"You have to put magnets inside your eyelids?!"
This is the #1 question I've gotten when mentioning these to people.
No, folks. I do not and would not stick magnets in my eyelids.
But these are kind of just as magical.
A little backstory...
When I went to the doctor a few weeks ago, we talked about how, immediately after having the baby, you kinda feel/look like garbage for a little while. The baby's out in the world, but you're still carrying around a little extra weight, not sleeping, and generally adjusting to a brand new chapter of life.
"Hmmm," thought I, "let's do something in the way of self-care to combat the post-baby scaries! What about eyelash extensions?"
So I did a little research and LOLOLOLOL they are insanely expensive. The salon here in Asheville charges $250 for the first application and over $100 for every refill. But, TBH, the money wasn't the ultimate deterrent - the time was. The first application takes four solid hours of sitting in a chair.
If you're blonde, or someone who gets their hair colored regularly, you know that we already spend 3 1/2 hours in a chair every six weeks. That's enough to make me go crazy all by itself. I couldn't do another cosmetic and unnecessary thing that took that long.
SO, I began researching other options and came across something that seemed too good to be true: magnetic lashes.
After looking into various brands, I settled on One Two Lash. They cost $70 and arrived within a week. I was SO EXCITED to try them on. One Two Lash offers three different varieties, but, as a non-false-eyelash wearer, I went with "natural." Felt like that was the safest choice.
My first impression was that I was really impressed with the packaging. The case the lashes come in is super attractive and very well-made, which is great, because if you take care of these suckers, they can last you a really long time. In fact, there are two sets of them: upper and lower on the left, and upper and lower on the right...x2.
As you can see in that photo, each lash strip has a teeny tiny rectangular magnet. The science is basically that you place the "top" lashes so that they rest on your natural top set of lashes. Then, when you have it positioned, you literally click the corresponding "bottom" set underneath your top lashes, and voila! Instant lashes.
No glue, no muss, no fuss.
Rather than subject you to me attempting to be a beauty blogger, I'm going to link someone else whose job it is to do this to show you how they work:
(Small aside - this is not a sponsored post. This is just a product I like that I want to share with y'all.)
So. What do they look like on a non-beauty blogger?
It took me a while to really feel like I got the hang of exactly where they needed to be positioned on my real eyelashes. The pictures below are the first night that I actually got ready/put on a full face of makeup to go out somewhere, and I think I positioned the magnetic lashes too far toward the outside of my own lashes. They look a little "16-year-old at prom" in these photos:
(PS - you're welcome in advance for the close-ups of what I'm now realizing is my SEVERELY deviated septum. It's no wonder I can't breathe, I mean DAMN!)
Having not worn false eyelashes before, I was really self-conscious about them, but the group of girls I was with told me that they didn't even notice and wouldn't have guessed they were fake unless I'd mentioned it! And when I got home that night, I popped them off in less than 5 seconds, put them back in their case, and went about my normal nightly skincare routine. They added almost no time to the process of getting ready for bed.
So I played with them over the next few days and I think I got better at applying them. My process is:
1. Curl lashes as I normally would.
2. Apply eyeliner and mascara (or just mascara, as in the photo below) to top lashes.
3. Apply a very light layer of bottom-lash mascara (this was actually Jordan's suggestion to keep the One Two lashes from looking too "fake-y," - his words).
4. Snap on the One Two lashes, one eye at a time, adjusting as necessary.
Over the last week, I think I got better at positioning them:
For context, I'm not wearing any eyeliner in this photo - just mascara and the new lashes.
SO, overall, here's my review:
Pros:
- Even if you aren't a beauty guru, these are not complicated to get the hang of. It certainly took me several tries to get it right, but ANYTHING that's new in beauty takes a few tries to get right.
- There is no glue involved. Zero. It's snap, snap, go.
- These are considerably less expensive than eyelash extensions, and, if well cared for, longer lasting. More bang for your buck and ultimately the same result.
- The case is beautiful and will encourage you to take care of the product.
- Removing them is extremely simple.
- They stay locked in place for as long as you're wearing them.
- Eyelashes for days!
Cons:
- The red dot that denotes the "bottom" set of lashes rubs off very quickly. It was gone within a few application attempts, so it's important to make sure you place them back in the case in the correct section.
- They do feel a tiny bit heavy at first, but I think that's probably true with anything fake that you're sticking to your eyes. After a few minutes, I forgot they were there.
Tips:
- As I said, it takes practice. Play with where you put them on your lash line - what looks most natural? Should you scoot them a little further in? Toward the corners? You'll know when you hit the sweet spot.
- Don't put any more mascara on after you've applied your lashes. They're plenty on their own, and more makeup is going to damage the product.
- In fact, let your lashes be the last thing you put on. Are you applying loose powder? Do that, THEN apply those bad boys.
- Never sleep in them or wash your face with them on. It's easy to forget they're there, so I keep my case out on the bathroom counter to remind me to take them off before I start slapping water on my face.
What do you think?? Is this crazy? At the end of the day, I highly recommend them to anyone who's considering eyelash extensions, but doesn't want to shell out the cash or the time in the chair. These are an amazing alternative, reasonably priced, and achieve the same result. I love mine and am actually excited to go put them on in just a few minutes! Yahoo!