorter and fan out longer near the outer edge, so I will cut the individual strands of fibers accordingly. Holding the scissors at an angle, nip away as needed, checking by holding them up to your eye often. By holding it at an angle, it will be easier to give more variety to the lengths as opposed to a blunt and awkward line.

Don’t be scared – you can cut some really short ones and they will still look fabulous!

Here is my natty lash – this is how I like them.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, ladies!

Let me know what some of your personal tips are in the comments section below!