How to make your falsies look like naturally luscious lashes
Fake lashes can be painfully obvious when worn incorrectly. CNA Lifestyle helps you achieve the effect that everyone will envy.
After putting on your false eyelashes, you should still look natural. (Photo: Aik Chen)
Falsies are no longer reserved just for dressy nights out or your wedding day. Women are wearing them everywhere – to work and even out shopping on weekends – but how many of them can you honestly say are wearing them well?
The key to exemplary falsie-wearing is to make it look like you were actually born with lashes that lush. In other words, we want them to look as natural as we can (even if we may choose to dial up the drama with a voluminous pair every now and then). All that involves plenty of savviness in falsie selection and application.
Of all the cosmetic items that can be used on a woman’s face, we can safely say that falsies are the hardest things to put on with success. But don't worry if you are finding it a struggle to put on a pair. Here are the expert tips we’ve culled from makeup artists that will make you a dab hand.
PICK A SUITABLE PAIR
Consider the occasion. Sure, no one says you can’t rock falsies on a casual day, but pick a subtler set and not a pair that looks borrowed from a drag queen’s makeup bag. Save the longer and thicker sets for dressier occasions, when you will be wearing the appropriate makeup and outfit to match.
REALISTIC-LOOKING HAIR
They may be called falsies, but they need not look fake. Glossy is not a good look for lashes so keep an eye out for falsies that have an obvious artificial sheen – do not buy them.
They also shouldn’t be of a uniform length throughout. Natural-looking falsies should have a mix of lengths – go for those with a tapered trim, meaning that hairs at the centre are longer than those at the ends, or others that go from short to long from the start to the end.
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CONSIDER YOUR EYE SHAPE
Lucky you, if you have almond-shaped eyes, because you can virtually carry off falsies in any style. Those with deep-set eyes can go for lashes with a longer length, while women with hooded eyes need falsies that have a more prominent curl to them.
Downturned eyes can be ‘lifted’ with falsies that have longer and thicker lashes on their outer ends – these act like an eyeliner flick, visually raising the outer corners of your eyes and making you look more awake.
Have small eyes? Don’t try to make up for size with dramatic fake lashes – those will only emphasise your short eye length and width. Instead, go for an eye-lengthening, wispy style that has a tapered lash length (shorter at both ends).
CUT THEM TO SIZE
Trim your falsies to fit the length of your eye. They should end neatly at both corners of your eye. Don’t try to extend them beyond the corner - no one has lashes growing in that area. If you’d like to visually extend the length of your eye, do it with eyeliner instead.
Important tip: Trim your falsies from the outer end – you’ll want to retain the shorter hairs on the inner end to keep your falsies natural-looking. If the band on your falsies feels stiff, curl it around your finger and leave it there for a few seconds to soften it so that it's more flexible and adheres better to the curve of your eye lid.
GLUE TRICKS
Hold the lash strip with your fingers or tweezers (whichever you feel more comfortable with) and put lash glue on its band with the applicator, dabbing on small amounts as evenly as you can. Going in with a big glob of glue will most certainly result in a frustrating mess.
Here’s the trick: Wait for a while (around 30 seconds) and allow the glue to dry slightly and get tacky before applying it to your eye. This allows the lash strip to go on neatly without sliding around and leaving glue marks on the eye lid.
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FIND THE RIGHT POSITION
Curl your natural lashes before application. Mascara is optional. The fake lashes should be placed as close as possible to your lash line – no gap should be visible.
Can’t see where you are aiming? Try looking down into a mirror placed flat on your work surface without bringing down your chin. It works like magic.
FINISHING UP
Once the glue has dried and the falsies have securely adhered to your lid from tip to tip, crimp your real lashes together with the fake ones to fuse them together. Mascara, again, is optional.
Some people prefer putting on their eyeshadow before putting on their falsies and that’s totally fine, but eyeliner should always be put on after – you’ll find it useful in concealing the bands of the falsies.
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Photography by Aik Chen, art direction by Chern Ling, hair and makeup by Lin Hongling, model Liz from Mannequin.
