Gothic BC

Heh, my mom, who wore gobs of false lashes as a teen in the 60's, was my guide.  I'm quite sure I've never even noticed the instructions on the box... was I close??

My mom gave me her old eyelash kit back in the '80's, and I still have it.  It has a round raised area in the centre (like a donut) to sit your lashes on when not in use, and this weird lid thing that presses the lashes into the donut to keep them curved.  It also has this curved, hammer-head shaped pair of tweezers to easier clamp the lash while you're putting them on.  I'll bet they don't make those anymore!  If it wasn't hideously tacky pink plastic it would make a cool heirloom... 

:P

I've used them many times.  The best brand of glue, in my experience, is "Andrea", but they are all pretty much made of the same material.  Sometimes you can find it in dark brown or black tinted.  Use the dark stuff if you will be wearing dark makeup.  It looks yellowy or grey when you put it on but it does dry dark.   If you are concerned about a possible allergic reaction, put a small blob of glue somewhere where it won't show, (like on the inside of your arm) and let it dry.  Take it off within 6 hours (with makeup remover) if you haven't had anything nasty happen yet.  Of course, if nasty things start to happen remove it immediately!  Watch the spot for any redness etc over the next 24 hours.  If nothing happens, you're ready to go ahead.

[list]

[*]Have some make-up remover handy in case you slop any glue - the kind of remover that is designed for waterproof mascara is best.

[*]Do not put makeup on before putting on the lashes.  If you make a mess you won't have to worry about ruining anything.

[*]Before putting the glue on the lash, hold the lash against your eyelid to compare size.  The lash should be just a bit shorter than the length of your eyelid.  When you have the lash on, it should end above where the pinky glob in your eye meets the white part, or slightly shorter, and not be hanging out beyond your lid at the outside corner. Trim if necessary.

[*]squeeze a thin line of glue along the edge of the lash.  You won't need much glue - a thin, even line is best.

[*]the tricky part: If you can close your eye completely without scrunching your lid, great.  I can't.  I put my lashes on with my head tipped way back and my eye partly open.  Starting from the outside corner of your eye, lay it down slowly along the skin just above where your natural lashes grow; in fact, as close to the base of your natural lashes as possible.     If you have ever put on liquid eyeliner, this is exactly where you want the lash to lie.  The glue is very tacky.  Resist the urge to blink at all costs or you will poke yourself in the eye and/or make a gluey mess.  If you mess up, just wipe your lid with makeup remover, and give the lash a wipe too to get the glue off.  Always use fresh glue on the lash.

[*]you are still going to want to blink once it's glued on, by try to wait as long as you can because the inner corner (the part of the lid closest to your nose) is prone to coming unstuck at this stage.  I keep a tiny lip brush handy and use the blunt end to carefully press it in place for a few seconds (being careful not to stab myself in the eye, that is).  Now you can blink freely. 

[*]once both are done, take some mascara and just brush your lashes lightly to colour your natural ones and to blend them slightly with the false ones.  You don't need much.[*]to remove - close your eye, and use your makeup remover to dab along the lid where the false lash is, and wipe downward gently a couple of times.  This will weaken the glue and the mascara a bit.  Then grab the outer corner of the false lash and peel off slowly - don't grab from the inside (it's harder to do).  Use more remover to get the excess glue off your lid.  Later you can use the remover to clean off the false lash.[/list]