I have never been a lash girl. Seeing women succeed with gluing fake lashes on during a full face beat always blows my mind. When I would attempt to put them on, I somehow constantly managed to miss by the tiniest amount of distance and end up with falsies stuck half a centimeter above my upper lash line; trust me, it looks ridiculous.

I tried so hard with lashes and varied types and brands of lash glue for nearly a year without success. Eventually, I decided to give up and stick to my trusty favorite product, mascara. Mascara works wonders with making my lashes appear fuller and darker, but there comes a point where it isn’t enough. Enter eyeshadow and eyeliner, charcoal and others. It can be a lot of work to try and make one’s eyes appear more wide and full.

One day recently, I was talking with one of my friends and she suggested I look into magnetic lashes. A boastfully gorgeous and easy-to-apply product that I had never considered? Sign me up! I bought my first pair that same night. It felt like luck was with me to find something “new” to try, and it is high time we talked about the trend!

So, What Are Magnetic Eyelashes?

Magnetic lashes are the beauty industry’s so-called perfect solution to the frustrations of less-than-full eyelashes. They join a shelf with numerous lash lifesavers like serums, extensions, mascaras, glue-ons and others. Their basic concept allows two strips of lashes which are lined with tiny magnets to stick together at the base of one’s actual lashes to increase thickness. A beautiful concept in theory, but is it for real?

When I first started learning about makeup in my early adulthood, my girlfriends all wore lashes. Every. Single. One. Being new to the lash game, I received varied suggestions for styles I may like for my own lashes and the name I heard most often was wispies. I have seen wispie-type lashes everywhere and love the look, so when I went looking for a magnetic pair I went straight for those.

There are many different choices for magnetic lashes in the 2019 beauty market; glue-on styles are more plentiful, but popular options are available in the magnetic variety. A peek on Instagram reveals that many brands climbed onto the bandwagon for the trend and I was fashionably late to the party.

$69 at the time of publication

For brands boasting magnetic lines for both more affordable and pricier options, reviews for the product are not the highest, yet they still show that the products work for their intended use: cut the time of lash application in half. You can grab magnetic eyelashes at Ulta and Sephora. They both boast multiple options for these lashes, and choices include everything from wispies to fluffy styles, to doubles and demis. All you have to do is pick your favorite and get applying!

How To Apply Magnetic Eyelashes

I was absolutely ecstatic to be pulling my new magnetic wispies out of the box. The set I purchased came with eyelash tweezers, so I used them to get the lashes on a bit easier. The first thing I noticed was the minuscule lines of magnets along the bases of the lashes. They were hard to miss, but the lashes were pretty in general. My set was pre-cut into three different pieces instead of just two like most full sets are. It appeared to be less difficult to align them because of it. The magnets are pretty strong compared to their size and allowed the lashes to stay put once applied.

The directions on the box say to first set the upper and lower lashes on the tweezers so they will easily line up. The red dots on the lower lashes indicate that they belonged on the lower part of the eye. The next step says to line the prongs with lashes above and below your lash line. Step three is to press the tweezers together and quickly release them. Sounds simple enough right?

The lash application was the hard part. I do not have the steadiest hands, so putting lashes on is the exact opposite of my forte. Even with the tweezers, it took me an entire 30 minutes to apply the lashes. Every article I have come across about these little guys has insisted that there is a “learning curve” with application and I cannot help but to agree.

After about 20 minutes of struggling, I decided to browse the web for tips and tricks. One site said it was important to start out applying mascara because it would allow the bases to stick easier and move less during application, so I grabbed my trusty lash-lengthening mascara. I noticed the difference immediately. The mascara acts as a sort of base for the application, kind of like putting a tacky primer on before foundation.

10 minutes later, the lashes were successfully applied! I couldn’t believe how voluminous they were once on. I have pretty long lashes in general, but the magnetized beauties provided just the right amount of extra curl needed without appearing fake. Being extremely pleased with the result, I have to admit that I am a fan of the product. But with reservations.

After looking at multiple Youtube reviews of the same lashes, including ones from Tati and Kathleen Lights, I found that many had the same problems with them as I did. One of the biggest issues was the ease of application. It took many multiple tries before actually getting the magnets to click together, and even then they were not on properly.

They take time to learn and adjust to before you really get the hang of them. A huge flaw with the lash application is how they sit on the eye prior to application of the bottom strip. It can be a nightmare to make them stay while you attempt to line up the magnets properly. From the reviews I located about the product, the sentiment was one of the most common complaints for the lower ratings. The lashes can leave a large gap towards the ends, making them appear to be applied sloppily albeit securely.

What Health Experts Say About Magnetic Lashes

Magnetic lashes began to gain traction around 2017. First introduced to the market by brand One Two Cosmetics, they started out slow. It was an unusual idea for a market that is constantly looking for innovative ways to use products. People were nervous to use the lashes at first because it was generally unheard of to put magnets near one’s eyes for long periods of time, but is there any actual concern? None at all.

Eye doctors have since found that fake lashes, including eyelash extensions and glue-on, should be of more cause for concern than magnetic lashes should. And, Optometrist, Mila Loussifova, says that she sees no reason to worry.

Glue-on lashes and extensions can actually cause major health issues with our eyes like styes, allergic reactions, and infections. On the other hand, magnetic lashes are generally preferred by doctors; since there is less likelihood of mistakenly ripping off your lashes when removing them, they are much better for your eyes!

Hacks For Your Magnetic Lashes

By the time magnetic lashes were brought to my attention, enough time had passed for the internet to produce everything from tips and tricks to best brands videos for the lashes. I found the do’s and the don’ts and everything in-between.

To reference the difficulty flaw for applying the full sets of lashes, it was easy to see where help was needed. When viewing hack videos of the magnetic lashes, Youtubers began to chop up the bottom layer lash in order to boost the application productivity. Mine came pre-cut, so I didn’t need to do so myself, but it was pretty genius.

Kathleen Lights provided a pretty wonderful hack for the accent lashes that piqued my curiosity in them. Since these are only applied to the outer corners of the eye, they typically look a bit strange if one is not wearing a full eye look that is complete with eyeshadow and liner; a flaw that is not the worst thing but can look a little silly. She told her viewers that in order to make them appear more natural and complete, use an eyelash comb to smooth out any awkward spacing and double up on mascara for the inner lashes. This will make accent lashes a lot more wearable and natural-looking.