I can’t be the only one who has found their make up habits changing in a pandemic. I wear make up much less (unless there are meetings or zooms on), and lipstick in a world of masks is pretty much redundant.
Then there’s not being able to get to a salon. My nails are bare, and my lashes haven’t been lifted in a curl since last year. I miss it all. Getting ready for a night out. Getting my hair did. The lot.
Things I don’t miss are false lashes. I love the idea, but faffing with glue that sticks to your lids for days afterwards, finding them half hanging off halfway through the evening, or just the whole attempt to get them to stick in the first place. Seriously, do not miss the faff. And since I’ve been getting my lashes lifted, I haven’t really bothered.
But lockdown. No salon appointments. No curled eye framing lashes.
So an email from Lola’s Lashes inviting me to try their 90s Throwback Collection saw a ‘Yes please!’ uttered in response. Sure I don’t do a lot of beauty on here, but magnetic lashes that stick to an eyeliner? No glue?
That I can do.
And I really can. Sure it took me a couple of goes to get back into eyeliner, but oh my god. These are a gamechanger. Liner, line up the lashes and you’re done.
I even went out for a 5km walk in the wind in them to check their staying power. And they do stay put.
So how do they work? I received two sets of lashes, some liner, and some oil to help with removal of the liner. Along the base of the lashes run a series of magnets that stick to the liner (and anything else metallic). So you apply the liner to the top of your lids, let it dry, then apply the lashes. No faffing with glue praying they’ll stick. No worries about the glue giving way and them falling off. I’m seriously impressed.
That said, there are a few things I did learn on the Lola Lashes journey.
Don’t be afraid to trim your lashes. I have hooded lids and so the length was a bit much. Careful, balanced application of scissors and they fit really well.
They can have a tendency to lift on the inner corner. I found the trim helped, so did the application of a little more liner than I would normally use in the inner, and sorted.
Apply the liner sparingly, and let it dry. Forget either of those, and it gets all over your lid, and ugh. Don’t rush it, take your time, give it a good couple of minutes to dry properly.
Oh, and bonus – if like me you use an oil based cleanser (dry skin problems) you’ll find you barely need to use the oil to remove the liner. A good ‘hot cloth’ cleanser should do the trick.
Overall – they’re pretty, lush, and stay put. And your eyes look amazing over the top of a mask.
I might need more.