I bought magnetic eyelashes. Like a weirdo.
I stand before you, a clear lashed woman, who wants two simple things in life. To be able to do the splits (either direction) and to be able to have luxurious eyelashes. I know. It makes no sense. I don't even stretch on a regular basis. I'll never be able to do the splits.
But eyelashes? That one's doable. Magazine pages, CNN commentators, grocery store cashiers ... everyone has some sort of fake lash apparatus on now. You can't walk down the street without almost being knocked to the ground by someone's enormous set of eyelashes.
So I decided. I wanted to try wearing some kind of fake eyelashes. I have friends who have semi-permanent eyelashes that have to be touched up every few weeks. No. NO. I have enough to maintain in my life without having to maintain eyelashes. If anything's going to be maintained around here it's gonna be my roof.
Then I remembered hearing about magnetic eyelashes. I think it was Betty who told me about them. I did a bit of research and discovered that magnetic eyelashes are very expensive. About the same price as a new roof as a matter of fact. For 2 sets of One Two Lash (which is the original inventor of the magnetic eyelashes) the price is $69 American. Once you convert that, add in shipping and duty, the One Two Lashes were going to set me back over $100.
But I was doing this for science so it was worth it.
And yet, there were also cheaper options on Amazon. I could get a set of magnetic eyelashes from China for about the price of a few roofing shingles. $10.
So I ordered both and committed to an eyelash experiment for you. My blogging friends who might want to get into the eyelash market.
Before you get all worked up into a lather, I've done as much research as I could possibly do and have not found any harmful effects about having magnets around your eyes, let alone magnets the size of a grain of rice. So no, magnetic eyelashes aren't bad for your eyes.
The double set of magnetic eyelashes from One Two Lash came in a Chanel inspired box that makes that incredibly satisfying "click" sound when you close it.
The Chinese eyelashes came like this.
Like this. This is how they arrived. I felt like a Princess.
I went with trying the One Two Lashes first.
The premise behind magnetic lashes is you wear two sets of eyelashes on each eye. Each row of lashes has a small magnet in the centre of them. One sits on top of your real lashes and the other one sits below. Once they get near each other, the magnets click together.
I DIDN'T WEAR ANY MASCARA FOR THESE PHOTOS SO YOU COULD BETTER SEE THE FAKE LASHES.
You start by grabbing the top set of lashes and resting it on your own lashes.
You can see the magnet in the centre. The magnet is very, very thin.
You just rest it on there as close to your lash line as you can get it.
Then let it fall off. Repeat this sequence approximately 72 million times. Break to practice the splits then do it another 72 million times.
Finally you'll get the hang of resting the lashes on your own lashes. Then comes the hard part. Bringing the lower set of lashes up underneath until they click into the right place. "Right place" being the operative words here.
You will hate these eyelashes at this point. You will say they're stupid and it's impossible and you hate everyone and everything.
Then you'll have a drink. An alcoholic one. And the process will start all over again over the next few days. Until one day, it'll happen. Just like riding a bike, all of a sudden you'll find your balance and all will be right with the world.
You will be SO thrilled that you finally figured out how to put these stupid things on that you will be willing to overlook some of their idiosyncrasies. At least for the first few minutes. Then you'll start to notice a few problems.
Like the fact that these eyelashes are completely straight for some reason. STRAIGHT. Eyeballs are not straight. They're curved.
I don't know why the makers decided straight was the way to go for eyelashes, but for some reason they did. The concept is genius, and these eyelashes are SO close to being brilliant but they're not.
They're also awfully glamorous for someone who just wants a bit of a lift. They're long and luxurious which is perfect for Dino's girlfriend Sassy, not so perfect for me.
ARE THE CHEAP MAGNETIC LASHES ANY GOOD?
Maybe I'd get lucky and I'd discover that the cheap, Chinese eyelashes were fantastic and I'd be able to recommend these $10 beauties to you.
The packaging was promising. Anything that looked this horrific to begin with surely had nowhere to go on the scale of 1-10 other than up.
I specifically ordered these lashes because they had 2 magnets on each lash which I saw as a bonus. It was a bonus magnet.
I tried to keep that upbeat attitude whilst hefting them out of their Pepto-Bismol pink case.
If I thought attaching one magnet was difficult, attaching two in the right place was harder than doing the splits in both directions at the same time.
The magnets on the cheap Chinese lashes were the elegant size of bricks.
Buy at least they looked good. I found the massive space in between the upper and lower lashes made a perfect spot for holding pens, knives or any other metal object that happened to be attracted to the brick magnets.
In conclusion I cannot at this point recommend either the One Two magnetic lash or the hilariously ridiculous Chinese lashes.
But it's killing me. The One Two Lashes are SO close to being great. The actual lashes look great. If only they'd curved the strip. If only they weren't $100.
If only I could do the splits.
Something a bit more reasonable than substituting your real lashes with fake ones and expecting great results, is substituting hair conditioner for shaving cream. Honestly. It's the best hack ever, plus there are 4 other things you can use if you run out of shaving cream as well.
Update! I now use Latisse and it works GREAT. You can read my post on it here.
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Wow, all the biggest "au courant" questions of our day (and my mind) all answered here? Almost. Really, had been wondering and what seems a good idea can wait for next gen when they work the bugs out.
Meantime, since you're so good at answering questions...
Why haven't I found a husband? (mom wants to know)
How was the universe formed?
Will I get the mittens knitted in time for Christmas?
a) Why should you need to. b) The Big Bang Theory. c) Absolutely. ~ karen!
HAHAHAHA Well until those lashes come with a man servant to help with application I will stick to mascara or sunglasses Lol
I've never heard of magnetic lashes.
Why not just go old school and use the glue? It's not hard once you get the hang of them. I like the MAC brand the best (I'm assuming you have that in Canada)? I used to wear them every day for work (I managed a restaurant and bar) but now that I work from home, most of the time I don't even brush my hair, so forget eyelashes. But I still put them on for nights out or special occasions.
Yes, MAC is actually a Canadian company. :) Started in Toronto about 45 minutes from my house. The magnets are just easier to put on and of, no waiting for glue to get tacky etc. Plus they pull off clean. No glue to scrape off or build up. No special occasions here. :) But yours looks great! ~ karen
You can always wear them in your nose if they don't work on the eyes....that's the newest trend I hear!!! hahahahahahaha
I ordered eyelashes like this through 'Trending Beauty' on FB. That was a mistake, because the product never arrived, and they kept charging me over and over so I had to call my bank and cancel that card! At least the expensive ones come from a legitimate company.
Holy crap! That's awful. Good to know. ~ karen!
I came back to this post after I noticed that you replied to my comment, and now I have a question. - Since you saved me the money and exasperation of trying these magnetic lashes, would you consider doing a post reviewing all of the many lip plumping tools out there? They terrify me, yet the quest for pillow lips remains!
Oh, I can do that without doing an actual post. They don't work. They simple have active ingredients that make your lips a bit numb or tingly. Like cinnamon or cayenne pepper. That in turn makes you *feel* like you have bigger lips but you don't. If you want fuller lips your options are either a) injections in your lips or b) using illusion by adding a tiny bit of gloss in specific areas of the lip like the very centre of your bottom lip and peaks of your upper lips. ~ karen!
I tried to kill a nail on my wall, I thought it was a worm I hate to think what I might do to those lol
First time in my life to comment on an article, first time to really want to sign up for someone's news letter but you are awesome at writing! I do not wear fake lashes or many girly things but for some reason read this to find out the out come of magnetic lashes and fell in love with your humor!!!! Thank you and look forward to more articles of yours.
Hey Tammy! Ha! Well I'm normally covered in dirt and chicken shit but I like to know I can clean myself up if I have to in case of an emergency. Welcome to my site, glad you joined up. ~ karen!
I have seen these and how quickly they apply them but I was skeptical. Have you tried to apply them after you put on mascara? It might give them a stiffer shelf to sit upon whilst putting the lower one one. Suggestion for a future product review - that stuff you put on your feet then it peels off what looks like 20 yrs of skin.
My sister uses that foot stuff! I'll ask her where she got it (I think she had to drive across the border to the US to get it) I think she likes it, but I'll see if I can get it to try myself. I did put them on with mascara, I just didn't for the photographs so you could better see them. I really wish they worked. They're super easy to put on once you get the hang of it (which takes a whileeeeee) ~ karen!
Your post was funny but I have used the one two lashes for a few months now and love them. They didn't cost that much and I get them on faster than mascara. Get plenty of compliments. Great find for me. To each his own I guess.
Where did you find them for less? Would be curious to try them!
I, too, laughed out loud. First at the Chinese packaging, then it just kept coming. Hilarious. You know you can buy the cheap glue on kind, right?
I loved this piece. Being at that age where I could not care less what my eyelashes look like, I had NO IDEA that such a thing as magnetic eyelashes existed. After reading your post, I started to understand why I've been seeing so many people with lashes that are thicker than bangs. That fine packaging of the $10 set just had me howling. The picture of disappointment.
I do believe that I stepped on one of those crawling across my kitchen floor earlier today!
Weirdo! Hahaha!
OKOMGWTF. My first thought was "so they stick only in the middle, and poke straight out at the sides. Ah. Brilliant." 🙄 😵
Besides what do you magnetize them TO? I would think magnetic/metallic eye liner would be kind of nifty, but doesn't look like that's how it works?
And $100?!?!? Oh girl. I pray you get your money back. That's ridiculous on ANY level, even by Hellywood/model/rich-people-with-bottomless-pockets-ridiculous.
Chuckle...chuckle...chuckle...every time I think of this post that's what happens. Thanks for taking one for the team. :D
I agree these magnetic lash producers seem to be getting close to perfecting them. I say Sephora must be looking into it. Look to them to perfect these beauties and then they will not be able to keep them in stock.
Maybe velcro will work better. Hmmm
I would love to see a few pictures of each from a couple of varying distances. I'm sure they look horrendous close up (both the expensive and cheapies). I guess I'd like to see how they look an how noticable they are from father away.
Second.... how do they feel? Weird? Fine? Infuriating?
They felt fine. A bit odd for the first 5 minutes of wearing them but then I didn't notice them at all. ~ k!
Our hair salon has sold several different lash growing products. The penultimate one which worked very well for me, was Grande Lash. Another one we are selling right now is LiLash which works well also. They are each about $70 and last 3-4 months. You need to shake gently, then wipe the brush gently against the side of the top of the tube, and apply carefully at only the base of your eyelashes. If it gets into your eyes, you have too much on the brush. Neither of these products have made any difference on my eyelids, because I don't apply it to my eyelid. I also have brown/green eyes, so I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. However, again, keep it out of your eyes. It stings, and I am not good at having stuff in my eyes. Flinching, squinting, blinking reflexes if and when something gets into my eyes.
Rolling on the floor laughing my real eyelashes off. I see a post in my blog reader future that shows you showing us how to curl those long, straight eyelashes with [fill in the blank]. Now it's that blank that I'm really interested in, Karen. Have a great weekend.
Hi Karen, stop struggling!! I can give you the lashes you want. Grows and thickens your own lashes... made by Rodan+Fields. Be happy to send you before and after pics of my own results. Truly amazing ! Call or text me. 781-771-0869
I'd be happier if you sent me the product, lol. I'll look into it. A few people have mentioned it. :) ~ karen!