Tricks of the Trade: False Lashes

Indian wedding trends increasingly are leaning towards the theatrical.  Think of the Bollywood style wedding videos produced by photographers like Film-Style Weddings.  In makeup too, tools customarily reserved for theatre and film and making their way into the mainstream wedding market.  False lashes, for example, were first introduced in the American film industry in the fifties, but these days, most brides are probably comfortable with the expectation that they will wear them to enhance their wedding day makeup.

What It Is
I'm actually a plain jane in real life, so when I walk into MAC it can be quite intimidating for me.  Although I love makeup and writing about it and applying it on others, my own repertoire is relatively simple.  I mean, I don't even own a mascara.  So no wonder I felt very intimidated to talk to one of the girls at MAC for info and advice for this article.  She was really helpful and sweet, though, and I went back a couple of times to ask more questions.

Made from animal fibres (mink or fox) or synthetic materials, better quality false lashes tend to be handmade.  Bigger makeup brands like Shu Uemera and Makeup Forever devote considerable resources to actually developing various styles of lashes to achieve different effects, but more on that later. The lashes are shaped and woven to a curved band, which you would attach to your natural lashline with an eyelash adhesive.

Types of False Lashes

Although there are lots of different variations on the basic false lash style, there are pretty much three basic shapes used to create varying effects.  They are:

The full-centre lashes: These make the eyes seem wider, more open, and give a lift to the whole face by drawing the eye centre and upward. These are the most dramatic, in my view.

The full-corner lashes:  These create a "cat-eye" effect, draw apart close-set eyes, and even out the whole face structure.  They also look kind of fluttery when you blink or laugh.

The "spikey" lashes:  These are made by attaching small bundles of lashes intermittently along the band, rather than consistently all the way across. The girl at M.A.C. told me these lashes are the most popular with brides cause they create a doll-like, pretty-girl look without being over the top.

All the lashes were very kindly modeled for me by my sister.  Aside from the lashes, she is wearing clear mascara and a little eyeshadow.

There are also individual lashes, but since they are mostly used to fill in sparse lashlines and don't have the dramatic effect that bridal makeup requires, I haven't included them.  I want to mention here that this post is not intended to be a review, all the lashes picture above are excellent, salon-quality lashes purchased from beauty and makeup supply stores.  I just wanted to demonstrate the different shapes, and I chose the ones store assistants pointed out as popular with brides. If you are looking for a review on which lash is best, you might want to try a different blog.

How to Apply (and Care For) False Lashes

1. Curl your natural lashes (mind you, some people say this should be last step, it's really what works for you)
2. If you are new at this, lay a mirror flat on the table in front of you to help you see what you're doing and apply liquid liner.  Allow to dry (again, some people do this step after they finish, I prefer to do it first because if I make a mistake, it's harder to correct with the lashes in).
3. Use tweezers to pull the lashes off the plastic and gently bend them with your fingers to soften the curve, place on your lashline to check the length. If they are too long, use scissors to trim the end (bit by bit!) until they fit your eyelid.
4. Apply a tiny bit of glue along the band line and wait till it dries and gets tacky, like a sticker.  Once the glue is dry, carefully lay the lashes down along the lash line and press to attach.
5. Apply mascara (I do this before putting on the lashes, but again, try both ways, since I've read both) and makeup.
6. Flutter those babies in his direction and make him melt!

To take them off, use tweezers and slowly(!) peel off the lashes, use an ear bud with some makeup remover to wipe the glue off them and place them back in their packaging so they retain their shape.  You can use them more than once, upto 15 times, if you take care of them well.

My Two Cents

Overall, I am not a huge fan of false lashes, I think they are uncomfortably dramatic for my personal style.  On the other hand, some people want or need a dramatic change for their wedding day.  For these brides, who maybe wear mascara daily, or have lashes that don't benefit from a few coats of mascara, false lashes are a great option. Another huge bonus of wearing false lashes is the illusion of a symetrical face structure, because they balance out the shape of the eyes and draw a clear line across which the eye (and camera) moves.